Nmap, short for Network Mapper, is a free and open-source tool used for network exploration, host discovery, and security auditing. It is a powerful network discovery and inventory tool that allows you to scan your network and discover everything connected to it, including a wide variety of information about whats connected and what services each host is operating. Nmap can be used for a variety of purposes, including:
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Network mapping: Nmap can be used to map out a network quickly and identify all the devices connected to it, including servers, routers, switches, and mobile devices.
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Vulnerability assessment: Nmap can be used to search for security loopholes and identify potential vulnerabilities in a network.
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Port scanning: Nmap can be used to scan for open ports on a computer network by sending packets and analyzing the responses.
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Service detection: Nmap can be used to identify services running on a system, including web servers, DNS servers, and other common applications.
Nmap offers a large number of scanning techniques and a wide variety of scan types, including TCP connect, TCP SYN (half-open), and FTP. It also offers a number of advanced features such as operating system (OS) detection via TCP/IP fingerprinting, stealth scanning, dynamic delay and retransmission calculations, parallel scanning, detection of down hosts via parallel pings, and decoy. Nmap is a widely used tool by network administrators, security professionals, and ethical hackers.
