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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

4.8/5 - based on 53 Reviews
“Redscan’s security experts work hand in hand with our in-house team, providing us with the insights we need to identify and eliminate threats across our environment 24/7.
IT Security & Infrastructure Director
“Thanks to Redscan, we’re in an infinitely better place now. We have got more visibility than we ever had, and critically, in all the right places. I can now sleep easy knowing that Redscan’s expertise is protecting our business.”
Head of Technology & Cybersecurity
Housebuilding Company
“With so much organisational change, this is a time of incredible pressure on our small team. Partnering with Redscan is making it easier for us to address the security challenges of business consolidation.”
Head of IT Security
Global Plastics Manufacturer
“Redscan staff are always on hand to provide swift, clear advice. They help us keep a constant eye on our network and respond quickly to incidents to ensure systems remain operational.”
IT Director
Private Hospital
“I can offer a higher level of assurance at board level about our information security now. Redscan gives us a broader lens on a complex and changing environment.”
IT Director
Global Asset Manager
“We now know we’ve got eyes on our critical assets and that those events are being looked at, scrutinised, triaged and qualified as legitimate or false positives. That is night and day in contrast with where we were before our relationship with Redscan.”
Head of Technology & Cybersecurity
Housebuilding Company
"Redscan's cost effective service gives us peace of mind that we are doing all we can to protect our clients, our business, our staff, our counterparties and other partners."
Head of IT Infrastructure
Asset Management Firm
“Faster incident alerting enables us to better understand what is going on in our network and react more quickly. From an advice side of things, it’s great to be able to talk to knowledgeable people and discuss solutions to help mitigate our security risks.”
Head of IT Security
Global Plastics Manufacturer
“With Redscan, we are able to understand and quickly identify any threats. Redscan’s support gives us the freedom to feel more secure and be more productive.”  
Head of IT
Global Shipping Company
“By working in partnership with Redscan, we have significantly improved our operational resilience.”  
Head of Cyber Security
Specialist bank
“Thanks to Redscan we now have a solution that gives us the ability to monitor, isolate and eliminate threats across our IT infrastructure.”
Head of IT
Private Hospital
“The personal approach is something I noticed from my first engagement with Redscan and it is still true today. We have 30 locations worldwide and it is valuable to have a third party being proactive in identifying potential security issues.”
Head of IT
Global Shipping Company
“Services like these are few and far between.”
Head of IT Infrastructure
Asset Management Firm
“I value the fact that Redscan aggregates insight about the cyber-attacks it sees on other customers and retrospectively applies it to other organisations, so we all benefit from that knowledge.”  
Head of Cyber Security
Specialist bank
"Our partnership with Redscan has been one of the most successful that we have ever undertaken"
IT Director
Global Asset Manager

A person choosing from a range of Managed Security Services

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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Resources

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