Which assessment type commonly uses tools like Nessus or Qualys as part of its process?

• A. Automated Assessment
• B. Inference-Based Assessment
• C. Tree-Based Assessment
• D. Credentialed Assessment

Answer: (A)

Automated assessment relies on automated scanning tools to quickly identify vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and missing patches across many systems. Nessus and Qualys are classic examples of vulnerability scanners that fit this model: they probe hosts and services, check them against up-to-date vulnerability databases, assign risk levels, and produce comprehensive reports with remediation guidance. Because these tasks are repetitive and scalable, automation handles them with minimal manual effort, which is the essence of automated assessment. Other approaches emphasize manual reasoning, theoretical deduction, or authenticated data collection, rather than broad automated scanning. (Credentialed scans can be part of automated assessments too, but the defining feature here is the use of automated scanning tools.)