How to use arp-scan to discover network hosts

<p>Identifying the devices on your network is a critical security task. After all, you can’t secure what you don’t know. While plenty of fancy configuration management tools list the nodes on a network, sometimes the simple and straightforward utilities are best.</p>
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<p>Arp-scan is a tool that discovers and identifies IPv4 network nodes by using Address Resolution Protocol (<a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/Address-Resolution-Protocol-ARP”>ARP</a>) queries to generate a comprehensive list of devices. Its use of ARP sets arp-scan well apart from scanners that rely on ping (ICMP), TCP or User Datagram Protocol (UDP) scans. Many tools operate at <a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/definition/OSI”>OSI</a> Layer 3, such as <a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchnetworking/tip/How-to-use-Nmap-to-scan-a-network-for-documentation”>Nmap</a>. Not all network devices respond to such higher-level scans. Because ARP is a fundamental component of networking, an arp-scan query at OSI Layer 2 will almost certainly succeed.</p>
<p>Arp-scan has a specific limitation. Because ARP is not routable, an arp-scan is limited to the local subnet. This is often exactly what you want: a focused, direct and easily controlled scan. For a broader network scan, consider Nmap, <a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchNetworking/tutorial/Use-Angry-IP-Scanner-to-audit-the-network”>Angry IP Scanner</a> or a similar tool.</p>
<p>Let’s look at how to install arp-scan, basic scan options and then evaluate use cases.</p>
<section class=”section main-article-chapter” data-menu-title=”How to install arp-scan”>
<h2 class=”section-title”><i class=”icon” data-icon=”1″></i>How to install arp-scan</h2>
<p>Installing arp-scan on your Linux penetration testing box is as simple as calling up your distribution’s preferred package manager.</p>
<p>For Ubuntu, Debian and similar distributions, type:</p>
<p><span style=”font-family: ‘courier new’, courier, monospace;”>apt install arp-scan</span></p>
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