I'm trying to increase the security on our servers but I need verification that the Information Gathering tool ZenMap or NMap does not disrupt our network while it's scanning the network.
Are there any settings to be very caucious off which might disrupt a network unintendedly? I doub't a regular port scan will cause any harm however, there might be settings I might be overseeing?
Edit: I did a full scan during early hours and found no issues regarding my question above.
That's impossible to say because it is easy to create a situation where it would disrupt services on your system, but in most cases, it should not.
In the end, you have to know what nmap actually does with the options you use and how your systems with the configuration you created will react to this. A standard install of an OS should usually remain unaffected from an nmap port scan, but in the moment you go beyond that, you have to know what you are doing.
Example: If you have a piece of software that bans IPs doing a port scan installed on your system and you happen to run nmap from your gateway, you'll effectively cut your server from the outside network.
Shouldn't you already know what ports you have open by looking at your firewall acls?
Anyway, if you are just checking ports - no.
Doing UDP floods might cause minor disruption, but I don't think you're planning on doing anything like that.
At worst, you'll just be flooding your network with unnecessary traffic.
