Active Defense
Noun · Security & Infosec
Definitions
A defensive approach that goes beyond passive monitoring by actively disrupting, detecting, misleading, or containing attackers during an intrusion attempt. The term spans techniques such as deception, blocking, and automated containment, though definitions vary across organizations.
In plain English: Security measures that actively interfere with or respond to attackers instead of only watching.
Example: "The SOC added active defense controls that isolated suspicious endpoints automatically instead of only alerting humans."