What does nonintrusive monitoring involve?

Nonintrusive monitoring involves the use of probes to gather traffic information without interfering with the normal operation of the systems being observed. This method allows network administrators and cybersecurity professionals to analyze data flow and detect anomalies or performance issues while ensuring that the monitoring process does not disrupt service or compromise user privacy.

Probes can collect data packets, analyze network protocols, and gather metadata, providing insights into network behavior, traffic volume, and potential security threats in a non-disruptive manner. This approach is critical in maintaining the integrity and availability of IT systems while still providing valuable information for security assessments and performance optimizations.

Other methods, like physical inspections, monitoring user activities on devices, or directly interacting with user sessions, can be intrusive and may alter the state of the system or the user's experience, making them unsuitable for nonintrusive monitoring.