CompTIA Security+ Question K-94

Which of the following tools would allow Ann, the security administrator, to be able to BEST quantify all traffic on her network?

A. Honeypot
B. Port scanner
C. Protocol analyzer
D. Vulnerability scanner

Answer: C

Explanation:
A Protocol Analyzer is a hardware device or more commonly a software program used to capture network data communications sent between devices on a network. By capturing and analyzing the packets sent between the systems on the network, Ann would be able to quantify the amount of traffic on the network. Well known software protocol analyzers include Message Analyzer (formerly Network Monitor) from Microsoft and Wireshark (formerly Ethereal).