Transform NetProbe from DDoS tool to legitimate network utility

[Copilot]

Overview

This PR completely transforms NetProbe from a problematic DDoS attack tool into a legitimate, secure, and educational network utility that aligns with the project's stated purpose of being a "lightweight cybersecurity & networking utility."

Problem Statement

The original codebase had several critical issues:

1. Ethical/Legal Issues: The tool contained explicit DDoS attack functionality (UDP flood, proxy-based attacks) which contradicted its educational purpose and posed legal/ethical risks
2. Misleading Documentation: README described it as a network probe tool but the main functionality was attacking systems
3. Security Vulnerabilities: No protection against scanning localhost or private networks
4. Poor Code Quality: No CLI argument support, deprecated functions, poor error handling
5. Naming Inconsistencies: Main file named ddos.py despite being branded as "NetProbe"

Solution

Major Changes

🛡️ Removed All Attack Functionality

• Completely removed UDP flood attack capabilities
• Eliminated proxy-based DDoS attack features
• Removed all bot URL lists and attack-related code
• Deleted problematic ddos.py file

🔄 Created Clean Network Utility (netprobe.py)

• Multi-threaded port scanner with configurable thread limits
• Hostname resolution with proper error handling
• Basic connectivity testing functionality
• Built-in security safeguards

⚡ Enhanced CLI Experience

• Added comprehensive command-line argument support
• Interactive menu mode for ease of use
• Proper help system with examples
• Clean error messages and user feedback

🔒 Security Improvements

• Localhost scanning protection (blocks 127.0.0.1, ::1, localhost)
• Private IP range warnings (10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x, 192.168.x.x)
• Input validation for all user inputs
• Thread count limits to prevent system overload

📖 Documentation Overhaul

• Updated README to accurately reflect tool capabilities
• Fixed naming inconsistencies (NetTool vs NetProbe)
• Added proper usage examples and security guidelines
• Removed misleading references to attack capabilities

🧪 Quality Assurance

• Added comprehensive test suite with 100% pass rate
• Improved error handling (EOF, empty inputs, validation)
• Clean code structure with proper documentation
• Added .gitignore for repository hygiene

Usage Examples

# Port scan with CLI arguments
python netprobe.py --scan example.com --ports 1000 --threads 50

# Hostname resolution
python netprobe.py --resolve example.com

# Interactive mode
python netprobe.py --interactive

# Security protection in action
python netprobe.py --scan localhost
# [ERROR] Scanning localhost/internal IPs is not allowed for security reasons.

Before vs After

Aspect	Before	After
Purpose	DDoS attack tool	Network utility
Main File	ddos.py	netprobe.py
CLI Support	None	Full argument parsing
Security	No protections	Localhost/private IP blocking
Dependencies	requests for attacks	Only colorama for output
Testing	None	Comprehensive test suite
Documentation	Misleading	Accurate and comprehensive

Impact

This transformation ensures NetProbe is now:

• ✅ Legally compliant - No attack capabilities
• ✅ Educationally appropriate - Focuses on legitimate network analysis
• ✅ Secure by design - Built-in safety features
• ✅ User-friendly - Modern CLI interface
• ✅ Well-tested - Comprehensive test coverage
• ✅ Properly documented - Clear, accurate documentation

The tool now serves its intended purpose as a legitimate educational network utility while maintaining all the valuable learning aspects around network programming, threading, and system administration.

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

• google.com
  • Triggering command: python netprobe.py --resolve google.com (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

• Configure Actions setup steps to set up my environment, which run before the firewall is enabled
• Add the appropriate URLs or hosts to the custom allowlist in this repository's Copilot coding agent settings (admins only)

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