A digital publishing firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, noticed suspicious probing activity against its public...

The correct answer is Nikto. CEH web server security coverage identifies Nikto as a specialized open-source web server vulnerability scanner designed to assess HTTP and HTTPS services for dangerous files, insecure default content, outdated server versions, and version-specific problems. The scenario mentions examination of server headers, detection of installed web server software, checks for outdated components, identification of dangerous files and misconfigurations, SSL support, and exportable reporting. Those characteristics align closely with Nikto’s typical use in CEH-style web server assessments. OpenVAS, Nessus, and Qualys VM are broad vulnerability management platforms with much wider enterprise coverage, but the question describes a focused HTTP-server scanner rather than a full-spectrum infrastructure scanner. CEH materials frequently present Nikto in the context of web server enumeration and vulnerability discovery after the tester has identified the target web platform. It is especially useful for quickly checking internet-facing servers for known risky files, weak configurations, and outdated software. Because the assessment is centered on the specific exposure of web servers and matches the recognized feature set of Nikto, option D is the best answer.