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

The primary role of an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is to monitor and analyze network traffic for suspicious activities. An IDS is designed to detect unauthorized access, misuse, or anomalies within a system or network. By continuously observing the incoming and outgoing traffic, the IDS can identify patterns that may indicate a potential threat, such as intrusion attempts, malware activity, or policy violations.

The software typically employs various detection methods, including signature-based detection, which looks for known threat patterns, and anomaly-based detection, which identifies deviations from normal behavior. Once suspicious activities are detected, the IDS can alert security personnel, enabling them to respond quickly to potential security incidents.

In contrast, options that suggest enforcing network policies, providing user privileges, or encrypting data transmissions represent other aspects of security management but fall outside the primary focus of an IDS. An IDS serves specifically as a monitoring tool, while network policies and user privileges are typically managed through firewalls and access control systems. Encryption is related to protecting data in transit but does not fall within the IDS's scope of monitoring and detection.