False Alarm Rate

The False Alarm Rate refers to how often a system incorrectly signals a problem when there isn't one. For example, if a security alarm goes off multiple times without an actual intrusion, those are false alarms. It helps measure the reliability of detection systems—lower rates mean fewer unnecessary alerts, reducing inconvenience and improving trust. Essentially, it’s a percentage of false positives compared to all alerts, indicating how often the system “cry wolf” when there’s no danger.