ISC2 CC Network Security Practice Question
An organization decides to implement an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) to protect its network. Which statement about an IPS compared to an IDS is correct?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is the common misconception that an IPS only alerts like an IDS, when the key differentiator is inline placement and active blocking.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
An IPS is placed inline and can automatically block malicious traffic.
An IPS is deployed inline in the traffic path, so it can inspect packets in real time and actively drop or reset malicious sessions, whereas an IDS is passive and only alerts. This inline placement is what enables automatic blocking. The other options describe IDS behavior or overstate the IPS's scope.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
An IPS is placed inline and can automatically block malicious traffic.
Why this is correct
An IPS sits inline in the traffic path, so it can drop or reset malicious packets in real time rather than merely alerting. This satisfies the scenario's requirement to actively protect the network, whereas an IDS only monitors a copy of traffic and cannot block.
- ✗
An IPS is placed out of band and monitors traffic.
Why it's wrong here
An IPS must sit inline, in band, so it can drop malicious packets in real time; out-of-band monitoring with a SPAN port describes an IDS. The option tempts because out-of-band placement avoids latency and single points of failure, and an IDS is the correct choice when passive detection without traffic disruption is required.
- ✗
An IPS generates alerts but does not block traffic.
Why it's wrong here
An IPS sits inline and actively drops or resets malicious traffic; alerting without blocking describes an IDS in detection-only mode. The option is tempting because alert generation is a genuine IPS capability, but it is secondary to prevention, and an IDS is the correct choice when passive monitoring and alerting are all that is required.
- ✗
An IPS operates only at the application layer.
Why it's wrong here
An IPS inspects at multiple layers — network, transport and application — and can be deployed as a network or host-based sensor; application-layer-only inspection describes a WAF. The option tempts because deep packet inspection does parse application payloads, but a WAF is the correct choice when only HTTP/HTTPS traffic requires protection.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Network Security Components and Controls
Key term
Intrusion Prevention System
An Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) is a network security tool that monitors network traffic and actively blocks threats like malware and cyberattacks in real time.
Key term
Organization
An Organization is a top-level container in Google Cloud that represents your company or entities and serves as the root node for all your cloud resources, policies, and access control.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISC2 exam blueprint
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