Lesson 10: Output and Reporting

Master output formats and create professional scan reports

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NMAP Output Formats and Options

NMAP provides multiple output formats to suit different needs, from human-readable reports to machine-parseable data for automated processing and integration with other tools.

Standard Output Formats

-oN

Normal Output

Human-readable format, same as terminal output

Best for: Reports, documentation, manual review

nmap -oN scan_results.txt target

-oX

XML Output

Structured XML format for parsing and automation

Best for: Tool integration, databases, web applications

nmap -oX scan_results.xml target

-oG

Greppable Output

One line per host, easy to parse with grep/awk

Best for: Shell scripting, quick analysis, filtering

nmap -oG scan_results.gnmap target

-oS

Script Kiddie

Deprecated "leet" format (rarely used)

Best for: Legacy support only

nmap -oS scan_results.leet target

All Formats Output (-oA):

nmap -oA comprehensive_scan target

Creates three files: comprehensive_scan.nmap, comprehensive_scan.xml, comprehensive_scan.gnmap

Most convenient option for comprehensive documentation

Sample Normal Output

Starting Nmap 7.94

Nmap scan report for 192.168.1.100

Host is up (0.00045s latency).

PORT STATE SERVICE VERSION

22/tcp open ssh OpenSSH 8.2p1

80/tcp open http Apache 2.4.41

443/tcp open ssl/http Apache 2.4.41

Nmap done: 1 IP (1 host up) scanned

Sample Greppable Output

# Nmap 7.94 scan initiated

Host: 192.168.1.100 () Status: Up

Host: 192.168.1.100 () Ports:

22/open/tcp//ssh//OpenSSH 8.2p1/,

80/open/tcp//http//Apache 2.4.41/,

443/open/tcp//ssl|http//Apache/

# Nmap done - 1 IP scanned