What capability does the -A option enable in Nmap?

• A. Ping sweep
• B. Version detection
• C. OS detection
• D. Traceroute

Answer: (B)

The -A option triggers an aggressive scan that gathers a lot of fingerprint data about the target, including service versions, operating system details, script output, and the traceroute path. Among the given capabilities, the most directly produced and useful piece of information by this option is identifying the versions of services running on open ports. Knowing exact version numbers helps pinpoint known vulnerabilities and tailor a risk assessment. While OS detection and traceroute are also performed with this option, the question’s best-fit capability among the choices is version detection because it specifically yields the version information that’s crucial for vulnerability analysis.