Despite its potential to do harm, nmap can certainly play an important role in securing a network infrastructure within a professional environment. And I think the only reason that it is often labeled as such is because of its very impressive list of capabilities. Perhaps, instead of hurling criticism at an extremely functional networking tool, we should hold individuals accountable for their actions and reflect upon the well-known Benjamin Parker caveat…“with great power, comes great responsibility.” Despite some claims to the contrary, nmap is not malicious software. Whether you are a crazed rogue agent that is bent on inciting global revolution or a network security professional (hopefully the latter, rather than the former), nmap should have a permanent place in your toolkit. The tool that I am referring to is Network Mapper, or nmap for short. I merely seek to justify the importance of a tool that has been consistently labeled as malicious hacking software. The purpose of this essay is not to discuss the philosophical question of intent.

I suppose this is a debate that could go on forever and is really just another instance of “what came first…the chicken or the egg?” Perhaps the tools that were created for the sole purpose of exploiting information assets are now being used to safeguard them. The software and tools that are used to secure vulnerable information assets are the same tools that can be used to exploit them. The developing trends of ethical hacking and offensive security have transformed the information security industry into one of the most self-perpetuating industries in the world. The notion of the “ethical hacker” has always been an ironic one. Nmap: a “Hacker Tool” for Security Professionals

What does zenmap do