GCHQ is scanning servers in multiple foreign countries for vulnerable ports, according to German newspaper Heise.
It uses a tool called Hacienda, that can port scan all of the servers in a country to provide information on user endpoints and scan for potential vulnerabilities. The ability to port scan is not new, but the scale of its use by government spies, with 27 countries scanned by 2009, has surprised many familiar with the software, reports RT.
The database resulting from the scans is shared with the other “Five Eyes” agencies in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
