Nmap: the Network Mapper - Free Security Scanner (2024)

Get Nmap 7.95 here

News

Nmap.org has been redesigned! Our new mobile-friendly layout is also on Npcap.com,Seclists.org,Insecure.org, andSectools.org.
Nmap 7.90 has been released with Npcap 1.00 along with dozens of other performance improvements, bug fixes, and feature enhancements! [Release Announcement | Download page]
After more than 7 years of development and 170 public pre-releases, we're delighted to announce Npcap version 1.00! [Release Announcement | Download page]
Nmap 7.80 was released for DEFCON 27! [release notes | download]
Nmap turned 20 years old on September 1, 2017! Celebrate by reading the original Phrack #51 article. #Nmap20!
Nmap 7.50 is now available! [release notes | download]
Nmap 7 is now available! [release notes | download]
We're pleased to release our new and Improved Icons of the Web project—a 5-gigapixel interactive collage of the top million sites on the Internet!
Nmap has been discovered in two new movies! It's used to hack Matt Damon's brain in Elysium and also to launch nuclear missiles in G.I. Joe: Retaliation!
We're delighted to announce Nmap 6.40 with 14 new NSE scripts, hundreds of new OS and version detection signatures, and many great new features! [Announcement/Details], [Download Site]
We just released Nmap 6.25 with 85 new NSE scripts, performance improvements, better OS/version detection, and more! [Announcement/Details], [Download Site]
Any release as big as Nmap 6 is bound to uncover a few bugs. We've now fixed them with Nmap 6.01!
Nmap 6 is now available! [release notes | download]
The security community has spoken! 3,000 of you shared favorite security tools for our relaunched SecTools.Org. It is sort of like Yelp for security tools. Are you familiar with all of the 49 new tools in this edition?
Nmap 5.50 Released: Now with Gopher protocol support! Our first stable release in a year includes 177 NSE scripts, 2,982 OS fingerprints, and 7,319 version detection signatures. Release focuses were the Nmap Scripting Engine, performance, Zenmap GUI, and the Nping packet analysis tool. [Download page | Release notes]
Those who missed Defcon can now watch Fyodor and David Fifield demonstrate the power of the Nmap Scripting Engine. They give an overview of NSE, use it to explore Microsoft's global network, write an NSE script from scratch, and hack a webcam--all in 38 minutes! (Presentation video)
Icons of the Web: explore favicons for the top million web sites with our new poster and online viewer.
We're delighted to announce the immediate, free availability of the Nmap Security Scanner version 5.00. Don't miss the top 5 improvements in Nmap 5.
After years of effort, we are delighted to release Nmap Network Scanning: The Official Nmap Project Guide to Network Discovery and Security Scanning!
We now have an active Nmap Facebook page and Twitter feed to augment the mailing lists. All of these options offer RSS feeds as well.

Nmap ("Network Mapper") is afree and open source utility fornetwork discovery and security auditing. Many systems and networkadministrators also find it useful for tasks such as networkinventory, managing service upgrade schedules, and monitoring host orservice uptime. Nmap uses raw IP packets in novel ways to determinewhat hosts are available on the network, what services (applicationname and version) those hosts are offering, what operating systems(and OS versions) they are running, what type of packetfilters/firewalls are in use, and dozens of other characteristics. Itwas designed to rapidly scan large networks, but works fine againstsingle hosts. Nmap runs on all major computer operating systems, andofficial binary packages are available for Linux, Windows, and Mac OSX. In addition to the classic command-line Nmap executable, the Nmapsuite includes an advanced GUI and results viewer(Zenmap), a flexible datatransfer, redirection, and debugging tool(Ncat), a utility forcomparing scan results (Ndiff), and a packet generation and response analysis tool (Nping).

Communication

Nmap users are encouraged to subscribe to the Nmap-hackersmailing list. It is a low volume (6 posts in 2017), moderated listfor the most important announcements about Nmap, Insecure.org, andrelated projects. You can join more than 128,000 current subscribersby submitting your email address here:

We also have a development list for more hardcore members(especially programmers) who are interested in helping the project byhelping with coding, testing, feature ideas, etc. New (test/beta)versions of Nmap are sometimes released here prior to generalavailability for QA purposes. You can subscribe at the Nmap-dev listinfo page.

Both lists are archived (along with many other security lists) at Seclists.org.

