What is a true negative in relation to an IDS/IPS?

A true negative in the context of an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) or Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) refers to a scenario where the system correctly identifies that there is no malicious activity or threat present in the traffic being monitored. This means the system did not generate an alert when legitimate traffic is occurring, which accurately reflects the absence of threats.

This is important for operational efficiency because a high rate of true negatives can indicate that the IDS/IPS is effectively distinguishing between normal, legitimate traffic and harmful potential threats. When such a detection system does not produce alerts on legitimate traffic, it helps to reduce noise for security teams, allowing them to focus on real incidents. Thus, identifying true negatives is crucial for maintaining a balance between security and operational efficiency.

The other options describe different situations that do not fit the definition of a true negative: an alert to a potential threat indicates a detection (not a true negative), failure to recognize an attack would fall under a false negative scenario, and identifying only false alerts relates to false positives.