// what it is
Description
Nmap (Network Mapper) is the most widely-deployed network discovery and security auditing tool. Implements SYN, connect, UDP, ACK, and stealth scans plus OS fingerprinting, version detection, and the Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE) with 600+ NSE scripts. Created by Gordon 'Fyodor' Lyon in 1997 and continuously maintained.
// use cases
What people use it for
- Discover live hosts and open ports on a network
- Fingerprint OS and service versions for vulnerability prioritization
- Run scripted vuln checks via NSE (e.g. `--script vuln`)
- Generate XML/grepable output as input for downstream tools
// commands
The commands you'll type
Full TCP + service + scripts
$ nmap -sV -sC -p- -T4 target.tldTop 1000 UDP ports
$ nmap -sU --top-ports 1000 target.tldNSE vuln scan
$ nmap --script vuln -p 80,443 target.tldStealthy SYN scan
$ nmap -sS -Pn -p 1-65535 target.tld