Though it isn't nearly as active as the mailing lists, the official IRC channel is #nmap on Freenode (irc.freenode.net).

Nmap: the Network Mapper - Free Security Scanner (2024)

FAQs

Is scanning with Nmap illegal? ›

Network probing or port scanning tools are only permitted when used in conjunction with a residential home network, or if explicitly authorized by the destination host and/or network. Unauthorized port scanning, for any reason, is strictly prohibited.

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Can hackers use Nmap? ›

However, hackers can also use Nmap to access uncontrolled ports on a system. They can run Nmap on a targeted approach, identify vulnerabilities, and exploit them. But Nmap is not only used by hackers - IT security companies also use it to simulate potential attacks that a system may face.

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What is the use of Nmap Network Mapper? ›

Nmap ("Network Mapper") is a free and open source utility for network discovery and security auditing. Many systems and network administrators also find it useful for tasks such as network inventory, managing service upgrade schedules, and monitoring host or service uptime.

How can Nmap help with network security? ›

Nmap, short for Network Mapper, is a multi-purpose tool commonly used for penetration testing to give you a granular view of your network's security. Its capabilities extend to collecting information and enumeration and detect vulnerabilities and security loopholes.

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Can Nmap be tracked? ›

Log monitoring tools such as Logwatch and Swatch can certainly help, but the reality is that system logs are only marginally effective at detecting Nmap activity. Special purpose port scan detectors are a more effective approach to detecting Nmap activity. Two common examples are PortSentry and Scanlogd.

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Can IDS detect Nmap? ›

All of the major IDSs ship with rules designed to detect Nmap scans because scans are sometimes a precursor to attacks. Many of these products have recently morphed into intrusion prevention systems (IPS) that actively block traffic deemed malicious.

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How do I protect myself from Nmap? ›

Possible defenses include blocking the probes, restricting information returned, slowing down the Nmap scan, and returning misleading information.

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Can you block Nmap scans? ›

The software provides a number of features for probing computer networks, including host discovery and service and operating system detection. To block port scans, you need to enable filters 7000 to 7004 and 7016. Please ensure that you read the filter descriptions, as some of them have warnings attached.

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What are the disadvantages of Nmap? ›

Nmap scans are susceptible to false positives, where closed ports or services are incorrectly identified as open, and false negatives, where actual open ports or services are missed.

Is Nmap safe to download? ›

Yes, Nmap is generally safe to install and use, provided it is used responsibly and legally. Nmap (Network Mapper) is a powerful and widely-used open-source network scanning tool that helps in discovering and mapping networks, identifying open ports, and detecting vulnerabilities.

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Why do people use Nmap? ›

At a practical level, Nmap is used to provide detailed, real-time information on your networks, and on the devices connected to them. The primary uses of Nmap can be broken into three core processes. First, the program gives you detailed information on every IP active on your networks, and each IP can then be scanned.

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Can you use Nmap on your own network? ›

While nmap is generally used to probe business networks and perform security reviews, the tool can also provide interesting details on your systems and devices at home.

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Can Nmap detect vulnerabilities? ›

Nmap is a powerful tool for scanning for vulnerabilities and identifying potential risks to your network. It contains a host of commands, and a versatile scripting engine with many included and downloadable scripts which can be combined into precision scanning or automated for broad results.

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Can Nmap scan websites? ›

The powerful open-source tool Nmap scans the ports of network devices and probes website domains for known vulnerabilities.

Is scanning for vulnerabilities illegal? ›

You should also ensure you have a target site owner's permission to carry out vulnerability scanning before commencing any such activity. Doing so without permission is illegal.

Is directory scanning illegal? ›

It's important to note that website directory scanning should only be performed on websites where you have proper authorization or ownership. Unauthorized scanning can be considered illegal and unethical, as it may violate privacy and security laws.

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Is Nmap scan intrusive? ›

Some of the scripts in this default category are considered intrusive and should not be run against a target network without permission. Runs a script scan using the comma-separated list of filenames, script categories, and directories.

Can you scan yourself with Nmap? ›

When using Nmap without Npcap, you cannot generally scan your own machine from itself (using a loopback IP such as 127.0.0.1 or any of its registered IP addresses). This is a Windows limitation that we have worked around in Npcap, which is included in the Windows self-installer.

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