What is the primary role of an Intrusion Detection System (IDS)?

An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is primarily designed to detect and monitor potential attacks on a network or system. Its fundamental function is to analyze traffic patterns and look for suspicious activities, such as unauthorized access attempts, exploitation of vulnerabilities, or abnormal behavior indicative of a security breach. By identifying these potential threats, an IDS helps inform system administrators or security personnel, allowing them to take appropriate actions to investigate and respond to incidents.

The focus of an IDS is not on prevention or active defense; rather, it serves as a critical monitoring tool that enhances the visibility of security events within an environment. While it may alert administrators about possible issues, the actual prevention of attacks is typically handled by other technologies, such as firewalls or Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS). The other choices, while relevant to cybersecurity, describe functions outside the core purpose of an IDS. Regular system backups and data encryption serve different protective goals, such as data recovery and confidentiality, but do not pertain to the detection and monitoring of security threats.