Best IDPS Tools: The Key to Protecting Your Network from Evolving Threats

Published on: December 03, 2023

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13 min read

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For German Version

Businesses today rely entirely on technology for everything from communication to the server hosting of apps. The attack surface that hackers may exploit grows as technology advances. According to a study from 2021, there were 50% more weekly assaults on business networks in 2021 than there were in 2020. As a result, businesses of all sizes and industry verticals are strengthening their security posture to defend their digital infrastructure from cyberattacks at every level.

The first line of defense against unsolicited and suspect traffic entering a system is a firewall. It is easy to believe that hostile traffic cannot penetrate a firewall and that firewalls are 100% secure. But cybercriminals never stop developing new ways to get around security systems. An intrusion detection and prevention system (IDPS) helps in this situation. The IDPS controls what passes through the system, while a firewall controls what enters. It frequently operates in combination with firewalls directly behind them.

An intrusion detection and prevention system functions similarly to airport security and luggage check-in. When entering an airport, travelers must provide their ticket or boarding permit, and they cannot board their aircraft until all mandatory security procedures have been completed. Similar to this, an intrusion detection system just keeps an eye out for rule breaches or malicious traffic. It was the forerunner of the intrusion detection and prevention system, or intrusion prevention system (IPS). With automatic courses of action, the IPS not only monitors and alerts but also attempts to avert potential problems.

In this article, we will discuss the following topics related to IDPS.

• What is an Intrusion Detection and Prevention System?
• How does an IDPS work?
• What are the basic functions of an IDPS?
• What are the top solutions for IDPS on the market?
  1. Snort
  2. Suricata
  3. OSSEC
  4. Cisco NGIPS
  5. FireEye Intrusion Prevention System
  6. Hillstone S-Series
  7. McAfee Virtual Network Security Platform
  8. Trend Micro TippingPoint
  9. AlienVault USM (from AT&T Cybersecurity)
  10. Blumira Automated Detection & Response
  11. Vectra Cognito
  12. BluVector Cortex
  13. CrowdSec
• How do you choose the right IDPS?

What Is an Intrusion Detection and Prevention System?

The term "intrusion detection and prevention system" is another name for the intrusion prevention system. It is a network security tool that keeps an eye out for potentially harmful activity on networks or systems. The identification of harmful behavior, the gathering of information about it, the reporting of it, and attempts to block or stop it are the main duties of intrusion prevention systems.

Because both intrusion prevention systems (IPS) and intrusion detection systems (IDS) monitor network traffic and system operations for malicious behavior, they are often thought of as an addition to IDS.

IPS usually creates reports, alerts security administrators to significant observed occurrences, and records information about observed events. In addition, a lot of IPS can try to stop a danger before it ever gets a chance to succeed. They employ a variety of reaction strategies, such as having the IPS halt the assault directly, altering the security setting, or modifying the attack's content.

How Does an IDPS Work?

IDS and IDPS systems examine system activity and network traffic using a mix of anomaly- and signature-based detection methods. How IDPS functions is explained below:

• Signature-Based Detection: Incoming network traffic or system events are compared to a database of known attack patterns, or signatures, that IDS/IDPS systems keep up to date. An alert is sent if a match is discovered, signaling a possible intrusion or security danger.
• Anomaly-Based Detection: Over time, these systems create a baseline of typical system and network activity. Any departures from this reference point are marked as possible abnormalities. When it comes to detecting unexpected threats or assaults without known signatures, anomaly-based detection works well.
• Real-Time Monitoring: IDS/IDPS systems keep a close eye on network traffic, searching for patterns or behaviors that coincide with well-known attack signatures or sharply depart from the norm.
• Alerting and Reporting: IDS/IDPS systems provide alerts when they identify potentially harmful or suspicious behavior. These notifications may contain information about the danger that has been identified, its seriousness, and the system or network segment that has been impacted. Security staff get these warnings, and they are coupled with SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) systems for additional analysis and reaction.
• Response Mechanisms: IDPS solutions can identify threats and, in addition to detecting them, take automatic measures to stop or mitigate them in real time. Potential security breaches are less likely because of this preventive strategy.

