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Commands  / Information Gathering  / Masscan

Masscan

Internet-scale asynchronous TCP port scanner.

KaliParrotLinuxhigh

pkg: masscan

Masscan transmits packets asynchronously, scanning the entire IPv4 space in minutes. It trades depth for raw speed and is ideal for sweeping huge ranges for a few ports.

Syntax

masscan {target/CIDR} -p{ports} --rate {pps}

Example

masscan 10.0.0.0/8 -p80,443 --rate 10000

Scans a /8 for ports 80 and 443 at 10,000 packets per second.

Options & flags

What each switch does. Toggle them in the builder below to assemble a command.

-p <80,443>Ports to scan, e.g. 80,443 or 0-65535.
--rate <1000>Packets per second (start low — 1000 — and increase carefully).
--bannersGrab service banners on open ports.
--range <10.0.0.0/8>Target IP range/CIDR.
-oX <out.xml>Write XML output to a file.
-oL <out.txt>Write list (greppable) output.
--excludefile <exclude.txt>File of ranges to never scan.
--interface <eth0>Network interface to send from.

Command builder

Tick options (and fill any values) to build a ready-to-copy command.

masscan TARGET

Usage examples

masscan 10.0.0.0/8 -p80,443 --rate 10000

Sweep a huge range for two ports fast.

masscan 192.168.1.0/24 -p1-65535 --rate 1000 -oL out.txt

Full TCP port scan of a /24 saved to a list.

masscan target.tld -p443 --banners

Grab the banner on 443.

Advantages
  • Fastest port scanner available
  • Handles huge CIDR ranges effortlessly
  • Nmap-compatible output
Disadvantages
  • Very noisy; high rates can saturate links
  • No deep service/version detection
  • Easy to mis-fire and DoS yourself or others
Tags
#ports#fast#scanning

Official docs: masscan ↗

Related commands

Nmap

The de-facto network mapper and port/service scanner.

Frequently asked questions

What is Masscan used for?
Masscan transmits packets asynchronously, scanning the entire IPv4 space in minutes. It trades depth for raw speed and is ideal for sweeping huge ranges for a few ports.
What is an example Masscan command?
A common example is: masscan 10.0.0.0/8 -p80,443 --rate 10000 — Scans a /8 for ports 80 and 443 at 10,000 packets per second.
Is Masscan part of Kali Linux?
Yes. Masscan ships with Kali Linux (and Parrot OS). If missing, install it with: sudo apt install masscan.
What category of security tool is Masscan?
Masscan is a Information Gathering tool with a high-risk profile when run against a live target.

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