CompTIA Network+ N10-009 (V9) Practice Question

An IDS is typically positioned out of band to passively monitor network traffic. It analyzes traffic copies and sends alerts when suspicious activity is detected but does not actively block packets. An IPS, by contrast, is placed inline and can automatically take preventive actions-such as dropping or rejecting malicious packets-to stop the threat in real time. Therefore, the only statement that correctly distinguishes these roles is the option describing an IDS as passive (alert-only) and an IPS as active (blocking).