200-201 Question 245
Single answerA cybersecurity analyst is monitoring an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) in a corporate environment. The system fails to alert the analyst about a known malicious activity that successfully bypassed the company's firewall and caused data exfiltration. Which of the following best describes this scenario?
- A
True positive
- B
False positive
- C
False negative
- D
True negative
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
This scenario describes a false negative because the Intrusion Detection System (IDS) failed to detect and alert on a real malicious activity. Understanding false negatives is critical in cybersecurity operations, as they represent missed threats that can lead to significant security breaches if not addressed.
- A. Incorrect.
A true positive occurs when a system correctly identifies malicious activity, which is not the case here since the activity was missed.
- B. Incorrect.
A false positive occurs when a system incorrectly flags benign activity as malicious, which is not applicable in this scenario since no benign activity was flagged.
- C. Correct.
A false negative occurs when a system fails to detect actual malicious activity, which matches the scenario described where the IDS failed to alert on a real threat.
- D. Incorrect.
A true negative occurs when the system correctly identifies benign activity as non-malicious, which does not apply here since malicious activity was missed.