Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS)
Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS) are network security devices that are used to monitor and analyze network traffic for signs of security threats. IDPSs are designed to detect and prevent unauthorized access, data exfiltration, and other types of cyber attacks by identifying suspicious activity and alerting security teams.
Subfields of IDPS
- Network-based IDPS: a type of IDPS that is deployed on a network to monitor and analyze network traffic. Network-based IDPSs can be used to detect and prevent various types of attacks, such as port scanning, denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, and buffer overflows.
- Host-based IDPS: a type of IDPS that is deployed on an endpoint to monitor and analyze system activity. Host-based IDPSs can be used to detect and prevent various types of attacks, such as malware infections, unauthorized access, and data theft.
- Signature-based IDPS: a type of IDPS that uses predefined signatures or patterns to detect known threats. Signature-based IDPSs can be effective in detecting known threats but may not be able to detect new or unknown threats.
- Anomaly-based IDPS: a type of IDPS that uses machine learning algorithms and statistical analysis to detect deviations from normal network or system behavior. Anomaly-based IDPSs can be effective in detecting new or unknown threats but may generate false positives.
- Hybrid IDPS: a type of IDPS that combines signature-based and anomaly-based detection methods to provide more comprehensive threat detection and prevention.
Examples of IDPS Software and Hardware
- McAfee Host Intrusion Prevention: a host-based IDPS that uses behavior-based analysis to detect and prevent a wide range of threats, including zero-day attacks, rootkits, and buffer overflows.
- Snort: a popular open-source network-based IDPS that can detect and prevent various types of network attacks, such as port scans, buffer overflows, and SQL injection attacks.
- Suricata: an open-source network-based IDPS that is designed to detect and prevent various types of network attacks, including DoS attacks, malware infections, and command-and-control traffic.
- TippingPoint: a hardware-based IDPS that uses deep packet inspection to detect and prevent various types of network attacks, including zero-day attacks, DoS attacks, and botnet traffic.
- Cisco Firepower: a hardware-based IDPS that uses signature-based and anomaly-based detection methods to detect and prevent various types of network and endpoint attacks, including malware infections, unauthorized access, and data exfiltration.
Additional Information about IDPS
IDPSs can be configured to operate in either inline or passive mode. In inline mode, IDPSs actively block or prevent attacks from occurring, while in passive mode, IDPSs only monitor and report suspicious activity without taking any action. IDPSs can also be categorized as network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) or network intrusion prevention systems (NIPS) depending on whether they are used for detection only or both detection and prevention, respectively.