The -T flag in Nmap affects which aspects of a scan?

• A. Output format
• B. Speed and stealth
• C. Target host resolution
• D. OS detection settings

Answer: (B)

Timing templates in Nmap control how fast a scan runs and how stealthy it is. The -T flag selects these templates, adjusting how aggressively probes are sent, how many probes run in parallel, and how long the scanner waits between attempts. A higher timing value speeds things up, uses more parallel probes, and often reduces total scan time, but it raises the chance of detection by IDS/IPS and may produce less reliable results on unstable networks. A lower timing value slows things down, making the scan more cautious and harder to detect, though it takes longer to complete. This is why speed and stealth are the aspects most affected by the -T option.

Other aspects like output format, how DNS resolution is handled, or OS detection settings come from different options and switches, not the timing template.