diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 143e689c3..516fc18be 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -708,6 +708,7 @@ GREP
 CPP
 LUA_CFLAGS
 STRIP
+AWK
 INSTALL_DATA
 INSTALL_SCRIPT
 INSTALL_PROGRAM
@@ -4351,6 +4352,48 @@ test -z "$INSTALL_SCRIPT" && INSTALL_SCRIPT='${INSTALL}'
 
 test -z "$INSTALL_DATA" && INSTALL_DATA='${INSTALL} -m 644'
 
+for ac_prog in gawk mawk nawk awk
+do
+  # Extract the first word of "$ac_prog", so it can be a program name with args.
+set dummy $ac_prog; ac_word=$2
+{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
+$as_echo_n "checking for $ac_word... " >&6; }
+if ${ac_cv_prog_AWK+:} false; then :
+  $as_echo_n "(cached) " >&6
+else
+  if test -n "$AWK"; then
+  ac_cv_prog_AWK="$AWK" # Let the user override the test.
+else
+as_save_IFS=$IFS; IFS=$PATH_SEPARATOR
+for as_dir in $PATH
+do
+  IFS=$as_save_IFS
+  test -z "$as_dir" && as_dir=.
+    for ac_exec_ext in '' $ac_executable_extensions; do
+  if as_fn_executable_p "$as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext"; then
+    ac_cv_prog_AWK="$ac_prog"
+    $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: found $as_dir/$ac_word$ac_exec_ext" >&5
+    break 2
+  fi
+done
+  done
+IFS=$as_save_IFS
+
+fi
+fi
+AWK=$ac_cv_prog_AWK
+if test -n "$AWK"; then
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $AWK" >&5
+$as_echo "$AWK" >&6; }
+else
+  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: no" >&5
+$as_echo "no" >&6; }
+fi
+
+
+  test -n "$AWK" && break
+done
+
 
 
 if test -n "$GXX"; then
@@ -8559,6 +8602,7 @@ gives unlimited permission to copy, distribute and modify it."
 ac_pwd='$ac_pwd'
 srcdir='$srcdir'
 INSTALL='$INSTALL'
+AWK='$AWK'
 test -n "\$AWK" || AWK=awk
 _ACEOF
 
@@ -9407,7 +9451,7 @@ fi
 
 # Krad ASCII ART#!#@$!@#$
 # Randomly store the name of one of the ASCII Art files in FILENAME
-FILENAME=`ls $srcdir/docs/leet-nmap-ascii-art*.txt 2>/dev/null | awk '
+FILENAME=`ls $srcdir/docs/leet-nmap-ascii-art*.txt 2>/dev/null | $AWK '
     BEGIN {
         srand();
     }
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index 8f44f2ec2..f357fcb8a 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ AC_PROG_CC
 AC_PROG_CXX
 AC_PROG_RANLIB
 AC_PROG_INSTALL
+AC_PROG_AWK
 
 dnl For nse_fs.cc
 dnl LARGE_FILES_IF_NOT_BROKEN
@@ -961,7 +962,7 @@ AC_OUTPUT(Makefile libnetutil/Makefile)
 
 # Krad ASCII ART#!#@$!@#$
 # Randomly store the name of one of the ASCII Art files in FILENAME
-FILENAME=`ls $srcdir/docs/leet-nmap-ascii-art*.txt 2>/dev/null | awk '
+FILENAME=`ls $srcdir/docs/leet-nmap-ascii-art*.txt 2>/dev/null | $AWK '
     BEGIN {
         srand();
     }