📌 Intrusion Prevention Systems Summary

Intrusion Prevention Systems, or IPS, are security tools that monitor computer networks for suspicious activity and take automatic action to stop potential threats. They work by analysing network traffic, looking for patterns or behaviours that match known attacks or unusual activity. When something suspicious is detected, the system can block the harmful traffic, alert administrators, or take other protective measures to keep the network safe.

🙋🏻‍♂️ Explain Intrusion Prevention Systems Simply

Imagine a security guard at the entrance of a building who not only checks who comes in but also stops anyone acting suspiciously before they cause trouble. An Intrusion Prevention System is like this guard for your computer network, watching for anything unusual and stopping threats before they can do harm.

📅 How Can it be used?

An IPS could be set up to automatically block malicious traffic on a company’s internal network, reducing the risk of cyberattacks.

🗺️ Real World Examples

A financial services company installs an Intrusion Prevention System to protect sensitive customer data. When the IPS detects an attempt to exploit a known vulnerability in their web server, it automatically blocks the attacker’s connection and notifies the security team, preventing a data breach.

A university deploys an Intrusion Prevention System to monitor its campus Wi-Fi network. The IPS identifies and stops a malware outbreak by blocking compromised devices from spreading the infection to other users on the network.

✅ FAQ

An Intrusion Prevention System watches over your network a bit like a security guard, looking for anything unusual in the traffic that could point to a cyber attack. If it finds something suspicious, it can step in straight away to block it, keeping your data and devices safer without needing someone to react manually.

While both Intrusion Prevention Systems and firewalls help protect your network, they do it in different ways. A firewall mainly blocks or allows traffic based on set rules, like a bouncer checking IDs at the door. An Intrusion Prevention System goes further by examining the traffic in detail and stopping threats based on behaviour, not just rules. It is a more active approach to security.

Intrusion Prevention Systems are very good at catching many known attacks and suspicious behaviour, but no system is perfect. New or very sophisticated threats can sometimes slip through. That is why it is best to use an Intrusion Prevention System as part of a wider set of security measures, rather than relying on it alone.

📚 Categories

• Cybersecurity
• InfoSec
• Network Security

🔗 External Reference Links

Intrusion Prevention Systems link

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