nmap
nmap is a powerful open-source network scanner used for network discovery and security auditing. This page summarizes common commands and options for penetration testing.
Common Commands
- AutoRecon (wrapper for nmap and more):
autorecon 10.10.10.10
- Initial TCP scan:
nmap -sC -sV -O 10.10.10.10
- Full TCP scan:
nmap -sC -sV -O -p- 10.10.10.10
- Full UDP scan:
nmap -sU -O -p- 10.10.10.10
Key Options & Techniques
Scan Techniques
-sT
: TCP connect scan-sS
: SYN scan (stealth, requires sudo/root)-sU
: UDP scan-sN
: TCP Null scan-sF
: TCP FIN scan-sX
: TCP Xmas scan-sn
: Ping scan (ICMP), e.g.nmap -sn 172.16.0.0/16
Port Specification
-p <port ranges>
: Only scan specified ports (e.g.-p22
,-p1-65535
,-p U:53,111,137,T:21-25,80,139,8080,S:9
)-p-
: Scan all ports
Script Scan (NSE)
-sC
: Equivalent to--script=default
--script=<Lua scripts>
: Comma-separated list of scripts, directories, or categories- Nmap Scripting Engine Usage
- Common categories:
safe
: Won't affect the targetintrusive
: May affect the targetvuln
: Vulnerability scansexploit
: Attempt to exploit vulnerabilitiesauth
: Try to bypass authenticationbrute
: Brute-force credentialsdiscovery
: Gather more network info
OS Detection
-O
: Enable OS detection
Timing & Performance
-T<0-5>
: Set timing template (higher is faster, but more likely to be detected)
Service/Version Detection
-sV
: Probe open ports to determine service/version info
Output
-oN
: Save results in normal format-oG
: Save results in grepable format-v
,-vv
: Increase verbosity
Miscellaneous
-A
: Enable OS detection, version detection, script scanning, and traceroute (aggressive scan)