What type of scanner is a company looking to implement to accurately identify vulnerabilities across various devices?

A network vulnerability scanner is designed to assess and identify potential vulnerabilities in a network's infrastructure, including devices such as routers, switches, firewalls, and servers. These scanners work by proactively scanning the network for security weaknesses, misconfigurations, or outdated software that could be exploited by attackers.

This type of scanner is particularly valuable for organizations that need a comprehensive overview of their network’s security posture. It can provide insights into device configurations, patch levels, and security policies, enabling security teams to prioritize remediation efforts based on the discovered vulnerabilities.

The other types of scanners serve more specialized purposes. A port scanner focuses specifically on identifying open ports and services running on a system, which is useful for understanding what services are exposed but does not assess vulnerabilities directly. A malware scanner, on the other hand, is primarily concerned with detecting and removing malicious software from systems rather than identifying vulnerabilities in the operating system or applications. Lastly, an application vulnerability scanner targets software applications to identify specific security flaws in code or functionality but does not provide the broader network coverage that a network vulnerability scanner does.

In summary, for a company looking to identify vulnerabilities across a wide range of devices in its network, implementing a network vulnerability scanner would be the most effective approach.