What are the Basic Functions of an IDPS?

The following capabilities are provided by an intrusion detection and prevention system:

Protects critical data and technical infrastructure: In the present world of data-driven enterprises, no system can function in a silo. Since data is always moving across the network, hiding within the data itself is the simplest way to attack or access a system. The system's IDS component is reactive; it notifies security professionals of potential events of this kind. Because the intrusion prevention system (IPS) is proactive, security teams can prevent assaults that might harm their reputation and finances.

• Examines current security and user policies: Each security-driven company has its own set of access-related and user-related policies for its systems and applications. By restricting access to vital resources to a small number of reliable user groups and systems, these policies significantly lower the attack surface. Administrators can identify any weaknesses in these policy frameworks quickly because of the ongoing monitoring provided by intrusion detection and prevention systems. Administrators modify policies to test for optimal security and effectiveness.
• Assembles data on network resources: The security staff may have a bird's-eye view of the traffic passing through its networks thanks to an IDS-IPS. This facilitates their monitoring of network resources, enabling them to adjust a system in the event of excessive traffic or server underutilization.
• Aids in adhering to compliance rules: To protect the privacy and security of customer data, regulations are being applied more and more to all enterprises, regardless of the industry vertical. Deploying an intrusion detection and prevention system is typically the first step in meeting these standards.

An IDPS monitors system patterns and user behavior in addition to analyzing system files and scanning operations for dangerous patterns. Web application firewalls and traffic filtering tools are used by intrusion prevention systems (IPS) to prevent incidents.

What are the Top IDPS Solutions on the market?

The top intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) on the market are covered below, along with important factors and characteristics to look for when comparing options:

1. Snort
2. Suricata
3. OSSEC
4. Cisco NGIPS
5. FireEye Intrusion Prevention System
6. Hillstone S-Series
7. McAfee Virtual Network Security Platform
8. Trend Micro TippingPoint
9. AlienVault USM (from AT&T Cybersecurity)
10. Blumira Automated Detection & Response
11. Vectra Cognito
12. BluVector Cortex
13. CrowdSec

1. Snort

Despite being the industry leader in NIDS, Snort is still available for free. Among the few IDSs available that can be set up on Windows is this one. Cisco was the one who designed it. The system is an intrusion prevention system as well as an intrusion detection system, as it may operate in three separate modes and apply defense techniques. The three Snort modes are given below:

• Mode Sniffer
• Packet recorder
• Detection of intrusions

Snort does not need you to activate its intrusion detection features to use it as a packet sniffer. You may view a real-time readout of packets traveling over the network in this mode. These packet details are recorded to a file when the mode is packet logging.

Important characteristics of Snort are as follows:

• Top-tier NIDS in the industry
• With assistance from Cisco Systems A free data-searching tool called Snort focuses on using network activity data to identify threats. You may enhance threat detection rapidly by gaining access to lists of rules that are paid for. Because of the active and helpful Snort user community, this is a useful system for learning security best practices.

You activate an analysis module that applies a set of rules to the traffic as it goes by when you use Snort's intrusion detection features. These policies are known as "base policies", and you may download them from the Snort website if you're not sure which ones you need. Nevertheless, you may write your own if you gain confidence in Snort's methodology. This IDS has a sizable community, and members participate actively in online forums on the Snort website. You may download rules that knowledgeable Snort users have created, as well as advice and assistance from other users.

Events like OS fingerprinting, buffer overflow assaults, CGI attacks, stealth port scans, and SMB probes will all be picked up by the rules. The detection techniques, which include anomaly-based systems and signature-based techniques, are contingent upon the particular rules being applied.

Setting up Snort needs a lot of work, and small business owners without technical know-how would find it difficult to get high-quality threat detection to function correctly.

The advantages of Snort are listed below:

• Open-source and totally free
• A sizable community distributes fresh configurations and rule sets for system administrators to implement in their settings.
• Supports both log scanning and packet sniffing for real-time traffic analysis.

