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For those who are security minded, and those who are familiar with Unix, Linux and FreeBSD the port scanning program Nmap is a very well known one. Originally created to test vulnerabilities on a Local Area Network, this tool has become a must-have when testing security. Having been around for years, Nmap has always been open source and has developed quite a bit over time. Fyodor, the creator of Nmap has stayed right there along side of it through all of its changes.

Highly publicized, Nmap has gone through  public endorsements from Microsoft (actually endorsing the Insecure.org website for information on tools and knowledge for security), being used in the movie the Matrix by Trinity, and various books and articles published with Nmap being mentioned. As the co-author of Stealing the Network: How to Own the Continent , Fyodor even includes Nmap in his fictional chapter. (Read Fyodor’s chapter online) Soon, there will also be a book released on scanning a network with Nmap.

Whitedust has a very intriguing interview with Fyodor. In it, he talks about why he got into computers, what drove him to enjoy working with security and what started him on the trek with Nmap. In this interview, he also makes a few comments worth stressing. He notes that essentially any software created for auditing a network (for the right reasons) can always be turned around and used for the wrong reasons. He states this as a very true way: "..there is no way I can write a program that allows you to audit your own networks for security risks without also enabling bad guys to do the same. And trying to limit distribution to only ‘good guys’ is a lost cause."