Definition : NIDS (Network Intrusion Detection System)

A NIDS, or Network Intrusion Detection System, is a device or software designed to monitor network traffic for suspicious behavior or signs of malicious activity. The primary goal of a NIDS is to identify unauthorized access attempts, attacks against services, malware, and other security policy violations that may compromise the integrity, confidentiality, or availability of network resources. Operating mainly in passive mode, a NIDS analyzes network traffic in real-time, comparing data flowing across the network to a database of known attack signatures or abnormal traffic patterns. When suspicious activity is detected, the system generates alerts to notify administrators or security teams, who can then investigate and take appropriate actions to mitigate the threat.

Key features of a NIDS include:

- Real-time traffic analysis:

Continuous monitoring of network traffic to detect malicious or unauthorized activities. - Signature-based detection:
Use of known attack signatures and malware to identify specific threats. - Anomaly-based detection:
Identification of abnormal behaviors by comparing network activity to established and considered normal traffic patterns. - Alert generation:
Notification to network administrators or security teams upon detection of suspicious activities, enabling quick response. While NIDS are essential for intrusion detection and protection against cyber attacks, they have some limitations, such as the potential to generate false positives (incorrect alerts generated by legitimate activity) and false negatives (failure to detect actual malicious activity).

For this reason, they are often deployed in conjunction with other security measures, such as Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) or Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), XDR, to provide an additional layer of defense in a comprehensive network security strategy.
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