Intrusion Detection and Prevention Solutions

Intrusion Detection Systems

Network intrusion detection systems (NIDS) monitor packets on the network wire and attempt to discover and alert on known attack signatures or traffic patterns   hacker/cracker is attempting to break into a system (or cause a denial of service attack).  A NIDS runs on an independent machine promiscuously watching all network traffic on the segment or virtual LAN that the device is associated with and will only alert on suspicious activity.

Host intrusion detection (HIDS) run on the target machine and watches for attacks destined for itself. Host intrusion detection agents are usually integrated with the applications and services on the host it is monitoring.

Note that a "network" IDS monitors many machines, whereas the “host” IDS monitors only a single machine.

Intrusion  Prevention

Intrusion Prevention technologies adopt a new "heuristic" approach by detecting patterns of activity rather than just signatures and then have the ability to prevent intrusions. 

Host Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS) greatly reduce threats by proactively profiling each application against the enterprise security policy, and executing that policy within each client machine. HIPS adapts to new threats and protects valuable assets, providing a proactive way to enforce policies and procedures to reduce exposure to threats and stop malicious activity before it can cause widespread damage.

The Host intrusion prevention functionality is provided at several levels:

1. Desktop Intrusion Prevention
2. Server Intrusion Prevention, with out-of-the-box support for protecting IIS server, SQL servers and DNS Servers.
3. Distributed Firewall functionality
4. Facilitates patch management

		Cisco IOS IPsec functionality provides network data encryption at the IP packet level, offering a robust security solution that is standards-based. IPsec provides data authentication and anti-replay services in addition to data confidentiality services.
		Juniper Networks transforms the business of networking. A leading global provider of networking and security solutions, Juniper Networks maintains an intense focus on customers who derive strategic value from their networks.