Federal Intrusion Detection Network (FIDNET)

Definition - What does Federal Intrusion Detection Network (FIDNET) mean?

The federal intrusion detection network (FIDNET) is a type of government security management system for government networks. It is used to identify possible security breaches, including intrusion attacks from outside the organization and misuse attacks from within the organization.

Intrusion detection is a type of security management system for computers and networks. An intrusion detection system monitors and analyzes various sections of a network or a host computer for security breaches, malicious activities, or policy violations.

Techopedia explains Federal Intrusion Detection Network (FIDNET)

Executive Order 13010 was released on 1996. It was entitled "Critical Infrastructure Protection". President Bill Clinton stated that certain national infrastructures are so vital that their incapacity or destruction would have a voluminous impact on the defense or economic security of the United States. The executive order further stated that, since most of this critical infrastructure is owned by the private sector, it is essential that the government and private sector work together to develop a precise strategy for protecting them and assuring their continued operation.

President Clinton created the President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection (PCCIP) and charged it with a comprehensive national policy. It was also charged with an implementation strategy for protecting critical infrastructures from physical and cyber threats. The PCCIP came out with many key factors to help protect against cyber threats and to protect the government organizations. However, one of the most intriguing recommendations of the PCCIP was for the making of an early warning and response capability to protect against cyber attacks.

The commission had reported that such a capability should include means for real-time monitoring and analyzing the telecommunications infrastructure, the ability to recognize anomalies related to attacks, and the capability to trace and isolate electronic signals that are related to an attack.

The commissions working at the PCCIP wanted to make a system with means of monitoring a network for abhorrent or anomalous patterns of behavior. The concept of FIDNET evolved out of the national security need to protect critical infrastructure from malicious cyber-based attacks. On a practical level, the success of the FIDNET would require several facets including:
  • Methodology for real-time monitoring of the government infrastructure.
  • Ability to recognize, collect, and profile system anomalies.
  • Ability to trace and reroute packets that are found to have suspicious behavior.
  • Ability to analyze both inbound and outbound packets.

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