Which of the following is an example of a network scanning tool?

• A. Nmap
• B. Scapy
• C. Kismet
• D. Ophcrack

Answer: (A)

Network scanning tools probe a network to reveal what hosts are alive, which ports are open, and what services are running. Nmap fits this role perfectly because it can perform host discovery, port scanning, and service and version detection, even offering scripting to automate checks and more advanced scanning techniques. This makes it a go-to choice for mapping a network surface and assessing what’s reachable.

Other tools have different primary purposes. Scapy is a flexible packet crafting library used to build, send, capture, and analyze individual packets or custom probes, rather than scanning an entire network. Kismet focuses on wireless networks, acting as a detector and sniffer to gather information about Wi-Fi networks and clients. Ophcrack is a password-cracking tool that uses rainbow tables to recover password hashes, not a network scanner.

So, the example of a network scanning tool is Nmap.