Strengthening Security with IDS/IPS: Thorough Explanation of Mechanisms and Benefits
In today’s network environment, strengthening security measures is becoming increasingly important. Utilizing security systems such as IDS (Intrusion Detection System) and IPS (Intrusion Prevention System) is essential for detecting or preventing unauthorized access and cyberattacks on servers.
This article explains the basic mechanisms of IDS/IPS and how these systems help strengthen security measures. Let’s deepen our understanding of security expertise.
Table of Contents
1. What is IDS/IPS?
IDS/IPS are both provided as software or hardware (appliances) and play an important role as the core of modern network security.
They may also be provided as part of personal firewall software or UTM (Unified Threat Management), or as cloud services. Let’s understand how these contribute to improving security.
1-1. What is IDS?
As the name “Intrusion Detection System” suggests, IDS is a mechanism for detecting whether unauthorized activity is occurring within a network or system.
By analyzing network traffic, it identifies potential threats and attacks, detects suspicious behavior, and notifies security administrators of alerts. After that, administrators of security, servers, and networks take action, which causes operational burden.
This is where IPS comes in.
1-2. What is IPS?
IPS, also known as an “Intrusion Prevention System,” is a system that adds a defense function to IDS. It not only detects malicious packets but also blocks them. It provides the function of automatically executing the detection of suspicious behavior and defense against it.
IPS can take actions such as blocking attacks and blocking dangerous packets, which enhances network security.
1-3. IDS/IPS Merits and Demerits
Both IDS and IPS help improve network security, but each has its own merits and demerits.
① IDS Merits and Demerits
Let’s check the merits and demerits of IDS.
・Merit: Attack Detection
Detects abnormal activity in the network and identifies unauthorized access and attacks. This protects the network from various external attacks.
・Merit: Alert Notification
When malicious activity is detected, warnings and alerts are generated and sent to security administrators. This provides information for taking appropriate measures.
・Merit: Audit
Audits network traffic and provides records of security policy violations and security events. This helps meet security requirements.
・Demerit: False Detections
There is a risk of false detections, in which normal behavior is mistakenly detected as abnormal. Conversely, abnormal activity may be detected as normal.
・Demerit: No Real-Time Response
Although attacks are detected and notified, it is not possible to take real-time measures against them.
② IPS Merits and Demerits
Since IPS includes the functions of IDS, let’s check the other merits and demerits.
・Merit: Attack Response
After detecting an attack, defensive measures are automatically taken. This controls the attacker’s actions and reduces the impact of security incidents.
・Merit: Real-Time Response
Measures can be taken against attacks in real-time, minimizing the damage from attacks.
・Demerit: False Detections
Like IDS, IPS also has the risk of false detections. Normal traffic may be mistakenly blocked, or unauthorized communication may be allowed.
・Demerit: Impact on Performance
Continuously monitoring traffic, inspecting packets, and blocking attacks can cause network delays and performance degradation.
IDS mainly focuses on attack detection and warning, and IPS is an enhanced version with defense functions added. Both are important systems in a security strategy, and it is important to understand their merits and demerits and use them appropriately.
2. Security Measures with IDS/IPS
IDS/IPS are widely used as important elements of network security, and we will explain them from the perspective of security measures.
2-1. Detection of Malicious Packets by IDS/IPS
The following two types of detection methods are used by IDS and IPS to detect malicious packets.
One is the signature-based detection method.
This is a method of detecting specific patterns contained in packets.
Known attack patterns are registered as signatures in a database, and when a matching pattern is detected in the monitored network, it is determined to be a malicious packet. This approach is very effective against known attacks, but it is not effective against new attacks or variants.
The other is the anomaly-based detection method.
Anomaly refers to something different from normal. This method attempts to detect abnormal behavior by learning normal traffic patterns.
This effectively addresses new attacks and zero-day attacks, but the risk of false detections is high, requiring configuration and adjustment.
Also, understand both false positives and false negatives as false detections.
・False Positive
Mistakenly judging normal behavior as malicious. Normal traffic may be blocked as abnormal, which may adversely affect service delivery.
・False Negative
Mistakenly judging abnormal behavior as normal. There is a possibility that malicious packets may be allowed as correct communication, which increases the security risk.
Both are expected to occur, so a balance between the two is necessary.
2-2. Attacks that IDS/IPS Can Defend Against
IDS/IPS can protect networks from various types of attacks. For example, the following attacks are possible:
・Malware Intrusion: Prevents malicious files and code from entering the network.
・DDoS Attacks: Detects attacks from a large number of packets and takes appropriate measures to protect service availability.
・Unauthorized Access: Detects unauthorized access and blocks intruders.
・Security Violations: Detects violations of security policies and leakage of confidential information and takes measures.
2-3. Differences between Firewalls and WAF
IDS/IPS play different roles compared to firewalls and Web Application Firewalls (WAF).
Firewalls focus on controlling and filtering network traffic, and WAFs enhance the security of Web applications. On the other hand, IDS/IPS monitor malicious activity in the network and detect and defend against attacks.
These tools do not mean that you only need to prepare one. It is important to understand the merits and demerits of each and combine them to build a company’s security strategy.
Summary
This article focused on IDS/IPS and how they contribute to improving network security. Both are indispensable elements in modern security strategies and can be used as powerful mechanisms to protect networks and protect confidential information.
As security threats increase daily, effectively use these technologies to protect your corporate network safely.
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