Nmap (Network Mapper) is a powerful open-source network scanning tool used for host discovery, port scanning, service detection, and basic vulnerability assessment.

It is widely used in:

• Security testing
• Network auditing
• Bug bounty reconnaissance
• Lab environments

This guide shows how to install and use Nmap on Ubuntu.

Update Your System

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Install Nmap

Install directly from Ubuntu repositories:

sudo apt install nmap -y

Verify installation:

nmap --version

If installed correctly, the version information will be displayed.

Basic Usage

Scan a single host:

nmap 192.168.1.10

Scan a website:

nmap example.com

Scan Specific Ports

nmap -p 80,443 192.168.1.10

Scan a port range:

nmap -p 1-1000 192.168.1.10

Service Version Detection

nmap -sV 192.168.1.10

This attempts to detect service versions running on open ports.

OS Detection

nmap -O 192.168.1.10

Requires root privileges:

sudo nmap -O 192.168.1.10

Aggressive Scan

sudo nmap -A 192.168.1.10

This enables:

• OS detection
• Version detection
• Script scanning
• Traceroute

Scan an Entire Subnet

nmap 192.168.1.0/24

Using Nmap Scripts (NSE)

List available scripts:

ls /usr/share/nmap/scripts/

Run default scripts:

sudo nmap -sC 192.168.1.10

Run a specific script:

sudo nmap --script http-title 192.168.1.10

Read the full article: https://luckyy.uk/how-to-install-nmap-on-ubuntu-2026-guide/