Amap, short for Application Mapper, stands out as a sophisticated scanning tool designed for penetration testers who need to go beyond basic port scanning. In the realm of network security and vulnerability assessments, identifying not just open ports, but the applications running behind them, is crucial. Amap excels at this, offering a next-generation approach to application identification, even when services operate on unconventional ports.
Understanding Amap: More Than Just a Port Scanner
Traditional port scanners tell you if a port is open or closed. Amap takes this a step further. It’s engineered to pinpoint the applications powering those open ports. This capability is vital because services often deviate from standard port assignments. For instance, a web server might be running on port 8080 instead of the typical port 80. Amap is designed to detect such deviations and accurately identify the application, regardless of the port it utilizes.
Furthermore, Amap is adept at recognizing non-ASCII based applications. This is achieved through a clever mechanism: it sends out specially crafted “trigger packets” to target ports. The responses to these packets are then meticulously analyzed and cross-referenced against an extensive database of known application response strings. This method allows Amap to identify a wide array of applications, even those that don’t communicate using standard ASCII protocols.
Key Features and Capabilities of Amap
Amap offers a range of features that make it a powerful asset in a penetration tester’s toolkit:
- Application Identification: The core function of Amap is its ability to accurately identify applications running on target ports, going beyond simple banner grabbing.
- Non-Standard Port Detection: Amap effectively identifies applications even when they are running on ports different from their usual defaults.
- Non-ASCII Application Support: It can identify applications that do not rely on ASCII communication, expanding its detection capabilities significantly.
- Trigger-Response Analysis: Amap’s intelligent trigger packet system and response analysis are key to its accurate application identification.
- Banner Grabbing: Amap can also perform banner grabbing to gather service information, although its primary focus is deeper application mapping.
- Flexible Scanning Modes: Amap offers different modes like application mapping (-A), banner grabbing only (-B), and basic port scanning (-P), providing flexibility for various scanning scenarios.
- Nmap Integration: It can read Nmap machine-readable output files (-i) to efficiently scan ports identified by Nmap.
- IPv6 Support: Amap supports scanning over IPv6 networks (-6), accommodating modern network environments.
Installing Amap on Kali Linux
For penetration testers using Kali Linux or similar Debian-based distributions, installing Amap is straightforward. The installation is quick and requires minimal disk space.
The installation command is:
sudo apt install amapThis command will install Amap and its necessary dependencies, making it readily available for use. The installed size is quite small, around 177 KB, making it a lightweight yet powerful addition to your security toolkit.
Basic Usage and Syntax
Amap is a command-line tool, and its syntax provides various options to customize scans. The basic syntax is:
amap [options] target port [port] ...Commonly used options include:
-A: Application mapping mode (default).-B: Banner grabbing mode.-P: Port scan mode (no application or banner checks).-1: Stop sending triggers after the first identification (speeds up scanning).-b: Print ASCII banners in responses.-q: Suppress output for closed and unidentified ports for cleaner results.-v: Verbose mode for more detailed output.
For example, to perform a basic application scan on a target IP address (e.g., 192.168.1.100) on ports 80, 443, and 8080, you would use:
amap -A 192.168.1.100 80 443 8080For a faster scan, focusing on quick identification, you could use the -1 option:
amap -A -1 192.168.1.100 80 443 8080Conclusion: Amap – An Essential Tool for Application Layer Reconnaissance
The Amap Scanning Tool is an invaluable asset for penetration testers and security professionals. Its ability to accurately map applications, even on non-standard ports and using non-ASCII protocols, sets it apart from basic port scanners. By providing deeper insights into the application layer, Amap enables more thorough vulnerability assessments and a stronger understanding of the target system’s attack surface. For anyone serious about network security auditing, mastering the Amap scanning tool is a worthwhile endeavor.
