Customer Reviews

Nmap Cookbook: The Fat-free Guide to Network Scanning

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Purchased 3/8/2010, received 3/11/2010, finished 3/13/2010.

I bought this NMAP Cookbook along with NMAP Network Scanning, the NMAP Official Book by the developer himself.

This is literally my first book review - never felt strong enough about any other book to warrant such comments before.

For those who want to learn sanitized, no-fluff, specifics on using NMAP - this nearly 200 page "NMAP Cookbook" is a must have, highly recommended resource for any IT/IS Systems Engineer, Administrator or especially Security Professional entering the field.

Having read the book in 2 days, you too should be using NMAP like a Pro within weeks.

Straight forward and right on target with generally Single Page contents highlighting NMAPs command sets, switches, features, options and then providing just the right amount of information without overkill.

Those who prefer lean, direct, point driven directions will probably appreciate this book, just like I do.

On each page, the Author supplies simple content such as;

- Command/Feature/Option,
- Summary of its purpose (generally a single sentence),
- Sample usage/syntax (exact commands, how a user should use it),
- Real world sample of both, the command itself and its anticipated results,
- More detailed of a description,
- At the bottom, to top it off, you'll likely encounter some "Tips" or "Notes" offering just the right amount of complementary insight.

Personally, this is the best instructional book on a Security Tool I have ever seen - and this from an evaluator with 20yrs of IT/IS experience too.

I completely and fully recommend this resource to everyone interested in learning NMAP, especially those wanting quick, efficient teachings.

Good Luck and Enjoy!

I am a computer professional who uses nmap to scan my network for anomalies. Overall the book added to my knowledge of how to use nmap. I particularly found the following chapters useful:

Chapter 4: Advanced Scanning Options
Chapter 5: Port Scanning Options
Section 9: Output Options
Section 13: ndiff
Section 14: Tips and Tricks

The nmap cheat sheet is also very valuable and is available for download.

There was also excellent chapters on avoiding firewall and other topics that would be more interesting to those doing pentesting.

Great book! Simplifies the plethora of Nmap options in an easy to read format. Will definitely keep this reference guide with me at all times.

While not as comprehensive as the book by "Fyodor," this is a carefully laid out no-frills introduction to NMAP. The structure of the book makes it both a wonderful reference book and an excellent learning tool for effectively using this powerful tool for network penetration testing.

In each instance the purpose of the command is overviewed, the syntax of the command is presented, and possible applications of the command are discussed.

If you want to move past the restrictive environment of the NMAP graphical user interface, this straight-forward and very direct presentation of NMAP at the command line is a perfect pathway.

If you've ever looked at the "official" nmap book, it is clearly the most comprehensive book that you'll be able to find on the tool. Unfortunately, it's also alot of material to wade through. The nmap cookbook is much more focused on just getting you going on the tool and giving you the basic info that you'll need to do so. A good reference and recommended. I was kind of aprehensive when I opened the package and noticed that it was self published, but the author did a good job on that bit also.

This text is a series of commands and explanations of those commands. This book is not a novel about the function or theory behind how nmap works. That information should be found online or in another book.
This is a great fast introduction and/or reference book and nothing more. This book does exactly as the title suggests, it provides an NMAP Cookbook.

Wow, I am new to Nmap and this book has help me a lot. Many times it is hard to find books that are easy to read. This is one of those books.

if you use nmap for some port scanning you NEED this book. very well done and the price is right. no fluff.

Chances are that if you are reading this review or planning to buy the book, you already now what nmap is useful for, so I won't get into those details.

"Nmap Cookbook: the fat free guide to network scanning" is a straight to the point book about all the options and switches you can use when doing network and port scanning, with the tool of course. The index has a list of possible scanning methods. You just jump to that particular chapter or topic, and you will find clear examples about how to use the command. Replace IP or hostname, and you're ready to go.

This book is not about theory, how nmap works internally, or combining nmap with other scripting tools or inside any programming code. But if you want to quickly start using the tool, understand the basic syntax, this is the best book for that.

I know there are other manuals online, even the own nmap website, but the beauty of this book relies on the simplicity of paper. For instance, imagine yourself doing a PEN testing on a parking lot, with no wifi or Internet connection at all (besides the one you are assessing) Would you use your own cellphone connection and leave traces of "how to use nmap"? Or ... would you Google something, using your own PEN test laptop, to find the syntax for an specific scanning method, instead of opening the table index of this book and find it yourself? This one is old school, paperbark, does not require batteries or connection whatsoever! Granted, after using the tool thousands of times or more, you probably know the commands already but at that point there is no need for this book and you should be on a different level altogether.

Fantastic manual! Highly recommended for quick and fast solutions on how to use nmap tool.

Be good, be safe and always use this tool with all the legal authorizations.

--Recommended as well --

Another great title on basic Penetration Testing techniques is The Basics of Hacking and Penetration Testing: Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing Made Easy (Syngress Basics Series) by Patrick Engebretson. It's not a book about how to use nmap alone, but more a book of how to integrate nmap into the whole Penetration Testing process. "nmap" is a fantastic tool, but does not do the job alone. You need to be smart enough to gather the information (IPs) that "nmap" needs and understand when to scan and when not to.

No need for a lengthy review, this is a must-have reference book if you need to brush up on your NMAP commands. I use NMAP and ZenMap when I need to "evade" firewalls during security assessments. If you are new in NMAP, get the official book from Fyodor instead.