What Are IDSes & Why Are They Worth Having?

Introduction

IDS stands for Intrusion Detection System and for purposes of simplicity it is a system that detects burglary attempts. If one wishes to compare to a home anti-burglary system, firewalls perform the role of door and window locks.

These types of locks will stop the majority of burglars but sophisticated intruders may circumvent security devices that protect an intended target i.e. a home. Therefore, most people use a combination of sophisticated locks with alarm systems. An IDS performs the role of such an alarm system and adds the next preventive layer of security by detecting attacks that penetrate IT systems.