Nmap Development mailing list archives
Re: How do YOU use Nmap XML?
From: Paul Johnston <paul () westpoint ltd uk>
Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2004 09:55:37 +0000
Hi,We use the XML output when calling nmap as part of our automatic scanning system. The reasoning was that XML would probably be easier to process in a script. We're processing the results using Python and xmltramp and then posting them to a database. I don't particularly like the output format, in many ways the plain human-readable output is easier to process. But XML does avoid having to put special cases in the parser (e.g. "nnn ports are closed; rest are filtered", "all ports on nnn are filtered" etc.).
Regards, Paul Fyodor wrote:
I am currently working on a chapter for the O'Reilly Nmap book which covers all of the Nmap output formats. The normal, grepable, and even s|<riPt KidDi3 output formats are relatively straightforward. However, I believe that the XML output is under-utilized because many people fail to recognize the power of the format or don't understand all the tools for processing and transforming XML. Even I'm in the latter category, though I'm working on it. Documenting Nmap XML well is a first step toward improving the situation. So this is a call for suggestions to all you XML advocates out there. In what ways do you use the Nmap XML output? Do you parse it from within a higher level program, transform it to HTML with XSLT, use it to populate a database, use XPath to parse the results from the command-line in a way that is as easy as awk/sec/cut/etc. on the normal output, or something else entirely? Any detailed description of how you use Nmap XML would be appreciated. Sample code or command-lines would be handy as well. Thanks, Fyodor ---------------------------------------------------------------------For help using this (nmap-dev) mailing list, send a blank email to nmap-dev-help () insecure org . List archive: http://seclists.org
-- Paul Johnston Internet Security Specialist Westpoint Limited Albion Wharf, 19 Albion Street, Manchester, M1 5LN England Tel: +44 (0)161 237 1028 Fax: +44 (0)161 237 1031 email: paul () westpoint ltd uk web: www.westpoint.ltd.uk ---------------------------------------------------------------------For help using this (nmap-dev) mailing list, send a blank email to nmap-dev-help () insecure org . List archive: http://seclists.org
Current thread:
- How do YOU use Nmap XML? Fyodor (Nov 15)
- Re: How do YOU use Nmap XML? Paul Johnston (Nov 16)
- Re: How do YOU use Nmap XML? Okan Demirmen (Nov 16)
- Re: How do YOU use Nmap XML? Nils Magnus (Nov 16)
- RE: How do YOU use Nmap XML? Yvan G.J. Boily (Nov 16)
- Message not available
- Re: How do YOU use Nmap XML? Nils Magnus (Nov 16)
- XML is a beautiful thing [was: How do YOU use Nmap XML?] Brett Campbell (Nov 19)
- Re: How do YOU use Nmap XML? Nils Magnus (Nov 16)
- Re: How do YOU use Nmap XML? David G. Cheney (Nov 16)
- Re: How do YOU use Nmap XML? Joshua T. Corbin (Nov 17)
- <Possible follow-ups>
- RE: How do YOU use Nmap XML? Sean Warnock (Nov 16)