Cons of Snort are given below:

• Extremely complicated; even with preset rules, in-depth understanding is needed
• Dependent on the community for assistance
• Has a higher learning curve than other products that come with specialized assistance.

Figure 1. Snort

In the field of software development, Snort's notoriety has drawn admirers. A number of programs developed by different software firms are capable of doing a more thorough examination of the information gathered by Snort. Among them are Anaval, BASE, Squil, and Snorby. You may compensate for Snort's unintuitive interface by using such partner programs.

2. Suricata

Probably the most popular substitute for Snort is Suricata. The fact that Suricata gathers data at the application layer gives it a significant edge over Snort. By doing this, Snort's blindness to signatures scattered over many TCP packets is eliminated. Suricata does not enter analysis mode until all of the data in packets has been assembled.

Important characteristics of Suricata are as follows:

• Operations at the Application Layer
• Utilizes real-time data

Application Layer data is examined by the network-based intrusion detection system (NIDS) Suricata. Although this is a command line system, you will need to match it with other apps in order to view the results of the searches. Nevertheless, the tool is free to use.

The system can monitor protocol activity at lower levels, including IP, TLS, ICMP, TCP, and UDP, even though it operates at the application layer. It analyzes network application traffic in real-time, such as FTP, HTTP, and SMB. Not only does the monitor examine the packet structure, but it may focus on HTTP requests and DNS calls, as well as check TLS certificates. With the aid of a file extraction tool, you may go through and separate questionable files that exhibit signs of virus infection.

The VRT rules created for that NIDS leader can be used with Suricata as they are compatible with Snort. Suricata may be expanded using third-party programs that interface with Snort, such as Anaval, BASE, Squil, and Snorby. Therefore, Suricata users may find it very advantageous to have access to the Snort community for advice and free rules. You can combine rules using an integrated scripting module to obtain a detection profile that is more accurate than what Snort can provide. Both signature and anomaly detection techniques are employed by Suricata.

Suricata's smart processing design leverages several processors for multi-threaded, simultaneous operations, hence enabling hardware acceleration. It may even utilize your graphics hardware to some extent. By dividing out the work, the burden is not concentrated on a single host. This is helpful because one of the NIDS's issues is that it requires a lot of computing power.

Similar to other open-source systems on this list, including OSSEC, Suricata excels in intrusion detection but struggles with result visualization. Thus, it must be used in conjunction with a system like Kibana. You shouldn't use Suricata if you lack the courage to put together a system.

The advantages of Suricata are listed below:

• Gathers information at the application level, providing it with distinct visibility that tools like Snort cannot.
• Effectively disassembles and reconstructs protocol packets
• Able to keep an eye on several protocols and verify the validity of TLS, HTTP, and SSL certificates
• It complies with other instruments that employ the VRT rule structure.

The cons of Suricata are given below:

• It could be simpler to utilize built-in scripting.
• It is free; however, its user base is smaller than that of programs like Zeek or Snort.
• The live dashboard's graphics might use some work.

Figure 2. Suricata

Suricata boasts a very elegant dashboard with integrated visuals that greatly simplify analysis and issue identification. Suricata is free of charge, despite its opulent appearance.

3. OSSEC

The acronym for Open Source HIDS Security is OSSEC. It is the best HIDS on the market and may be used for free. The application concentrates on the log files on the machine where it is installed because it is a host-based intrusion detection solution. It keeps an eye on all of your log files' checksum signatures to spot any potential meddling. It will monitor any changes made to the registry on Windows. It will keep an eye on any attempts to access the root account on Unix-like systems. OSSEC is an open-source project, although Trend Micro, a well-known manufacturer of security software, is the true owner of the project.

Important characteristics of OSSEC are as follows:

• Record file examiner
• No-cost policies
• Warning mechanism

A free host-based intrusion detection system is called OSSEC. This application does more than only analyze log files; it includes a registry tempering detection method. To gather and compile log messages and to offer a front end, the simplest version of this program necessitates the integration of third-party applications.

