To make matters worse, threats and vulnerabilities in this environment are also constantly evolving. Intrusion detection products are tools to assist in managing threats and vulnerabilities in this changing environment. Threats are people or groups who have the potential to compromise your computer system. These may be a curious teenager, a disgruntled employee, or espionage from a rival company or a foreign government. The hacker has become a nemesis to many companies.
Vulnerabilities are weaknesses in the systems.
Vulnerabilities can be exploited and used to compromise your system. New vulnerabilities are discovered all of the time. Every new technology, product, or system brings with it a new generation of bugs and unintended conflicts or flaws. Also the possible impacts from exploiting these vulnerabilities is constantly evolving. In a worst-case scenario, an intrusion may cause production downtime, sabotage of critical information, theft of confidential information, cash, or other assets, or even negative public relations that may affect a company's stock price.