Which component drops attack packets when an attack is detected?

• A. IDSs
• B. IPSs
• C. Firewalls
• D. All of the above drop packets

Answer: (B)

Intrusion Prevention System. It sits inline in the network path and actively inspects traffic for malicious patterns. When it detects an attack, it blocks or drops the offending packets in real time, sometimes resetting connections to prevent exploitation. This immediate action distinguishes it from similar devices that only monitor and alert. An IDS watches traffic and raises alerts without blocking traffic by itself, and while firewalls filter by rules, dropping attack packets due to detection relies on IPS-like capabilities or integration, not the baseline firewall function. So the capability to detect and instantly discard attacking packets is the hallmark of an intrusion prevention system.