One embodiment provides a method for discovering an entity communicating using a network communication protocol. A scanning system of a system transmits, at a plurality of communication ports, a message using the network communication protocol to elicit a response from an entity accessing one of the communication ports. The transmitting includes emulating a portion of the network communication protocol. The scanning system receives a response to the message from the entity accessing one of the communication ports. The scanning system determines the entity is an entity of interest by determining that the response is provided using the network communication protocol and is responsive to the message. Responsive to determining that the entity is an entity of interest, the entity is added to a group of entities of interest.