Which of the following is a network scanning tool?

Which of the following is a network scanning tool?

• A. Nmap
• B. Aircrack-ng
• C. Wireshark
• D. Scapy

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is identifying a tool designed to discover devices and services on a network. A network scanning tool is used to find live hosts, open ports, and the services running on those ports so you can map what’s on the network and assess exposure. Nmap fits this role exactly: it can perform host discovery to determine which machines are up and reachable, then scan ports to see which services are open, and even attempt to identify the services and their versions or the operating systems. This makes it the best choice for the purpose of scanning a network to understand its layout and potential weaknesses. Aircrack-ng is a wireless security toolkit focused on cracking keys and auditing WiFi networks, not on general network-wide discovery. Wireshark is a protocol analyzer that captures and inspects traffic, not a tool that actively scans a network for hosts and open ports. Scapy is a flexible packet crafting and sniffing library that can be used for various network experiments, including discovery, but it isn’t a dedicated network scanner like Nmap. So, Nmap is the network scanning tool.

The main idea being tested is identifying a tool designed to discover devices and services on a network. A network scanning tool is used to find live hosts, open ports, and the services running on those ports so you can map what’s on the network and assess exposure. Nmap fits this role exactly: it can perform host discovery to determine which machines are up and reachable, then scan ports to see which services are open, and even attempt to identify the services and their versions or the operating systems. This makes it the best choice for the purpose of scanning a network to understand its layout and potential weaknesses.

Aircrack-ng is a wireless security toolkit focused on cracking keys and auditing WiFi networks, not on general network-wide discovery. Wireshark is a protocol analyzer that captures and inspects traffic, not a tool that actively scans a network for hosts and open ports. Scapy is a flexible packet crafting and sniffing library that can be used for various network experiments, including discovery, but it isn’t a dedicated network scanner like Nmap.

So, Nmap is the network scanning tool.