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Masscan

Masscan is a fast TCP port scanner that transmits SYN packets asynchronously to scan IP address and port ranges. It produces results similar to nmap while operating like scanrand, unicornscan, and ZMap.

Description

MASSCAN is a TCP port scanner designed for high-speed network reconnaissance. It allows scanning arbitrary address and port ranges, making it suitable for large-scale scans such as entire subnets or even the Internet. The tool is particularly useful for discovering open ports like SSH (22), HTTP (80), and SMB (445) across multiple hosts.

Use cases include initial information gathering during penetration testing, identifying live services on networks, and fast internet-wide scans. It auto-detects network interface settings but supports manual configuration for adapter IP, MAC, and router MAC when needed. Parameters can be specified via command-line or configuration files interchangeably.

The scanner supports config files for complex setups, with the --echo option to generate configurations from current settings without running a scan.

How It Works

Masscan transmits SYN packets asynchronously, similar to nmap's SYN stealth scan but with internals like scanrand, unicornscan, and ZMap. It uses asynchronous transmission for high speed, auto-detects network interfaces, and supports manual adapter settings. Forced options include -sS (SYN scan), -Pn (no ping), -n (no DNS), --randomize-hosts, -v (verbose), and --send-eth.

Installation

bash

sudo apt install masscan

Flags

-pSpecify ports to scan (e.g., -p22,80,445 or -p80)

--portsEquivalent to -p for specifying ports (double-dash version)

--adapter-ipSet source IP address for the network adapter

--adapter-macSet source MAC address for the network adapter

--router-macSet router MAC address

-cUse configuration file (e.g., masscan -c <filename>)

--echoEcho current configuration without running scan

Examples

Scan for ports 22, 80, 445 across the 192.168.1.0/24 subnet

masscan -p22,80,445 192.168.1.0/24

Scan the 10.x.x.x network for web servers on port 80

masscan 10.0.0.0/8 -p80

Set manual network adapter parameters for scanning

masscan --adapter-ip 192.168.10.123 --adapter-mac 00-11-22-33-44-55 --router-mac 66-55-44-33-22-11

Run masscan using a configuration file

masscan -c <filename>

Echo the current configuration for port 1234 without scanning

masscan -p1234 --echo

Display help information and usage examples

masscan --help

Updated 2026-04-16kali.org ↗