False positive vs false negative

Two important concepts - "false positive" and "false negative"

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In the world of cybersecurity monitoring, "false positive" and "false negative" are ubiquitous terms that describe the accuracy or inaccuracy of alerts. Cybersecurity experts constantly have to balance between these two, aiming to optimize monitoring performance to minimize both false positives and false negatives alerts.

False positive (False Positive)

A false positive situation occurs when a cybersecurity system incorrectly identifies an allowed or safe operation as a threat, triggering an alert. Although false positive alerts may seem harmless, they can cause significant problems. An excessive amount of false positive alerts can lead to "alarm fatigue," where cybersecurity personnel start to ignore alerts assuming they are false. This may reduce vigilance in the face of real threats.

False negative

A false negative situation occurs when a cybersecurity system does not recognize or trigger an alert for a real threat. False negatives are particularly dangerous because they give attackers free access to systems without detection. They can allow cybersecurity threats, such as malware spreading or data breaches, to go unnoticed for long periods of time, causing significant damage to the organization.

The importance of balacing

In cybersecurity monitoring, it is important to find the right balance between false positive and false negative alerts. In an ideal situation, the goal is to minimize both false positives and false negatives, but in practice, this is challenging. Tightening cybersecurity systems can reduce false negative alerts but at the same time increase the number of false positive alerts, and vice versa.