war-dialing

English

Etymology

Reference to the 1983 movie WarGames, which featured the practice.

Verb

war-dialing

1. Present participle of war-dial.

Noun

war-dialing (uncountable)

1. The practice of having a computer dial large numbers of telephone numbers in search of devices that can be exploited, such as fax machines or modems.
2. A similar practice in other address spaces, such as IP addresses.