Nmap Cheat Sheet – Complete List of Commands for N
Nmap Cheat Sheet – Complete List of Commands for Network Scanning
Nmap (Network Mapper) is a powerful tool used for network discovery and security auditing. Whether you’re new to cybersecurity or looking to deepen your skills, Nmap helps you discover open ports, identify services, and assess security vulnerabilities on a network. This guide will walk you through essential Nmap commands, from basic scans to more advanced techniques.
Whether you’re scanning a single device or an entire network, this guide will help you get started with Nmap and explore its full potential.
Nmap (Network Mapper) is a powerful tool used for network discovery and security auditing. It works by sending specially crafted packets to a target host and analyzing the responses. Through this, it can detect:
Possible security vulnerabilities
Which ports are open
Which services are running on those ports
What OS the target is using
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How to Use Nmap in Kali LinuxKali Linux is a popular penetration testing distribution, and it comes with Nmap pre-installed.
To get started:
Open the terminal in Kali Linux.
Run a basic scan:
nmap -v scanme.nmap.orgFor a more advanced scan with OS detection, version detection, script scanning, and traceroute:
nmap -A -T4 target.comThis will give you comprehensive information about the target including services, OS, and potential vulnerabilities.
Basic Nmap Commands for Beginners
nmap 192.168.1.1 Basic scan of target IP
nmap -sn 192.168.1.0/24 Ping scan to find live hosts
nmap -p 80,443 target.com Scan specific ports
nmap -sV target.com Detect service versions
nmap -O target.com Detect operating system
Nmap Commands Host Discovery: nmap -sn 192.168.1.1
Checks if the host is online (ping scan).
Port Scanning: nmap 192.168.1.1Scans top 1000 common ports.
Specific Port Scan: nmap -p 80,443 192.168.1.1Scans only port 80 and 443.
Service Detection: nmap -sV 192.168.1.1Shows which service and version are running on open ports.
OS Detection: nmap -O 192.168.1.1Tries to guess the target’s operating system.
How to Scan a Website Using Nmap?To scan a website (like example.com), use:
nmap example.comTo detect services and OS:
nmap -A example.comTo find potential vulnerabilities:
nmap --script vuln example.com Intermediate Level User Topics
How to Scan Multiple IPs:
nmap 192.168.1.1 192.168.1.2 192.168.1.3or
nmap 192.168.1.1-50OS Detection:
nmap -O 192.168.1.1Find Open Ports:
nmap -p- 192.168.1.1Stealth Scan:
nmap -sS 192.168.1.1Live Host Discovery:
nmap -sn 192.168.1.0/24Nmap NSE Scripts:
nmap --script vuln target.comVulnerability Scan:
nmap -sV --script vuln target.comFirewall Evasion:
nmap -f target.comNmap + Metasploit: Export Nmap results:
nmap -oX scan.xml target.comThen import into Metasploit:
db_import scan.xmlAutomate with Cron Jobs:
crontab -eAdd:
0 2 * * * nmap -oN daily_scan.txt 192.168.1.0/24Scan for CVEs and Exploits: Use scripts or custom NSE:
nmap --script=http-vuln-cve2021-41773.nse target.comScan IP Range:
nmap 192.168.1.1-20 Subnet Scan: nmap 192.168.1.0/24 Stealth Scan (SYN Scan): nmap -sS 192.168.1.1 Verbose Output: nmap -v 192.168.1.1 Output to File: nmap -oN result.txt 192.168.1.1 Advanced Nmap Usage Nmap Scripting Engine (NSE): nmap --script vuln 192.168.1.1Detects common vulnerabilities.
Firewall Evasion: nmap -f 192.168.1.1Sends fragmented packets to bypass some firewalls.
Aggressive Scan: nmap -A 192.168.1.1Performs OS detection, version detection, script scanning all in one.
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Timing Options (Faster or slower scan): nmap -T4 192.168.1.1 Real Use CasesChecking which devices are connected to your home WiFi
Detecting unauthorized devices in office network
Checking open ports and services of a website
Ethical hacking & penetration testing
Nmap vs Other Tools
Nmap Network mapping, ports & OS detection
Zenmap GUI version of Nmap
Wireshark Packet-level traffic analysis
Nmap vs Wireshark – Which Is Better? Feature Nmap Wireshark
Purpose Network scanning Packet sniffing
GUI No (but Zenmap exists) Yes
Live Capture No Yes
Use Case Port, OS, vuln detection Traffic analysis
Skill Level Easy to Intermediate Intermediate to Advanced
Use both together for deep network insights.
