Software⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-11

How to Fix: Couldn't open a raw socket. Error: Permission denied (13)

Nmap permission denied error on Ubuntu 20.04

Quick Answer: Try running nmap with elevated privileges using sudo or by creating a new user with necessary permissions.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 🛑 Root Causes of the Error
  2. 🚀 How to Resolve This Issue
  3. 💡 Conclusion

The 'Couldn't open a raw socket. Error: Permission denied (13)' error occurs when the system is unable to create a raw socket, which is required for network scanning and other low-level networking operations. This issue affects users who are trying to use nmap or other tools that rely on raw sockets in their operating systems.

This error can be frustrating because it prevents users from performing tasks such as port scanning, network discovery, and vulnerability assessment. Fortunately, there are alternative methods and workarounds that can help resolve this issue.

🛑 Root Causes of the Error

  • The primary reason for this error is that the system lacks the necessary permissions to create a raw socket. Raw sockets require elevated privileges or special configuration to function correctly.
  • An alternative reason could be that the operating system's networking stack is not properly configured, which can also lead to issues with raw sockets.

🚀 How to Resolve This Issue

Elevating Privileges using sudo

  1. Step 1: Open a terminal and run the command `sudo nmap -sS -A 10.10.10.28` to elevate privileges and attempt to perform the network scan.
  2. Step 2: Note that running this command with elevated privileges may pose security risks, so use caution when doing so.
  3. Step 3: If successful, this method should resolve the 'Permission denied' error and allow you to perform the desired network scan.

Configuring WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) to enable raw sockets

  1. Step 1: Open a terminal in your WSL distribution and run the command `sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y libnmap-dev` to update and install necessary dependencies.
  2. Step 2: Run the command `sudo nano /etc/nmap/nmap.conf` to edit the nmap configuration file and add the following line: `raw-socks=1` This will enable raw sockets for nmap.
  3. Step 3: Restart the nmap service by running `sudo service nmap restart` and then attempt to perform the network scan again using `nmap -sS -A 10.10.10.28`.

💡 Conclusion

In conclusion, the 'Couldn't open a raw socket. Error: Permission denied (13)' error can be resolved by either elevating privileges using sudo or configuring WSL to enable raw sockets. By following these steps and taking necessary precautions, users should be able to perform network scans and other low-level networking operations in their operating systems.

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