Goal: Balance speed and accuracy.
Risk: Scanning too fast causes packet loss, missed hosts/ports, or triggers security alerts (IDS/Firewall).
| Flag | Function | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| -T <0-5> | Timing Template | 0=Slowest/Stealthy, 5=Fastest/Noisy. |
| --min-rate <#> | Min Packet Rate | Forces speed. Can overwhelm slow networks. |
| --max-retries <#> | Retry Limit | 0=Fast but misses data if packet drops. |
| --initial-rtt-timeout <time> | Start Timeout | Starts faster. Misses slow hosts. |
| --max-rtt-timeout <time> | Max Timeout | Give up on a packet sooner. |
| -F | Fast Scan | Scans fewer ports (Top 100). |