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Intrusion Detection System (IDS)

Last Updated : 05 Feb, 2025

Intrusion is when an attacker gets unauthorized access to a device, network,

or system. Cyber criminals use advanced techniques to sneak into
organizations without being detected.

Intrusion Detection System (IDS) observes network traffic for malicious

transactions and sends immediate alerts when it is observed. It is software
that checks a network or system for malicious activities or policy violations.
Each illegal activity or violation is often recorded either centrally using an
SIEM system or notified to an administration. IDS monitors a network or
system for malicious activity and protects a computer network from
unauthorized access from users, including perhaps insiders. The intrusion
detector learning task is to build a predictive model (i.e. a classifier) capable
of distinguishing between ‘bad connections’ (intrusion/attacks) and ‘good
(normal) connections’.

Common Methods of Intrusion

Address Spoofing: Hiding the source of an attack by using fake or
unsecured proxy servers making it hard to identify the attacker.
Fragmentation: Sending data in small pieces to slip past detection
systems.
Pattern Evasion: Changing attack methods to avoid detection by IDS
systems that look for specific patterns.
Coordinated Attack: Using multiple attackers or ports to scan a network,
confusing the IDS and making it hard to see what is happening.

Working of Intrusion Detection System(IDS)

An IDS (Intrusion Detection System) monitors the traffic on a computer
network to detect any suspicious activity.
It analyzes the data flowing through the network to look for patterns and
signs of abnormal behavior.
The IDS compares the network activity to a set of predefined rules and
patterns to identify any activity that might indicate an attack or intrusion.
If the IDS detects something that matches one of these rules or patterns,
it sends an alert to the system administrator.
The system administrator can then investigate the alert and take action to
prevent any damage or further intrusion.

Intrusion Detection System (IDS)

Classification of Intrusion Detection System(IDS)

Intrusion Detection System are classified into 5 types:

Network Intrusion Detection System (NIDS): Network intrusion

detection systems (NIDS) are set up at a planned point within the network
to examine traffic from all devices on the network. It performs an
observation of passing traffic on the entire subnet and matches the traffic
that is passed on the subnets to the collection of known attacks. Once an
attack is identified or abnormal behavior is observed, the alert can be sent
to the administrator. An example of a NIDS is installing it on the subnet
where firewalls are located in order to see if someone is trying to crack
the firewall.

Host Intrusion Detection System (HIDS): Host intrusion detection

systems (HIDS) run on independent hosts or devices on the network. A
HIDS monitors the incoming and outgoing packets from the device only
and will alert the administrator if suspicious or malicious activity is
detected. It takes a snapshot of existing system files and compares it with
the previous snapshot. If the analytical system files were edited or
deleted, an alert is sent to the administrator to investigate. An example of
HIDS usage can be seen on mission-critical machines, which are not
expected to change their layout.
Hybrid Intrusion Detection System: Hybrid intrusion detection system is
made by the combination of two or more approaches to the intrusion
detection system. In the hybrid intrusion detection system, the host agent
or system data is combined with network information to develop a
complete view of the network system. The hybrid intrusion detection
system is more effective in comparison to the other intrusion detection
system. Prelude is an example of Hybrid IDS.

Application Protocol-Based Intrusion Detection System (APIDS): An

application Protocol-based Intrusion Detection System (APIDS) is a
system or agent that generally resides within a group of servers. It
identifies the intrusions by monitoring and interpreting the communication
on application-specific protocols. For example, this would monitor the
SQL protocol explicitly to the middleware as it transacts with the
database in the web server.

Protocol-Based Intrusion Detection System (PIDS): It comprises a

system or agent that would consistently reside at the front end of a
server, controlling and interpreting the protocol between a user/device
and the server. It is trying to secure the web server by regularly
monitoring the HTTPS protocol stream and accepting the related HTTP
protocol. As HTTPS is unencrypted and before instantly entering its web
presentation layer then this system would need to reside in this interface,
between to use the HTTPS.

