A Systematic Method for Network Scanning in Penetration Testing Using NMap

This paper aims to carry out the key stages involved in penetration testing. It will follow the standard phases such as information gathering, vulnerability assessment, and exploitation using specialized penetration testing tools. The testing approach is black-box, meaning only the target machine's IP address is known in advance. It’s important to understand the role of NMAP in this process. NMAP is a versatile tool used in multiple stages of penetration testing not only for information gathering and enumeration but also for identifying vulnerabilities and acting as a security scanner. It is a powerful, multi-functional utility compatible with various operating systems, including Windows, Linux, BSD, and Mac.