What is Nmap?
Nmap is an open-source networking utility (network scanner) used to discover IP addresses (hosts) and open ports on the network by sending packets and analyzing the responses. Nmap started as a Linux utility and was ported to other operating systems including Windows and macOS. Network engineers use Nmap for port scanning, ping sweeps, OS detection, version detection, and vulnerabilities detection. Unauthorized port scanning, for any reason, is strictly prohibited.
It runs centered around a command line, but a GUI interface is available. When using Nmap scanning, the user enters commands and runs scripts via the command line. Users can navigate through firewalls, routers and other parts of the network. At its core, Nmap was designed for large-scale networks and can scan through thousands of network devices.
How to install Nmap?
You can download Nmap here.
- Install Nmap on Windows – Download Windows self-installer (file nmap-<version>setup.exe) and then follow the onscreen instructions.
- Install Nmap on Linux – use sudo apt-get install nmap in the Linux terminal
Basic Commands (Cheat Sheet)
How Nmap (Really) Works?
