A Host-Based Intrusion Detection System (HIDS) is a security tool that monitors and analyzes the internal activities of a single host or system to detect suspicious behavior, unauthorized access, or malicious activities. Unlike Network-Based IDS (NIDS), which focuses on network traffic, HIDS examines logs, file integrity, system calls, and processes on the host itself.
How it works:
HIDS installs an agent on the target system to collect data, such as file modifications, registry changes, or unusual process behavior. It compares this data against known attack signatures or baseline behavior to identify potential threats.
Example:
If a hacker gains access to a server and tries to modify critical system files (e.g., /etc/passwd on Linux or SAM database on Windows), a HIDS can detect these unauthorized changes and alert administrators.
Recommended Tencent Cloud Service:
For host-based security monitoring, Tencent Cloud offers Host Security (CWP - Cloud Workload Protection), which provides real-time intrusion detection, vulnerability management, and malicious file scanning for servers. It helps safeguard workloads by detecting abnormal behaviors and potential threats at the host level.