Intrusion Prevention System
An Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) is a network security tool that monitors network and/or system activities for malicious behavior or policy violations. It actively blocks or prevents detected threats in real-time by dropping malicious packets, resetting connections, or blocking traffic from offending IP addresses. IPS solutions can be deployed as hardware appliances, software applications, or cloud-based services to protect against attacks like exploits, malware, and denial-of-service.
Developers should learn about IPS when building or maintaining secure applications and infrastructure, especially in environments handling sensitive data or requiring compliance with security standards like PCI-DSS or HIPAA. It is crucial for roles in DevOps, cybersecurity, or network engineering to implement IPS to proactively defend against attacks, reduce false positives compared to IDS, and automate threat response in modern IT ecosystems.