The primary monitoring program gathers data through a single interface and can cover one or several hosts. While a Windows agent enables the monitoring of Windows PCs, the primary application is limited to installation on Unix-like systems, which include Linux, Mac OS, and Unix. The main software has an OSSEC interface, but it needs to be installed separately and isn't maintained anymore. Frequent OSSEC users have found that Splunk, Kibana, and Graylog are useful programs that function well as a front-end to the data-gathering tool.

The FTP, mail, and web server log files are included in the scope of OSSEC. In addition, it keeps an eye on traffic logs, firewall and antivirus logs, and event logs from the operating system. The policies that you install on OSSEC determine how it behaves. These are available as add-ons for the sizable user base that is engaged with this product. An alert circumstance is defined by a policy. These warnings have two possible delivery methods: email notifications or console displays.

For threat detection, OSSEC is highly regarded and incredibly dependable. To achieve effective log management and displays for the statistics and warnings that OSSEC provides, you will need to invest some effort in combining the tool with other packages; typically, the free ELK system is used for those reasons. You would be better off using one of the other tools on this list if you have no interest in completing these adaptation chores.

Figure 3. OSSEC

The advantages of OSSEC are listed below:

• Open-source and free
• Uses checksums to confirm the integrity of files and logs
• Supports Linux and Unix systems' root account monitor
• A robust community that provides new templates and profile scanning

Cons of OSSEC are given below:

• Needs community help; however, there is also paid support available.
• Reporting and visualization options should be improved.

4. Cisco NGIPS

Cisco is a well-known expert in network software and cybersecurity solutions on a worldwide scale. Cisco IPS systems provide numerous deployment options; they may be set up behind a firewall, on-premises at the data center, or at the network periphery. Additionally, it may be set up for passive detection or inline inspection. The solution works well with various platforms and tools, in addition to other Cisco products.

The visibility and functionality of this product are extensive and universal. Administrators may learn more about devices, file trajectories, sandboxing, vulnerabilities, host profiles, and applications. Administrators can then alter policies to strengthen security as needed.

Every two hours, the system updates automatically to ensure that it is up to date on the most recent threats. It makes sure that your network is safe from all known threats by utilizing a large threat library. By ensuring that time and effort are not wasted on low-priority threats, threat prioritization speeds up threat response times and lowers personnel overhead.

Figure 4. Cisco NGIPS

From the Firepower 1000 Series, which provides threat inspection from 650 Mbps to 2.2 Gbps, to Firepower Threat Defense for ISR, which gives IPS threat inspection of up to 800 Mbps, Cisco offers a spectrum of IPS solutions to match a range of corporate sizes.

5. Trellix Network Security (NX)

Headquartered in California, USA, FireEye, now owned by Trellix, is a respected vendor in the cybersecurity industry, particularly for its powerful intrusion prevention solution, Trellix Network Security (NX). It offers deep inspection and prevention of all malicious web traffic before it reaches your company network, preventing malicious code from reaching servers and causing breaches. The solution merges well with most systems, including Microsoft, Windows, and Apple. It has a range of deployment options, including on-premise, cloud, and hybrid. It is often placed in the path of internet traffic to provide 24/7 monitoring and prevention.

The solution integrates powerful AI and machine learning technologies with Trellix's Multi-Vector Virtual Execution (MVX) platform. MVX is a signature-less engine that identifies abnormalities that elude your typical signature- or policy-based defensive systems. It is made up of pre-set and customizable policies. The intrusion prevention system (IPS) of the solution performs well against typical signature-matching attempts. All things considered, NX's defense against network-based assaults is strong; it can identify and stop both common and sophisticated attacks, including ransomware, multi-stage, multi-flow, zero-day, and other sophisticated ones.

The system offers a unified and all-encompassing approach to network security and may be linked with email and content security safeguards. Real-time attack prevention is enabled, with quick blocking accessible at speeds ranging from 250 Mbps to 10 Gbps.

Because Trellix's NX solution is extremely scalable, it is a good option for mid-to large-sized businesses.

