What does the version intensity option control in Nmap?

• A. The pattern of scanning across hosts.
• B. How aggressively probes are performed.
• C. The number of port ranges scanned.
• D. The verbosity of output.

Answer: (B)

Version probing intensity determines how aggressively Nmap runs version detection probes. It adjusts how many probes are sent and how many retries are attempted for each service, balancing thoroughness against scan speed and network impact. A higher intensity means more probing, which can yield more accurate or complete version information but takes longer and may draw more attention from intrusion detection systems. A lower intensity reduces the probe volume, making scans faster and quieter but potentially missing some details. This option does not change how scans are distributed across hosts, the number of port ranges scanned, or how verbose the output is.