Definition
What is NIDS?
NIDS, or network intrusion detection systems, provide continuous network monitoring across on-premise and cloud infrastructure to detect malicious activity like policy violations, lateral movement or data exfiltration.
NIDS security technologies are ‘passive’ rather than ‘active’ in nature. This means that they are designed solely to alert on suspicious activity, and for this reason are often deployed alongside intrusion prevention systems (IPS) which are ‘active’.
For organisations looking to further increase threat visibility, NIDS systems are commonly used in conjunction with host-based intrusion detection systems (HIDS) and SIEM solutions, which aggregate and analyse security events from multiple sources.
Overview
Detecting hidden security threats
Given the advanced nature of today’s cyber threats, protecting your business now requires the ability to detect and respond to attacks that bypass firewalls and other traditional perimeter security controls. Network-based intrusion detection systems (NIDS) help to improve visibility of malicious activity inside your network that could otherwise go unnoticed.
Info
How does NIDS work?
To detect threats, network-based intrusion detection systems gather information about incoming and outgoing internet traffic. To maximise visibility, NIDS sensors are strategically placed across a network, for example on a LAN and DMZ.
NIDS systems utilise a combination of signature and anomaly-based detection methods. Signature-based detection involves comparing the characteristics of collected data packets against signature files that are known to be malicious. Anomaly-based detection uses behavioural analysis to monitor events against a baseline of ‘typical’ network activity.
When malicious or anomalous activity arises on a network, such as a sudden increase in network traffic, NIDS technologies detect the activity and generate alerts for investigation.
What our customers say
Managed Detection and Response
Why choose a Managed Detection and Response service?
While an out-of-the-box network-based intrusion detection system is undoubtedly a powerful security tool, leveraging its capabilities can require organisations to invest a significant amount of time and effort in keeping their system up-to-date and optimised to ensure it delivers the security outcomes they desire.
If not properly configured and maintained, a behaviour-based NIDS has the potential to generate hundreds of daily alerts, which can quickly lead to IT teams suffering alert fatigue. Few organisations have the resources to monitor NIDS security technologies around-the-clock and when genuine incidents do occur, they also lack the expertise needed to shut them down quickly and effectively.
A Managed Detection and Response service can help to overcome your security challenges by supplying experienced security experts to deploy, configure and monitor network and endpoint detection systems, supplying the security outcomes you need and allowing in-house teams to focus on other important tasks.
About us
Why choose Kroll?
- A leading global MDR company
- Red and blue team CREST CSOC expertise
- High-quality intelligence and actionable outcomes
- Quick and hassle-free service deployment
- An agnostic approach to technology selection
- Avg. 9/10 customer satisfaction, 95% retention rate
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