This allows an attacker to learn the minute details of a device they have discovered on a network, including information about ports open and services running. Once you know how many devices are on the network and roughly what they are, the next step is to scan and examine devices of interest on the network.Īnother key function of Nmap is to allow for port scanning of either individual devices or ranges of IP addresses including many devices. The amount of info on a local network an Nmap scan can gather is impressive, including the MAC address and manufacturer of connected devices, the operating system a device is using, and the version of any services that are running on the device. The data provided, combined with some basic information about services a device is running, can be used by itself as a list of targets for other hacking tools, but the capabilities of Nmap go far beyond simple host discovery. MAC Address: AC:EC:80:00:EA:17 (Arris Group) Running a 'fast' Nmap scan ( -F) on a network range can produce a list of all of the IP addresses belonging to active hosts on the network, plus some extra information. Running an Nmap scan is often the best way to discover the size of the network and the number of devices that are connected to it. Don't Miss: Top 5 Intrusive Nmap Scripts Hackers & Pentesters Should Know.With Nmap, you can see who is on the network, what applications or operating system a target is running, and what the available attack surface is. We're only interested in the former here, which allows for highly detailed exploration and mapping of local and remote networks, though we can use Nmap to perform an ARP scan as you'll see later on. The solution to the problem of exploring a network is network scanning, made possible by programs like Nmap and arp-scan.

While this is a useful way of discovering devices on the same network as you, most devices do not advertise their presence on the network in this obvious of a fashion. You may be familiar with some devices that announce themselves on a network, like other computers advertising file sharing. Network Reconnaissance for BeginnersĪfter gaining access to a Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or remote network, the first step for most hackers is to conduct recon to explore the network and learn more about any available targets. This information lets a hacker design an attack that perfectly suits the target environment. Nmap gives you the ability to explore any devices connected to a network, finding information like the operating system a device is running and which applications are listening on open ports. When it comes to attacking devices on a network, you can't hit what you can't see.

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