Which of the following mechanisms does the Core Service Detector utilize?

The Core Service Detector primarily relies on port matching as its mechanism for identifying services running on systems within a network. This process entails examining network traffic to determine whether it is directed to specific ports, which correspond to well-known services and applications. For example, traffic directed to port 80 typically indicates HTTP traffic, while traffic on port 443 usually signifies HTTPS.

Port matching is crucial because it allows the Core Service Detector to efficiently categorize network traffic based on standard service designations, enabling effective policy enforcement and visibility into the types of applications running in the environment. By leveraging this method, organizations can implement security policies tailored to those applications, ensuring proper management and protection of network resources.

The other options, while related to network monitoring and security, do not represent the mechanism utilized by the Core Service Detector in the same way. Packet inspection involves deeper analysis of each packet's content, application layer filtering inspects data at the application layer for specific content or behavior, and protocol analysis examines the behavior and structure of protocols. While these methods provide additional layers of security and insight, they are not the primary focus of the Core Service Detector in terms of service identification.