Signature-Based Detection: Signature-based detection checks network

packets for known patterns linked to specific threats. A signature-based
IDS compares packets to a database of attack signatures and raises an
alert if a match is found. Regular updates are needed to detect new
threats, but unknown attacks without signatures can bypass this system

Intrusion Detection System Evasion Techniques

Fragmentation: Dividing the packet into smaller packet called fragment
and the process is known as fragmentation. This makes it impossible to
identify an intrusion because there can’t be a malware signature.
Packet Encoding: Encoding packets using methods like Base64 or
hexadecimal can hide malicious content from signature-based IDS.
Traffic Obfuscation: By making message more complicated to interpret,
obfuscation can be utilised to hide an attack and avoid detection.
Encryption: Several security features such as data integrity,
confidentiality, and data privacy, are provided by encryption.
Unfortunately, security features are used by malware developers to hide
attacks and avoid detection.

Detection Method of IDS

Signature-Based Method: Signature-based IDS detects the attacks on
the basis of the specific patterns such as the number of bytes or a number
of 1s or the number of 0s in the network traffic. It also detects on the
basis of the already known malicious instruction sequence that is used by
the malware. The detected patterns in the IDS are known as signatures.
Signature-based IDS can easily detect the attacks whose pattern
(signature) already exists in the system but it is quite difficult to detect
new malware attacks as their pattern (signature) is not known.

Anomaly-Based Method: Anomaly-based IDS was introduced to detect

unknown malware attacks as new malware is developed rapidly. In
anomaly-based IDS there is the use of machine learning to create a
trustful activity model and anything coming is compared with that model
and it is declared suspicious if it is not found in the model. The machine
learning-based method has a better-generalized property in comparison
to signature-based IDS as these models can be trained according to the
applications and hardware configurations.

Comparison of IDS with Firewalls

IDS and firewall both are related to network security but an IDS differs from
a firewall as a firewall looks outwardly for intrusions in order to stop them
from happening. Firewalls restrict access between networks to prevent
intrusion and if an attack is from inside the network it doesn’t signal. An IDS
describes a suspected intrusion once it has happened and then signals an
alarm.

Why Are Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) Important?

An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) adds extra protection to your
cybersecurity setup, making it very important. It works with your other
security tools to catch threats that get past your main defenses. So, if your
main system misses something, the IDS will alert you to the threat.

Placement of IDS
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is behind
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the firewall. The ‘behind-the-firewall‘ placement allows the IDS with
high visibility of incoming network traffic and will not receive traffic
between users and network.
In cases, where the IDS is positioned beyond a network’s firewall, it would
be to defend against noise from internet or defend against attacks such as
port scans and network mapper. An IDS in this position would monitor
layers 4 through 7 of the OSI model and would use Signature-based
detection method. Showing the number of attemepted breacheds instead
of actual breaches that made it through the firewall is better as it reduces
the amount of false positives. It also takes less time to discover successful
attacks against network.
An advanced IDS incorporated with a firewall can be used to intercept
complex attacks entering the network. Features of advanced IDS include
multiple security contexts in the routing level and bridging mode. All of
this in turn potentially reduces cost and operational complexity.
Another choice for IDS placement is within the network. This choice
reveals attacks or suspicious activity within the network. Not
acknowledging security inside a network is detrimental as it may allow
users to bring about security risk, or allow an attacker who has broken
into the system to roam around freely.

Benefits of IDS
Detects Malicious Activity: IDS can detect any suspicious activities and
alert the system administrator before any significant damage is done.
Improves Network Performance: IDS can identify any performance issues
on the network, which can be addressed to improve network performance.
Compliance Requirements: IDS can help in meeting compliance
requirements by monitoring network activity and generating reports.
Provides Insights: IDS generates valuable insights into network traffic,
which can be used to identify any weaknesses and improve network
security.

Disadvantages of IDS
False Alarms: IDS can generate false positives, alerting on harmless
activities and causing unnecessary concern.
Resource Intensive: It can use a lot of system resources, potentially
slowing down network performance.
Requires Maintenance: Regular updates and tuning are needed to keep
the IDS effective, which can be time-consuming.
Doesn’t Prevent Attacks: IDS detects and alerts but doesn’t stop attacks,
so additional measures are still needed.
Complex to Manage: Setting up and managing an IDS can be complex
and may require specialized knowledge.

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