Which tool should be used to scan for outdated Apple iOS versions on a network?

Which tool should be used to scan for outdated Apple iOS versions on a network?

• A. Metasploit
• B. Nmap
• C. Nessus
• D. Wireshark

Answer: (C)

Identifying outdated iOS versions on a network is about validating the security posture by comparing what software is running with a database of known vulnerabilities and patches. Nessus does this best because it is a dedicated vulnerability scanner that inventories installed software versions and checks them against up-to-date CVEs and vulnerability advisories. It can perform both authenticated and unauthenticated checks, correlate findings with remediation steps, and highlight devices running outdated iOS releases, making it the most direct tool for this goal. Metasploit is primarily an exploitation framework rather than a broad inventory or vulnerability data collector, so it isn’t the best fit for identifying outdated devices across a network. Nmap excels at discovering hosts, open ports, and services and can sometimes infer versions, but it doesn’t provide the comprehensive, vulnerability-focused assessment and patch status reporting that Nessus offers. Wireshark analyzes network traffic, not the installed software inventory or patch level, so it won’t reliably indicate whether iOS devices are outdated. So, Nessus is the right choice because it directly targets vulnerability assessment and version-based checks, yielding actionable results on outdated iOS versions.

Identifying outdated iOS versions on a network is about validating the security posture by comparing what software is running with a database of known vulnerabilities and patches. Nessus does this best because it is a dedicated vulnerability scanner that inventories installed software versions and checks them against up-to-date CVEs and vulnerability advisories. It can perform both authenticated and unauthenticated checks, correlate findings with remediation steps, and highlight devices running outdated iOS releases, making it the most direct tool for this goal.

Metasploit is primarily an exploitation framework rather than a broad inventory or vulnerability data collector, so it isn’t the best fit for identifying outdated devices across a network. Nmap excels at discovering hosts, open ports, and services and can sometimes infer versions, but it doesn’t provide the comprehensive, vulnerability-focused assessment and patch status reporting that Nessus offers. Wireshark analyzes network traffic, not the installed software inventory or patch level, so it won’t reliably indicate whether iOS devices are outdated.

So, Nessus is the right choice because it directly targets vulnerability assessment and version-based checks, yielding actionable results on outdated iOS versions.