Active scanning is best described as?

Active scanning is best described as?

• A. Sends probes to a network node to determine exposed ports and can also identify vulnerabilities.
• B. Passively monitors network traffic to detect anomalies.
• C. Encrypts data to avoid detection.
• D. Brute-forces user passwords.

Answer: (A)

Active scanning involves sending direct probes to a target system to map what is exposed on the network. By actively probing, you can determine which ports are open, which services are listening, and often the version of those services. This information helps identify potential vulnerabilities tied to specific ports or services and can point to misconfigurations or weak points in the network. Tools like Nmap perform this kind of probing and then interpret the responses to classify ports as open, closed, or filtered, and to fingerprint services. This approach is different from passive scanning, which only watches existing traffic without sending probes, making it less detectable but also less comprehensive for discovering what’s running. Encrypting data (in transit) is about protecting confidentiality, not about discovering hosts or services. Brute-forcing passwords targets credential access rather than mapping a network’s exposed surface.

Active scanning involves sending direct probes to a target system to map what is exposed on the network. By actively probing, you can determine which ports are open, which services are listening, and often the version of those services. This information helps identify potential vulnerabilities tied to specific ports or services and can point to misconfigurations or weak points in the network. Tools like Nmap perform this kind of probing and then interpret the responses to classify ports as open, closed, or filtered, and to fingerprint services.

This approach is different from passive scanning, which only watches existing traffic without sending probes, making it less detectable but also less comprehensive for discovering what’s running. Encrypting data (in transit) is about protecting confidentiality, not about discovering hosts or services. Brute-forcing passwords targets credential access rather than mapping a network’s exposed surface.