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by pbhjpbhj 2224 days ago
That's called "casing a joint" ...

I think it comes under the Criminal Attempts Act 1981. But it might come down to whether you gather information, if you test a port, intending later - if successful - to attempt an exploit, then that seems like it could be unlawful (under the Law of England & Wales). Keeping a record of ports found with services could be sufficient to demonstrate intent.

[Just to be clear, I'm not endorsing/condemning the law here.]