The IDS component that analyzes the traffic and reports if any suspicious activity is detected is the network sensor. A network sensor is a device or software application that is deployed at a strategic point or points within the network to monitor and capture the network traffic to and from all devices on the network. A network sensor can operate in one of two modes: promiscuous or inline. In promiscuous mode, the network sensor passively listens to the network traffic and copies the packets for analysis. In inline mode, the network sensor actively intercepts and filters the network traffic and can block or modify the packets based on predefined rules. A network sensor analyzes the network traffic using various detection methods, such as signature-based, anomaly-based, or reputation-based, and compares the traffic patterns with a database of attack signatures or a model of normal behavior. If the network sensor detects any suspicious or malicious activity, such as a reconnaissance scan, an unauthorized access attempt, or a denial-of-service attack, it generates an alert and reports it to the IDS manager or the operator.A network sensor can also integrate with a response system to take appropriate actions, such as logging, notifying, or blocking, in response to the detected activity123.References:

Network Defense Essentials Courseware, EC-Council, 2020, pp. 3-33 to 3-34

Intrusion Detection System (IDS) - GeeksforGeeks, GeeksforGeeks, 2020

Intrusion detection system - Wikipedia, Wikipedia, March 16, 2021