In the Nmap command shown, which flag increases the verbosity of the output?

• A. -v
• B. -sS
• C. -Po
• D. -data_length

Answer: (A)

Understanding how Nmap reports progress and results is crucial when analyzing a scan. The flag that increases the verbosity of the output is the verbose option, invoked with -v. It makes Nmap print more information during the scan, such as progress on hosts being checked, ports being scanned, and interim results. Using -v once gives a moderate amount of detail; adding another -v (i.e., -vv) increases the level further, and -vvv provides even more detail, which can be helpful for debugging or learning how Nmap operates. The other options listed affect how the scan is performed rather than how much information is shown: -sS selects a SYN stealth scan; -data_length adjusts the size of probe payloads; -Po isn’t a verbosity flag and doesn’t increase output detail. In short, -v is the correct flag for increasing verbosity.