Existence Plots: A Low-Resolution Time Series for Port Behavior Analysis
• SEI Report
Publisher
Software Engineering Institute
Topic or Tag
Abstract
This white paper was presented at VizSec '08, the Symposium on Visualization for Cyber Security, which took place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in September 2008.
An existence plot is a low-resolution visualization that concurrently represents the activity of all 216 ports on a single host. By doing so, we are able to show patterns of port usage which can indicate server activity and demonstrate scanning. In this work, we introduce the existence plot as a visualization and discuss its use in gaining insight into a host's behavior.
Cite This SEI Report
Janies, J. (2008, September 15). Existence Plots: A Low-Resolution Time Series for Port Behavior Analysis. Retrieved October 7, 2026, from https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/existence-plots-a-low-resolution-time-series-for-port-behavior-analysis/.
@techreport{janies_2008,
author={Janies, Jeff},
title={Existence Plots: A Low-Resolution Time Series for Port Behavior Analysis},
month={Sep},
year={2008},
institution={Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University},
url={https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/existence-plots-a-low-resolution-time-series-for-port-behavior-analysis/},
note={Accessed: 2026-Oct-7}
}
Janies, Jeff. "Existence Plots: A Low-Resolution Time Series for Port Behavior Analysis." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, September 15, 2008. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/existence-plots-a-low-resolution-time-series-for-port-behavior-analysis/.
J. Janies, "Existence Plots: A Low-Resolution Time Series for Port Behavior Analysis," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, 15-Sep-2008 [Online]. Available: https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/existence-plots-a-low-resolution-time-series-for-port-behavior-analysis/. [Accessed: 7-Oct-2026].
Janies, Jeff. "Existence Plots: A Low-Resolution Time Series for Port Behavior Analysis." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, 15 Sep. 2008. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/existence-plots-a-low-resolution-time-series-for-port-behavior-analysis/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.
Janies, Jeff. Existence Plots: A Low-Resolution Time Series for Port Behavior Analysis. Software Engineering Institute. 2008. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/existence-plots-a-low-resolution-time-series-for-port-behavior-analysis/