Which type of scan compares a computer or software configuration and patch level against pre-determined settings within a content baseline?

The correct choice is the SCAP (Security Content Automation Protocol) scan, which is specifically designed to assess systems for compliance with a defined security baseline. This type of scan evaluates the configuration, patch level, and overall security posture of a computer or software against pre-established standards. SCAP provides a standardized framework for managing security vulnerabilities and ensuring that system settings meet the required security configurations.

The significance of SCAP lies in its ability to automate the assessment of security controls and configuration settings, allowing organizations to efficiently identify and remediate vulnerabilities in their systems. By comparing the actual state of a system with a predetermined baseline, SCAP scans can highlight areas of compliance and non-compliance, driving efforts to enhance the security posture.

In contrast, a vulnerability scan focuses broadly on identifying known vulnerabilities in systems, a port scan checks for open ports and services on a device to assess network security, and a protocol analyzer captures and interprets network traffic for analysis. While these other types of scans serve important roles in cybersecurity assessments, they do not specifically address the comparison of configuration settings to predetermined baselines as the SCAP scan does.