SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/secplus-ips-can-block
What can an intrusion prevention system (IPS) do that a plain intrusion detection system (IDS) cannot?
An IPS can also attempt to stop possible incidents, not just detect them.
- Attempt to stop possible incidents ✔
- Generate alerts about suspicious activity
- Capture and log network traffic
Why: An IDS watches and alerts. An IPS has all those abilities and can also act, such as dropping malicious packets. Many IPS products can be switched to detect-only mode.
Huh, didn't know that: NIST SP 800-94 covers four IDPS types: network-based, wireless, network behavior analysis and host-based.
How many programmers does it take to change a light bulb? None. It's a hardware problem.
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References
Answer: Attempt to stop possible incidents. An IDS watches and alerts. An IPS has all those abilities and can also act, such as dropping malicious packets. Many IPS products can be switched to detect-only mode.
- NIST SP 800-94, Guide to Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-94.pdf
can also attempt to stop possible incidents
Checked 2026-10-10. - NIST SP 800-94, Guide to Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems nvlpubs.nist.gov/nistpubs/Legacy/SP/nistspecialpublication800-94.pdf
This publication discusses the following four types of IDPS technologies
Checked 2026-10-10.
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