Figure 5. Trellix Network Security

6. Hillstone S-Series

When it comes to intrusion protection systems, Suzhou, China-based Hillstone is a great option. With its adaptable deployment choices, the Network Intrusion Prevention System (NIPS) S-Series is a compelling choice for any type of business network. It may be implemented in passive network tap mode or in-line mode, based on the requirements of your company. The simplicity of configuration, deployment, and management is well-known.

The NIPS S-Series is good at thwarting threats as they materialize and has a high-performance rate. It successfully detects and blocks all typical threats, such as spam, botnets, and viruses, and it operates in combination with Hillstone's next-generation firewall. The system has a sophisticated threat engine and cloud sandbox in addition to the firewall and NIPS. Its security is all-encompassing since it can monitor the network from layer 2 to layer 7. It can monitor thousands of apps on a network. Low false positives and good accuracy of detection are observed.

All things considered, Hillstone offers a strong, reliable, and stable solution for intrusion prevention. For major businesses that must adhere to stringent compliance rules, we would suggest it.

Figure 6. Hillstone S-Series

7. McAfee Virtual Network Security Platform

A big name in cybersecurity, McAfee offers an intrusion detection system (IDS) named McAfee Host Intrusion Prevention for Desktop. It includes a server version as well as a defense against zero-day threats for your PC endpoints. Moreover, IT administrators coordinate the whole solution landscape using the McAfee Host Intrusion Prevention Administration.

The McAfee Virtual Network Security Platform is best for individuals and organizations of all sizes seeking scalable desktop IDS. The following are the main attributes that McAfee offers:

• A stateful firewall uses predefined settings to avoid intrusions
• Blocking of uninvited incoming traffic
• Policies based on location to keep your endpoints safe from hackers
• There are three tiers of defense at the application, endpoint, and network levels
• Automated security upgrades based on the vast threat collection of McAfee
• Multiple firewalls and IP security rules should be maintained using policy and IP security catalogs.

Figure 7. McAfee Virtual Network Security Platform

The company's industry-leading threat intelligence data repositories underpin this solution, which helps fend off both known incursions and zero-day threats.

The cost of McAfee Virtual Network Security Platform is determined by the kind of license and the number of nodes.

There are several alternatives available with McAfee, ranging from server intrusion detection and administrative assistance to establish rules, provision policies, and analyze events to independent host intrusion detection on desktop PCs. Any size user with technological know-how can benefit from this solution.

8. Trend Micro TippingPoint

Tokyo-centered in the fields of data security and cybersecurity, Trend Micro is a global leader. TippingPoint NGIPS, one of its powerful, frequently cloud-based offerings, is a potent intrusion prevention solution. The system provides full visibility and reporting of all network traffic through automated inline inspection that is distributed strategically across the network. This next-generation system offers a variety of deployment choices, such as hybrid, on-premises, and cloud.

TippingPoint can examine, identify, and highlight any irregularities in network traffic, incoming, outgoing, and lateral, but at the moment it can only block IP addresses, not domain names. It provides a thorough inspection, encompassing all areas of blindness, and robust advanced threat analysis. It's a very adaptable system that allows customization according to a company's security exposure level. It offers scalable performance, ranging from 250 Mbps to 120 Gbps, without affecting the network's or other tools' performance. Additionally, the product functions in the network's layer 2, making it undetectable to intruders.

Figure 8. Trend Micro TippingPoint

For any business seeking to improve network security with a system that is not just powerful and has extensive reporting capabilities but is also invisible to attackers, Trend Micro's TippingPoint NGIPS is a great choice. We advise all businesses, from small and medium-sized firms to large corporations, to use this service.

9. AlienVault USM (from AT&T Cybersecurity)

With its headquarters located in Dallas, Texas, USA, AT&T Cybersecurity is a well-known global leader in cybersecurity solutions. Its cloud-based security management system, AlienVault USM, uses strong threat intelligence from its AT&T Alien Labs to combine threat detection, incident response, and compliance management. In order to guarantee that USM is using the most recent information to protect against new threats, the product is regularly updated. Because of its cloud-based architecture, it can be installed on any server or network and doesn't interfere with network performance. The approach is extremely scalable, and deployment, setup, and management are renowned for their simplicity.

