Which term refers to listing active hosts and IP addresses to identify hosts, ports, and services on a network?

Which term refers to listing active hosts and IP addresses to identify hosts, ports, and services on a network?

• A. Network Scanning
• B. Port Scanning
• C. Vulnerability Scanning
• D. Synchronize (SYN)

Answer: (A)

Network scanning is the process of discovering which devices are active on a network and what services they offer. By listing active hosts and their IP addresses, you can map who is on the network and identify which ports are open and which services are listening on those ports. This helps you understand the network layout and plan further assessments or security measures. In practice, you’d start with host discovery—using techniques like ping sweeps or ARP requests to see which devices respond. Once you know the live hosts, you can probe those hosts to determine open ports and the services running on them. Tools like Nmap automate this process and provide a view of both the live devices and the services they expose. The other options describe narrower or different activities: port scanning targets a host to check which ports are open, but it doesn’t necessarily reveal every active device on the network. Vulnerability scanning looks for weaknesses after you’ve identified hosts and services. Synchronize (SYN) relates to a TCP handshake or a specific scanning technique, not the overall activity of listing hosts and services.

Network scanning is the process of discovering which devices are active on a network and what services they offer. By listing active hosts and their IP addresses, you can map who is on the network and identify which ports are open and which services are listening on those ports. This helps you understand the network layout and plan further assessments or security measures.

In practice, you’d start with host discovery—using techniques like ping sweeps or ARP requests to see which devices respond. Once you know the live hosts, you can probe those hosts to determine open ports and the services running on them. Tools like Nmap automate this process and provide a view of both the live devices and the services they expose.

The other options describe narrower or different activities: port scanning targets a host to check which ports are open, but it doesn’t necessarily reveal every active device on the network. Vulnerability scanning looks for weaknesses after you’ve identified hosts and services. Synchronize (SYN) relates to a TCP handshake or a specific scanning technique, not the overall activity of listing hosts and services.