What is Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS)?

Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) are network security appliances that monitor network and/or system activities for malicious or unwanted behavior. IPS can react in real-time to block or prevent intrusions that are detected. They are commonly used to protect networks from a wide range of threats, including malware, exploits, and denial-of-service attacks. IPS accomplish this by examining network traffic for suspicious patterns, using techniques like signature-based detection, anomaly detection, and stateful protocol analysis. When a threat is identified, the IPS can take automated actions such as blocking the traffic, resetting the connection, or alerting administrators.