Which of the following Nmap commands identifies services running on open ports?

The command that identifies services running on open ports is the one that includes the -sV option. This option is specifically designed for service version detection, which means it probes open ports on a target machine to determine what services are running and their versions. By using -sV, Nmap not only identifies the open ports but also retrieves detailed information about the applications listening on those ports. This makes it a key command for penetration testing and network reconnaissance, as it helps testers understand the stack of services in use, which can be critical for identifying vulnerabilities.

The other options serve different purposes:

• The command that employs -sP is used for ping scanning to determine which hosts are up within a specified range but does not probe for open ports or identify services.

• The command with -sn performs a "ping scan" that also does not reveal open ports or services—it merely checks if the devices are online.

• The command using -PU is focused on UDP ping scanning, which checks for the responsiveness of hosts but again does not provide information about open ports or the services that may be running on them.

Thus, the inclusion of the -sV flag directly relates to service identification, making it the correct choice for the question regarding understanding services on open