Wide-ranging and adaptable configuration options allow you to automate incident investigation and reaction in accordance with your company's needs. Once configured, USM operates in the background without making any noise and only notifies administrators when manual input is absolutely required. Events can be processed by the system in real-time, followed by correlation, investigation, and, if necessary, alerting. To provide useful reports, USM gathers data from various infrastructures, including cloud services.

Figure 9. AlienVault USM

Large businesses that must adhere to stringent compliance regulations might choose AlienVault USM as a viable solution; it complies with PCI-DSS, Microsoft Azure, GDPR, and other regulations. It's a really pricey solution. The Essentials package for small teams, which starts at $1075 per month, is the first offering from AT&T for this product. The Enterprise level, which starts at $2595 per month, is the next step up.

10. Blumira Automated Detection & Response

Blumira is a threat detection and response platform that runs in the cloud and offers rapid setup in a few hours. Since its founding in 2018, the small-to-mid-sized firm has experienced explosive development, forming partnerships with industry giants in security, including Cisco, Palo Alto, and CrowdStrike.

Blumira is ideal for IT teams of varying sizes. Among Blumira's most notable attributes are as follows:

• A great deal of automation, log processing, alert prioritization, evidence stacking, and analysis
• Security experts that assist in creating detection rules
• Integrations for alert delivery with MS Azure, G Suite, Office 365, and more interfaces
• Preventing intrusions with automatic repair capabilities
• Techniques for guided reaction to assist IT in dealing with intrusions
• Comprehensive reports are compliant with NIST 800-53, PCI DSS, FFIEC, HIPAA, and other standards.

Figure 10. Blumira

Blumira facilitates the deployment of honeypots, which generate a virtual network device that seems to hold vital information. This does no harm; it just lures malevolent intruders to expose themselves.

Blumira is ideal for small-to-mid-sized installations because it is fully hosted in the cloud. With its thorough documentation, security services, and quick implementation times, you may start using IDS with no difficulty.

11. Vectra Cognito

In order to identify and stop malicious attacks, Vectra's Cognito IPS platform uses artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor traffic from public cloud sources, software-as-a-service (SaaS), user identification information, networks, and EDR.

The advantages of Vectra Cognito are as follows:

• Provides outcomes in the recognizable Zeek format.
• Connects to a range of security instruments
• Will extract data from several sources.
• Provides robust support for containers (Kerberos) and the cloud
• Mostly makes use of anomaly detection

Cons of Vectra Cognito are listed below:

• A more costly choice
• Lacks a geographically adjustable location for data processing
• Employ a proprietary format for logging
• May produce a large number of false positives if improperly configured or tweaked

Figure 11. Vectra Cognito

12. BluVector Cortex

BluVector, formerly known as Cortex and currently under Comcast ownership, is an advanced threat detection technology that enhances an existing security stack with artificial intelligence (AI). The AI is intended to become more potent the longer it remains in the environment and is capable of detecting zero-day threats and fileless malware.

The advantages of BluVector Cortex are as follows:

• On premise
• Gathers logs
• Builds upon the reliable technologies of Zeek and Suricata
• Combines with other instruments
• Open platform: data is accessible with ease
• Gathers information from several intelligence sources and sandboxes
• Enhances capabilities using a proprietary machine learning algorithm
• Wide coverage for MITRE ATT&CK, no need for signature technology
• Integrated tuning aid for effortless reduction of false positives

Cons of BluVector Cortex are listed below:

• Needs local resources and isn't designed to work with the cloud.
• Comparing it to other systems is challenging because the license prices are not disclosed.

Figure 12. BluVector Cortex

13. CrowdSec

The CrowdSec Security Engine, a complete collector for on-site installation, is a feature of the hybrid HIDS service CrowdSec. Log files are gathered by this unit from all of the endpoints on your network. For threat hunting, these are uploaded to the CrowdSec service. You have access to the CrowdSec interface, a server-side interface that displays statistics about your data.

