Nmap

Nmap has been around for many years; it is one of the most used network mapper tools and it's free. Additionally, it comes in a command-line and graphical version. The graphical version is known as Zenmap. The main features of Nmap are as follows:

• Host discovery: This is useful for detecting hosts within the network
• OS detection: This can be used to determine the operating system of the target device
• Application version detection: This provides an insight into the application version and the name of the target device
• Port scanning: This allows you to enumerate what ports are exposed to the host
• Scripting: This leverages the Nmap scripting engine (NSE), which allows you to write custom scripts that provide speed and efficiency when using Nmap

In Chapter 3, Performing Information Gathering, we will work with Nmap in greater depth and use some of its features, such as the NSE.