What is Intrusion Detecting System?
An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is like a night watchman for your computer network. It is software or a device designed to safeguard your company’s data security around the clock—detecting suspicious access attempts, unauthorized activities, or security breaches. The primary role of an IDS is to identify anomalies in network traffic or detect known attack patterns before cybercriminals can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of your system. It’s not just an alarm—it’s your first warning that something is happening, allowing administrators to react immediately.
One of the modern IDS solutions is the Sycope platform. Sycope enables real-time threat detection by monitoring network traffic using NetFlow and IPFIX technologies. This platform stands out not only for its real-time analysis and alerts but also for its full integration with other security tools like SIEM and automatic response systems such as SOAR. Advanced reporting, incident visualization, and easy management ensure you have control over every movement.
Types of IDS Systems
- NIDS – Network IDS: Specializes in monitoring traffic across the entire company network. It analyzes everything “passing through the cable,” searching for known attack signatures or irregularities.
- HIDS – Host IDS: Operates locally on a chosen computer. Here, external traffic is irrelevant; instead, it monitors file changes, user activities, or unauthorized processes. It detects when something suspicious happens within the operating system or a specific application.
- Hybrid Systems: Combine both approaches, monitoring both the network and individual devices. This provides a broad, comprehensive shield against various threats.
How does an IDS work?
In practice, an IDS consists of several key modules:
- A component responsible for data collection (network sniffers, host agents),
- An analytical engine that processes and analyzes the data,
- A database of known attack signatures or algorithms for detecting anomalies,
- An intuitive interface for managing alerts and viewing reports.
The IDS continuously monitors traffic and activities in real time, automatically comparing collected information with a threat database or searching for abnormal behaviors. When it detects something suspicious, it instantly notifies the administrator—giving you the chance to react immediately.
Advanced platforms like Sycope can record incident details, transfer data to SIEM systems, generate clear visualizations, and allow you to create custom detection rules or reports tailored to your company’s needs.
Where is IDS used in practice?
- Corporate Network Protection: IDS is essential for monitoring corporate infrastructure—a shield against security policy violations and data leaks.
- Public Sector Security: Offices and institutions defend their servers and meet compliance requirements thanks to IDS.
- Data Centers and Server Rooms: Supervision of all movements by both users and applications. Sycope is often chosen by companies with complex infrastructures.
- Incident Handling and Threat Analysis: Thanks to IDS, security teams know when and how to intervene and can conduct “who, where, when” analyses—Sycope provides investigative and reporting tools for this.
- Part of a Layered Security Strategy: IDS effectively supports other tools—let cybercriminals try; you’ll be one step ahead!
What do you gain from using IDS?
- Immediate threat detection,
- Better insight into the network and user activity,
- A complete history of events and documented incidents,
- Comprehensive support for security teams,
- Various detection methods to catch even elusive threats,
- With Sycope: integration with SIEM, automatic reports, and audit tools.
What to watch out for?
- IDS can generate false positives—false alarms,
- It will not block an attack by itself; it notifies but does not react automatically,
- It may slightly burden your infrastructure,
- Regular updates are necessary,
- It may struggle to detect entirely new, unknown (zero-day) attacks.
IDS vs. other systems
Unlike a firewall, which filters traffic based solely on rules, an IDS tracks attempts to breach security—even if the attacker has already gotten inside. It acts as a detective comparing events to attack patterns. IPS systems (Intrusion Prevention System), on the other hand, go a step further: they not only identify threats but also block them in real time.
In daily operations, these tools complement each other perfectly: the firewall guards the entrance, IDS tracks breaches, and IPS immediately cuts off unwanted guests. Thanks to open integration, Sycope ensures smooth information flow between all systems, providing complete protection even in the most demanding environments.
