Back to Scanning Techniques

Ping Scanning

Explore the world of ping scanning: Learn techniques, tools, and see it in action.

What is Ping Scanning?

Ping scanning, also known as ICMP scanning, is a network reconnaissance technique used to determine which IP addresses are active or responsive on a network. It works by sending ICMP Echo Request messages to target IP addresses and waiting for ICMP Echo Reply messages.

Types of Ping Scans

Single Ping

Sends a single ICMP Echo Request to a specific IP address.

Ping Sweep

Sends ICMP Echo Requests to a range of IP addresses to identify live hosts.

Broadcast Ping

Sends a ping to a broadcast address to discover multiple hosts simultaneously.

Timestamp Ping

Uses ICMP Timestamp requests to gather timing information from targets.

Ping Scan Visualization

Client
Server
Click "Start Ping Scan" to begin

Ping Scanning Tools and Commands

ping

A basic, built-in utility available on most operating systems for sending ICMP Echo Requests.

ping 192.168.1.1

Sends ICMP Echo Requests to the specified IP address (192.168.1.1) continuously until stopped.

ping -c 4 192.168.1.1

Sends exactly 4 ICMP Echo Requests to the specified IP address.

ping -i 0.5 192.168.1.1

Sends ICMP Echo Requests every 0.5 seconds instead of the default 1 second interval.