What is a Host-Based Intrusion Detection System (HIDS) and what does it do?

What is a Host-Based Intrusion Detection System (HIDS) and what does it do?

• A. A cloud service that filters email.
• B. A VPN client for remote access.
• C. Pieces of specialized software installed on the endpoint that detects and logs.
• D. A host-based firewall that blocks IPs.

Answer: (C)

A Host-Based Intrusion Detection System is software installed on a specific endpoint that watches for signs of unauthorized or malicious activity from within that machine. It collects and analyzes data such as system logs, file integrity (detecting changes to critical files), and the behavior of running processes to detect anomalies that could indicate an intrusion or policy violation. When something suspicious is found, it logs the event and typically raises an alert for the administrator to investigate, providing valuable visibility into what’s happening on that host. This on-host monitoring is focused on the state and activity of the individual computer, which helps detect attacks that might not be visible over the network alone and supports rapid incident response and forensics. It’s not a cloud email filtering service, not a VPN client, and not a host-based firewall—the latter blocks or allows traffic, whereas a HIDS concentrates on detecting and logging suspicious activity on the endpoint.

A Host-Based Intrusion Detection System is software installed on a specific endpoint that watches for signs of unauthorized or malicious activity from within that machine. It collects and analyzes data such as system logs, file integrity (detecting changes to critical files), and the behavior of running processes to detect anomalies that could indicate an intrusion or policy violation. When something suspicious is found, it logs the event and typically raises an alert for the administrator to investigate, providing valuable visibility into what’s happening on that host.

This on-host monitoring is focused on the state and activity of the individual computer, which helps detect attacks that might not be visible over the network alone and supports rapid incident response and forensics. It’s not a cloud email filtering service, not a VPN client, and not a host-based firewall—the latter blocks or allows traffic, whereas a HIDS concentrates on detecting and logging suspicious activity on the endpoint.