(ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity Practice Exam

Which tool is specifically used for checking network vulnerabilities?

1. Nessus

2. Nmap

3. Wireshark

4. Metasploit

The correct answer is: Nessus

Nessus is specifically designed for checking network vulnerabilities, making it the best choice for this question. It is a widely-used vulnerability scanner that allows security professionals to perform detailed assessments of systems in order to identify vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and potential entry points that could be exploited by attackers. Nessus works by conducting comprehensive scans across a network, assessing the security risks associated with each device based on a continually updated database of known vulnerabilities. In contrast, the other tools mentioned serve different purposes. Nmap is primarily a network exploration tool and security scanner that can provide insight into open ports and services running on a network. While it can help identify some vulnerabilities by revealing what services are available, it does not provide the extensive vulnerability assessment features that Nessus does. Wireshark is a network protocol analyzer that captures and displays packet data, which is useful for troubleshooting networks and analyzing traffic but not for explicitly finding vulnerabilities. Metasploit is a penetration testing framework that can exploit vulnerabilities once they are identified, but it is not specifically used for scanning networks for vulnerabilities on its own.