Nmap Network Recon

Map networks and audit exposure with Nmap — the standard network discovery and security auditing tool. Discover live hosts, enumerate open ports and service versions, fingerprint operating systems, and script custom checks with the Nmap Scripting Engine for authorized assessments.

Nmap is the de facto tool for network discovery and security auditing on networks you are authorized to test. This skill helps you craft efficient scans, enumerate services and versions, detect OS fingerprints, run NSE scripts, and interpret results to map your own attack surface.

When to use

Use to inventory and audit your own network's exposure during authorized assessments — host discovery, port and service enumeration, OS detection, and NSE scripting.

Examples

Discover hosts and open ports

Map your network surface

Write an Nmap command to discover live hosts and open ports on my authorized 10.0.0.0/24 subnet

Service and version detection

Enumerate running services

Build an Nmap scan that fingerprints service versions and the OS on my internal server

Run NSE scripts

Targeted vulnerability checks

Use Nmap NSE scripts to check my own host for weak TLS ciphers and known service vulnerabilities