Which of the following tools is commonly used for vulnerability scanning?

Nessus is a widely recognized tool specifically designed for vulnerability scanning. It helps security professionals identify and assess vulnerabilities in systems, applications, and networks. Nessus employs a comprehensive database of known vulnerabilities and, during a scan, it actively checks systems against this database to determine if any vulnerabilities exist that could potentially be exploited by attackers. Its user-friendly interface and extensive reporting features make it a valuable tool for organizations looking to improve their security posture through risk assessment.

In comparison, Wireshark is primarily a network protocol analyzer used to capture and analyze network packets, which is more focused on network troubleshooting and analysis rather than vulnerability assessment. Metasploit is a penetration testing framework that allows users to exploit vulnerabilities rather than simply identifying them. Snort is an intrusion detection and prevention system that focuses on monitoring network traffic for suspicious activities but is not designed to perform comprehensive vulnerability scanning in the same way as Nessus.