Nmap is a network management tool that can find network security holes and discover devices connected to the network.

It is an ideal free and open source tool for system administrators to perform port scans and retrieve data from the network to assess network security.

It can also be used to analyze network performance by assessing the response time of the machine you are pinging. It scans ports on computers connected to specific networks to see if they are open, finds services available on those computers, and bypasses firewall activity.

Nmap is therefore a tool for improving network security, but its properties also allow it to take advantage of network vulnerabilities, making it a program of use in the hacking world.