Traceroute works sending ICMP packets to all the routers in the way to the destination host, but these days more and more routers and server have the ICMP packets filtered, so here is where tcptraceroute comes to save the day.

As you may guess from its name tcptraceroute is like traceroute but sends tcp packets instead of ICMP packets thus avoiding the filtering of the packets in the route.

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tcptraceroute, A way to make traceroutes with firewalls in the middle of the path