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Nmap Basic Port Scans

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With a list of live hosts in hand, you move to the next phase: port scanning. Knowing which ports are open reveals what services are running and what attack surface exists. This room covers the three fundamental scan types: TCP Connect (the safe, unprivileged scan), TCP SYN (the stealthy, root-required scan), and UDP (the slow but necessary scan for DNS, SNMP, and DHCP). You'll also learn how to fine-tune scan scope, speed, and parallelism to adapt to different engagement constraints.

Skills You Will Learn

nmapport-scanningtcp-connect-scantcp-syn-scanudp-scan

Prerequisites

  • thm-nmap01
  • networking-basics
  • tcp-ip-fundamentals
  • host-discovery

Walkthrough Phases

1

Port Scan Fundamentals

Understand the six port states Nmap reports and what each means operationally

2

TCP Connect and TCP SYN Scans

Master the two primary TCP scan types and understand when to use each

3

UDP Scanning

Scan UDP services that TCP scans miss entirely

4

Fine-Tuning Scan Parameters

Control port ranges, timing, and parallelism for different engagement scenarios

15 questions to answer

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