Nmap Cheat Sheet CommandDescriptionnmap -sn Ping Scan – Identifies live hosts in a network
nmap -sS SYN Scan (Stealth) – Performs a stealth scan to detect open ports
nmap -O OS Detection – Attempts to identify the target’s operating system
nmap -sV Service Version Detection – Identifies the version of services running on open ports
nmap -A Aggressive Scan – Detects OS, services, versions, and runs scripts
nmap -p Specific Port Scan – Scan specific ports (e.g., nmap -p 80,443)
nmap -oN Output to File – Saves scan results in a normal output format (e.g., nmap -oN result.txt)
nmap -p- Scan All Ports – Scans all 65,535 ports on the target
nmap -T4 Timing Template – Increases speed of scan (use T1 for slow scans or T5 for very fast)
nmap -sT TCP Connect Scan – Performs a full TCP connection to detect open ports
nmap -sU UDP Scan – Scans for open UDP ports on the target
nmap -Pn No Ping – Skips host discovery, useful when targets do not respond to ICMP requests
nmap -v Verbose Output – Provides detailed output during the scan
nmap -iL Input from File – Scans a list of IPs from a file
nmap --script vuln Vulnerability Scan – Uses Nmap’s NSE (Nmap Scripting Engine) to check for vulnerabilities
nmap --script=http-vuln-cve2021-41773.nse CVE Vulnerability Detection – Scans for specific CVE vulnerabilities (e.g., CVE-2021-41773)
nmap -T0 Extremely Slow Scan – For stealthy and low-profile scanning
nmap -sN Null Scan – Sends no flags and is useful for evading certain firewalls
nmap --reason Reason for Status – Displays the reason why Nmap marked the port as open or closed
nmap -6 IPv6 Scan – Scans IPv6 addresses and networks
nmap -oX Output in XML format – Saves results in XML format (e.g., nmap -oX result.xml)
nmap --open Show Only Open Ports – Displays only the open ports in the results
nmap --max-retries Set Max Retries – Limits the number of retries for a port scan
nmap --script ftp-anon FTP Anonymous Login – Checks for anonymous login on FTP services
nmap --traceroute Traceroute – Performs a traceroute to the target to identify network hops
nmap -sI Idle Scan – Stealth scan technique that uses an intermediary host
nmap -sC Default Script Scan – Runs a set of default scripts during the scan
nmap -sF FIN Scan – Sends a FIN packet to detect open ports, useful against firewalls
nmap -sX Xmas Scan – Sends a Christmas Tree packet (all flags set) to identify open ports
nmap -sA ACK Scan – Used to map out firewall rules and check if ports are filtered
nmap -sW Window Scan – Detects open ports based on TCP window size
nmap -sM Maimon Scan – This is a rare scan method that’s useful for bypassing certain firewalls
nmap --scanflags Scan flags – Customizes scan flags during the port scan
nmap -oG Output in Grepable format – Useful for parsing the results into other tools (e.g., nmap -oG result.gnmap)
nmap -oA Output in All Formats – Saves scan results in normal, XML, and grepable formats (e.g., nmap -oA result)
nmap -p 1-65535 Scan All TCP Ports – Scans all ports from 1 to 65535
nmap --source-port Source Port – Changes the source port for the scan to avoid detection
nmap --data-length Send Custom Data – Allows you to send a specified number of bytes to each packet
nmap --randomize-hosts Randomize Host Scan Order – Randomizes the scanning order for stealth
nmap -n Disable DNS Resolution – Prevents Nmap from resolving hostnames to IPs
nmap -R Enable DNS Resolution – Forces Nmap to resolve hostnames to IPs
nmap --exclude Exclude Hosts – Excludes a set of IPs or ranges from the scan (e.g., nmap --exclude 192.168.1.5)
nmap --excludefile Exclude Hosts from a File – Excludes hosts listed in a text file
nmap -b FTP Bounce Scan – Bounces the scan through an FTP server
nmap --top-ports Scan the Top N Ports – Scans the most common ports (e.g., nmap --top-ports 100)
nmap --append-output Appends scan results to an existing file
nmap --unprivileged Scan with Low Privileges – Use when scanning on a system with low user privileges
nmap -v -A Verbose Aggressive Scan – Combines verbosity and aggressive scanning
Conclusion
Nmap is a tool used by everyone from beginners to professionals. Whether you’re trying to secure your own network or learning penetration testing, Nmap is the first and strongest step.
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