312-50V11 · Question #21
Which of the following will perform an Xmas scan using NMAP?
The correct answer is C. nmap -sX 192.168.1.254. The Nmap -sX flag performs an Xmas scan by setting the FIN, PSH, and URG TCP flags simultaneously. The other flags invoke unrelated scan types.
Question
Which of the following will perform an Xmas scan using NMAP?
Options
- Anmap -sA 192.168.1.254
- Bnmap -sP 192.168.1.254
- Cnmap -sX 192.168.1.254
- Dnmap -sV 192.168.1.254
How the community answered
(33 responses)- B3% (1)
- C94% (31)
- D3% (1)
Why each option
The Nmap -sX flag performs an Xmas scan by setting the FIN, PSH, and URG TCP flags simultaneously. The other flags invoke unrelated scan types.
The -sA flag performs an ACK scan, used to map firewall rulesets rather than detect open ports.
The -sP flag performs a ping scan (host discovery only) to determine which hosts are online.
The -sX flag in Nmap triggers an Xmas scan, which sends TCP packets with the FIN, PSH, and URG flags all set - resembling a lit Christmas tree. On closed ports, RFC-compliant systems respond with RST; on open or filtered ports, no response is returned, allowing port state inference without completing a full handshake.
The -sV flag performs version detection, probing open ports to identify running service versions.
Concept tested: Nmap Xmas scan flag and TCP flag manipulation
Source: https://nmap.org/book/man-port-scanning-techniques.html
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