Which of the following tools will scan a network to perform vulnerability checks and compliance auditing?

NMAP is a network discovery and port scanning tool used to map open ports and services; it does not perform vulnerability assessments or compliance audits natively.

Metasploit is a penetration testing and exploitation framework used to actively exploit known vulnerabilities, not to perform passive vulnerability scanning or compliance auditing.

Nessus is a comprehensive vulnerability scanner that actively probes hosts for known vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and compliance violations against standards such as PCI-DSS, CIS, and HIPAA. It produces detailed reports that cover both vulnerability severity and compliance posture, making it the correct answer for a tool that performs both vulnerability checks and compliance auditing.

BeEF (Browser Exploitation Framework) is focused on browser-based attack vectors and client-side exploitation, not network-wide vulnerability or compliance scanning.