HIDS vs HIPS?

Cyber Security
, ,
#1

A simple, clear-cut way to remember the difference between HIPS and HIDS is:

  • In HIPS, P stands for Prevention
  • In HIDS, D stands for Detection

A Host Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS) is more recent than HIDS. The foremost distinction is that HIPS can help with detection and protection against malicious threats. For instance, a HIPS deployment can recognise the host getting port-scanned and blocking all traffic from the host who issues the scan. A HIPS usually functions at the lower level with access to the kernel, and network status, record files, memories, and the practical execution of the procedure. Besides, a HIPS also guards against buffer overflow vulnerabilities.

This discussion also leads towards HIPS vs anti-virus. In this HIPS vs anti-virus debate, lines get a little blurry due to modern AV solutions detecting and blocking advanced threats such as overflows similar to a HIPS. However, this is only sub-set of HIPS offerings as file system checks, integrity monitoring, etc are other features of HIPS. With time, anti-virus solutions have turned into anti-malware solutions as they detect and block malware threats.

The beneficial aspect of intrusion prevention is that it prevents an attack without waiting for the security team’s instructions or response plan. A HIPS/HIDS is usually both- anomaly and signature-based.
I hope you find this information helpful…see you on the next topic