Netcat (nc)
The TCP/IP “swiss-army knife”.
KaliParrotLinuxmedium
pkg: netcat-traditional
Netcat reads/writes data across network connections — used for port checks, banner grabbing, file transfer and bind/reverse shells.
Syntax
nc [-lvnp port] {host} {port}
Example
nc -lvnp 4444
Listens on 4444 for an incoming reverse shell connection.
Options & flags
What each switch does. Toggle them in the builder below to assemble a command.
Command builder
Tick options (and fill any values) to build a ready-to-copy command.
nc HOST PORT
Usage examples
nc -lvnp 4444
Listen for a reverse shell on 4444.
nc -zv target.tld 1-1000
Simple port scan of 1-1000.
nc target.tld 80
Open a raw TCP connection (banner grab).
Advantages
- Tiny, universal, endlessly useful
- Listeners, transfers and shells
- Great for quick connectivity tests
Disadvantages
- Plaintext (no encryption)
- Variants differ (-e not always present)
- Bare-bones features
Tags
#shell#networking#transfer
Official docs: ncat (modern) ↗
Related commands
Frequently asked questions
What is Netcat (nc) used for?
Netcat reads/writes data across network connections — used for port checks, banner grabbing, file transfer and bind/reverse shells.
What is an example Netcat (nc) command?
A common example is: nc -lvnp 4444 — Listens on 4444 for an incoming reverse shell connection.
Is Netcat (nc) part of Kali Linux?
Yes. Netcat (nc) ships with Kali Linux (and Parrot OS). If missing, install it with: sudo apt install netcat-traditional.
What category of security tool is Netcat (nc)?
Netcat (nc) is a Post-Exploitation tool with a medium-risk profile when run against a live target.
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