20 Intrusion Prevention System Interview Questions and Answers

An Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) is a type of security system that monitors network traffic and blocks or responds to suspicious activity. As a network administrator, you may be responsible for configuring and managing an IPS. If you are interviewing for a position that includes IPS responsibilities, you can expect to be asked questions about your experience and knowledge. In this article, we review some common IPS interview questions and provide tips on how to answer them.

Intrusion Prevention System Interview Questions and Answers

Here are 20 commonly asked Intrusion Prevention System interview questions and answers to prepare you for your interview:

1. Why do you think IPS is important?

IPS is important because it can help to prevent malicious activity on a network. By monitoring traffic and identifying suspicious activity, IPS can help to protect a network from attacks.

2. What are some common characteristics of an intrusion prevention system?

Some common characteristics of an intrusion prevention system include the ability to detect and block malicious traffic, the ability to monitor network activity for suspicious behavior, and the ability to generate alerts when suspicious activity is detected.

3. Can you walk me through the different steps involved in incident response for a false positive?

There are a few different steps that you would need to take in order to properly handle a false positive from an intrusion prevention system. The first step would be to identify the false positive and then to determine the root cause of the false positive. Once you have determined the root cause, you can then take steps to mitigate the false positive and to prevent it from happening again in the future.

4. Can you explain what CERT and CSIRT stand for?

CERT and CSIRT are both acronyms that stand for computer emergency response teams. CERT is a term that is more commonly used in the United States, while CSIRT is used more internationally. Both teams are responsible for responding to computer security incidents and providing support and guidance to organizations and individuals who have been affected.

5. How does SIEM help prevent cyber attacks?

SIEM stands for security information and event management. It is a system that helps to collect data from various security devices and then uses that data to identify potential security threats. This data can come from things like firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and even anti-virus software. By having all of this data in one place, it is easier to spot patterns and trends that might indicate a potential security breach.

6. What are some common mistakes to avoid when configuring an IPS?

There are a few common mistakes that can be made when configuring an IPS:

1. Not properly identifying the network traffic that needs to be monitored. This can lead to false positives or missed attacks.
2. Not properly configuring the IPS to work with the rest of the security infrastructure. This can lead to gaps in coverage or false negatives.
3. Not properly tuning the IPS to the specific needs of the network. This can lead to performance issues or false positives.

7. What are some best practices that should be followed while configuring an IPS?

Some best practices for configuring an IPS include:

-Ensuring that the IPS is properly configured to match the specific needs of the network it is protecting
-Tuning the IPS to reduce false positives and negatives
-Regularly testing and updating the IPS rules
-Monitoring IPS logs and alerts to quickly identify and respond to any potential threats

8. What’s your opinion on using an open source solution like Snort vs a commercial product like Cisco IPS?

There are pros and cons to both open source and commercial intrusion prevention systems. Snort is a popular open source IPS that is constantly being updated and improved by the community. However, it can be more difficult to configure and may not have as many features as a commercial IPS. Cisco IPS is a commercial product that is very feature-rich and easy to use, but it can be more expensive. Ultimately, it depends on your needs and budget as to which IPS is right for you.

9. What is IPSec? Why is it used with IP networks?

IPSec is a security protocol that is used to authenticate and encrypt IP packets. It is often used in conjunction with other security protocols like SSL or TLS to provide an extra layer of security for IP networks.

10. What are the advantages of deploying an IPS over other types of security solutions?

An IPS can provide a high level of security for an organization by detecting and preventing attacks before they happen. Additionally, an IPS can be used to monitor network traffic and identify potential security threats.

11. Can you give me some examples of real-world intrusions that have been prevented by an IPS?

There are many examples of real-world intrusions that have been prevented by an IPS. One example is the WannaCry ransomware attack that occurred in May of 2017. This attack used a vulnerability in the Windows operating system to spread malware across the internet. An IPS was able to detect and block the traffic that was spreading the malware, preventing the attack from spreading further.

12. Can you explain how a signature based IPS works?

A signature based IPS works by looking for known patterns of malicious activity in the traffic that it is monitoring. When it detects one of these patterns, it can take action to block the traffic or raise an alarm.

13. What are some methods for addressing the issue of false positives?

There are a few methods for addressing the issue of false positives:

– One method is to use a whitelist, which only allows known and trusted traffic through.
– Another method is to use a blacklist, which blocks known malicious traffic.
– Finally, you can also use a heuristic approach, which uses a set of rules to identify potentially malicious traffic.

14. What are some tradeoffs between network based and host based IPS systems?

One of the main tradeoffs between network based and host based IPS systems is that network based IPS systems can provide protection for multiple hosts at once, while host based IPS systems can only protect the individual host that they are installed on. Another tradeoff is that network based IPS systems can be more difficult to configure and manage, while host based IPS systems are typically easier to set up and maintain.

15. What are the main differences between IDS and IPS?

The main difference between IDS and IPS is that IDS monitors traffic and looks for suspicious activity, while IPS actually blocks suspicious traffic. IPS is considered to be a more proactive approach to security, while IDS is more reactive.

16. Can you explain what anomaly detection means in context of IPS?

Anomaly detection is a method of intrusion prevention that looks for patterns in network traffic that deviate from what is considered normal. This can be used to identify potential attacks as they are happening, and take steps to prevent them.

17. Can you explain what a pattern match is in the context of IPS?

A pattern match is a comparison of data against a known set of values in order to identify a match. In the context of IPS, pattern matching is used to identify malicious traffic or activity. By comparing traffic against a set of known values, the IPS can quickly identify and block traffic that is known to be malicious.

18. What are some of the most important metrics that can be used to measure the performance of an IPS?

There are a few different metrics that can be used to measure the performance of an IPS, but some of the most important ones include detection rate, false positive rate, and false negative rate. The detection rate is a measure of how often the IPS is able to correctly identify attacks, while the false positive rate is a measure of how often the IPS incorrectly identifies benign traffic as an attack. The false negative rate is a measure of how often the IPS fails to identify an attack.

19. What are the disadvantages of using an IPS?

The main disadvantage of using an IPS is that it can introduce latency into the network. This is because the IPS needs to inspect every single packet that comes through the network in order to determine whether or not it is malicious. This inspection process can take up time, and so it can slow down the overall network. Additionally, IPS systems can generate a lot of false positives, which can lead to security teams wasting time investigating benign traffic.

20. What are some ways to address the problem of zero day exploits?

There are a few ways to address the problem of zero day exploits:

– Use a multi-layered approach to security, so that even if one layer is breached, the others will still provide some protection.
– Keep all software up to date, so that any new vulnerabilities are patched as soon as possible.
– Use intrusion detection systems to monitor for suspicious activity and block it before it can do any damage.