What is the primary purpose of intrusion detection systems?

The primary purpose of intrusion detection systems (IDS) is to monitor for breaches or suspicious activities within a network or system. These systems actively analyze traffic patterns, system logs, and other data to identify potential security threats, such as unauthorized access attempts or anomalies that could indicate a security breach. By detecting these threats in real-time, an IDS can alert administrators, allowing them to respond quickly to security incidents and minimize potential damage.

In contrast, prevention measures primarily focus on stopping unauthorized access before it happens, while recovery refers to actions taken after an incident has occurred, such as retrieving lost or compromised data. Encryption serves the purpose of protecting data by transforming it into a format that is unreadable without the proper decryption key, which is more about securing data rather than monitoring for intrusions. Thus, monitoring for breaches encapsulates the main function of an intrusion detection system.