What technique is often used to identify active devices on a network?

Ping sweeping is a technique used to identify active devices on a network by sending ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) Echo Request packets to a range of IP addresses. When devices on the network receive these packets, they respond with an ICMP Echo Reply if they are active and reachable. This allows the operator to map out which IP addresses correspond to active hosts.

The process is efficient for quickly determining which devices are currently online, making it a fundamental step in network reconnaissance and security assessments. By utilizing ping sweeping, security professionals can gain insights into the devices that need to be monitored or protected, as well as identify any unauthorized devices that may pose a security risk.

In contrast, malware scanning examines endpoints for malicious software, network segmentation involves dividing a network into smaller parts to enhance security and performance, and traffic analysis focuses on monitoring and analyzing data packets travelling across the network. While these techniques play important roles in security practices, they do not specifically serve the primary function of identifying active devices like ping sweeping does.