CrowdSec's community version is a powerful tool that is available for free. This implies that an effective intrusion prevention system (IPS) may be obtained for free, and a broad user base can benefit from its compatibility with all major operating systems (with the exception of macOS). Before hackers ever reach your website, the global blocklist shields your network from their attacks.

On every endpoint in your network, the security engine has to be installed. You may deploy the Security Engine on hardware network firewalls. Next, you designate a single network server as a forwarder. We refer to this as an LAPI. With this setup, all Security Engine instances will transmit logs via the local network to the LAPI, which then uploads them to the CrowdSec server via a secure tunnel connection.

Threat detection is handled by the CrowdSec system, which logs an alert in the console if it finds an issue. Additionally, it transmits a command back to the LAPI, which relays it to the firewall and the pertinent Security Engines. CrowdSec becomes an intrusion prevention system as a result.

An IP address that needs to be blacklisted is the notification that the threat detection system gives to the website. When a device exhibits suspicious activity, the Security Engine initiates a "bouncer" operation that prevents further connection with the prohibited address. The IP address is concurrently placed on the site's firewall's blacklist. The hacker is prevented from accessing the full website.

On its server, CrowdSec serves a large number of users at once. The IP address of the source is added to the global blocklist by the threat hunter associated with a particular user account upon detection of malicious activity. This information was immediately shared with all users. One account's console promptly notifies the LAPI of a new address to be blocked as soon as it gets that signal.

The CrowdSec method is beneficial to any kind of company. Worth a lot in and of itself is its threat intelligence feed, which delivers a blocklist of harmful sources to your firewall. Since this instrument is an intrusion detection system, it is understandable that it does not address insider threats.

Figure 13. CrowdSec

Advantages of CrowdSec are as follows:

• For the majority of enterprises, the free version suffices.
• Simple to employ
• Fortifies firewalls against IP addresses used by hackers

You cannot utilize this tool if all of your endpoints are Mac OS X. You can at least benefit from the universal threat intelligence stream if you own a machine that runs Linux, Windows, or Unix. You can easily install and configure CrowdSec on your OPNsense firewall.

How Do You Choose the Right IDPS?

There are a number of important considerations to make when selecting an Intrusion Detection and Prevention System (IDPS) for your company that are outlined below:

• Flexibility: The system must, above all, be able to handle the scale and complexity of your particular network. This implies that the IDPS needs to be strong enough to manage the volume of devices, users, and connections in your company, along with any special setups or network designs.
• Scalability: The IDPS you select must be able to handle the growth and changes your business is expected to see over time. This might indicate the installation of more devices, a larger network, or more data traffic. The chosen system should be able to handle all of these with ease and without sacrificing any of its functionality or efficiency.
• Industry Experience: In addition, the system has to be highly capable of identifying and countering the particular kinds of risks that your company is most likely to encounter. This entails being aware of the cybersecurity threats specific to your sector and making sure the IDPS is equipped to mitigate them.
• Vendor Reputation: It's also important to take into account the vendor's standing, the efficacy of their system, and their dedication to providing continuous assistance. This entails investigating the track record, system performance in real-world scenarios, and customer service philosophy of each vendor. Selecting a vendor who not only creates high-quality products but also provides consistent upgrades to counter new threats and strong support is essential.
• Ease of Use: In addition to these technical and performance aspects, you also need to take into account how simple it is to use and how well it integrates with your current security setup. An IDPS causes more harm than good by adding needless complexity or holes in your defenses if it is challenging to use or does not function well with your current security procedures. Strong integration capabilities and an easy-to-use interface guarantee that the system will strengthen and improve your current security procedures rather than make them more difficult.
• Cost: Last but not least, the total cost of ownership is an important financial consideration. The price of an IDPS covers more than just the original purchase; it covers implementation, continuing maintenance, and any upgrades or updates that may be required. All of these should be taken into account throughout the budgeting process to guarantee the system's long-term financial viability for your company.