How I Use NMAP for Host Discovery and Penetration Testing

How to find out the host name or IP address:

There are several ways to find out the hostname or IP address of a computer or device on a network. Here are some common methods:

1. Command line interface:

• Windows: Open a command prompt and run the ipconfig command. Look for the "Host Name" and "IPv4 Address" entries.
• Linux: Open a terminal and run the hostname and ifconfig commands. The hostname will be displayed by the hostname command, and the IP address will be displayed under the "inet" section of the ifconfig output.

2. Network scanner:

• Use a network scanner tool such as Nmap to scan your network and obtain a list of all devices and their IP addresses.

3. Router web interface:

• Log into your router's web interface and look for a device list or status page. This will usually show you all the connected devices and their IP addresses.

4. Operating system network settings:

• Windows: Go to the Control Panel and click on "Network and Sharing Center". Here you will find your computer's IP address, hostname, and other network information.
• Mac: Go to System Preferences, click on Network, and select your active network connection. Your computer's IP address and hostname will be displayed in the status information.
• Linux: The method for finding your IP address will vary depending on your distribution, but you can typically find this information in the output of the ifconfig command or by using a graphical network settings tool.

Using NMAP

1. Install Nmap: Nmap can be installed on a Raspberry Pi by using the appropriate package manager for your chosen Linux distribution. For example, on Kali Linux, Nmap can be installed using the following command:

sudo apt-get install nmap         

2. Run a basic scan: To run a basic scan using Nmap, you need to specify the target hostname or IP address. For example:

nmap target_host         

3. Scan for specific ports: To scan for specific ports, use the -p option followed by the port numbers or range. For example:

nmap target_host -p 1-1024         

4. Get more detailed information: To gather more detailed information about the target system, use the -A option. This option enables OS detection, version detection, script scanning, and traceroute. For example:

nmap target_host -A         

5. Interpret the output: Nmap will display information about the target system, including the open ports and services that are running. You can use this information to determine potential vulnerabilities and attack vectors.

Note: The information gathered on non-standard ports, so it's a good idea to run a comprehensive scan of all 65,535 ports to ensure that you have a complete understanding of what is running on your network.

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