Which Tool Identifies Insecure Ports and Legacy Protocols?
Short answer
A Nessus
Question
Key Takeaways
The exam tests knowledge of vulnerability scanning tools and their purposes; the trap is confusing scanning tools like Nessus with network utilities like Wireshark or netcat.
The correct answer is A. Nessus, a vulnerability scanner that identifies insecure ports, legacy protocols, and misconfigurations. Community consensus confirms Nessus is designed for this discovery.
Common mistake: Choosing Wireshark is a common mistake because it captures network traffic, but it cannot actively scan servers for insecure ports or legacy protocol configurations like Nessus does.
Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
Nessus is a widely used vulnerability scanner that performs network-based scans to identify open ports, insecure services, and legacy protocols. It is specifically designed to detect security issues and misconfigurations, making it the appropriate tool for the auditor's discovery.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
curl is a command-line tool for transferring data using URLs, not for scanning server configurations. Wireshark is a packet analyzer that captures and inspects network traffic, but it does not actively scan for vulnerabilities. netcat is a network utility for reading/writing raw data, often used for testing connectivity, not for comprehensive vulnerability assessment.
Community Comment Notes
Community comments uniformly support A, with one noting that Nessus 'can identify insecure ports, legacy protocols, and other security issues on servers.' Another comment reinforces that Nessus 'finds potential vulnerabilities' whereas SIEMs monitor actual events, and another highlights its ability to scan networks and individual systems.
Official Reference
These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.
Exam Strategy
Remember that vulnerability scanners like Nessus are used to identify configuration weaknesses such as insecure ports and legacy protocols. If a question mentions an auditor discovering multiple issues across servers, look for the vulnerability scanner option first.
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 4 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 4
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baronvon 👍 2 Answered AA. Nessus Nessus is a vulnerability scanner that can identify insecure ports, legacy protocols, and other security issues on servers. It is designed to detect vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in systems.
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ProudFather 👍 1 Answered ANessus is a powerful vulnerability scanning tool that can identify a wide range of vulnerabilities, including open ports and outdated protocols. It can scan networks and individual systems to identify potential security risks.
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9149f41 👍 1 Answered ANessus finds potential vulnerabilities SIEM monitors actual security events and incidents
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qacollin 👍 2 Answered AA. GPT
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