impacket-ping6

View documentation for the original command

$ tldr ping6.py

impacket-ping6 [-debug] [-target-ip IP_ADDRESS] [[domain/]username[:password]@]targetName|address [target ...]

-h, --help
    Show the help message and exit

-debug
    Enable DEBUG output for verbose logging

-target-ip IP_ADDRESS
    Specify the IPv6 address of the target (overrides resolution)

impacket-ping6 is a specialized ping utility from the Impacket suite, designed for sending ICMPv6 echo requests to IPv6 hosts. Unlike standard ping6, it supports NTLM and Kerberos authentication, making it ideal for testing connectivity in Active Directory environments or Windows networks. Users can specify domain credentials in the target argument, allowing authenticated pings to domain-joined machines without relying on local OS tools.

It resolves hostnames via DNS or NetBIOS and can bypass some firewall restrictions by using SMB/NTLM auth. Commonly used in penetration testing and red teaming to verify reachability before exploiting services. Output includes round-trip times, packet loss, and authentication details if enabled. Requires Python 3 and Impacket library installed.

Requires Impacket suite and Python 3.
Needs IPv6 connectivity and may fail without proper credentials in restricted AD environments.
Not for unprivileged local use; intended for remote authenticated testing.

Supports username:password@target, domain/username@target, or domain/username:password@target for authentication. Plain addresses work without creds.

impacket-ping6 -target-ip fe80::1234:5678:9abc:def0 domain/user:pass@hostname
Sends 4 pings with auth.

Developed as part of Impacket by SecureAuth Corporation (now Fox-IT) around 2013-2015 for network protocol testing in pentesting. Evolved with Impacket releases, supporting modern Python and AD protocols.

ping(8), ping6(8), impacket-ping(1)