Plugins?

["HD Moore" <hdmoore () usa net>]

>  Now just so my post is only mostly off topic, not entirely.  I have
> a suggestion regarding requests to add new features.  If nmap supported
> some type of "plug-in" API, then anyone who wanted nmap to do something
> else could write their own modular component and make it available for
> anybody else who wanted to use it without bloating the main nmap program.


Wouldn't it be simpler to just parse log files and use scripts to check
hosts for things like RPC services, SNMP, and NetBIOS shares?

The -m option in combination with perl scripts is working great for me, and
required no 'real' programming.

>  Would this be a reasonable compromise?


How would you implement the modules though?  Have them do thier checks on a
host after the initial portscan and OS, or a realtime parallel scan (it
finds portmapper and immediately dumps rpc services).  You would also have
to implement a filter to allow not scanning specify types of hosts.  In
general the modules idea seems more trouble than its worth.

my 2 cents -HD