They are all passive. Just like your eyes. NODs anyway. That is what the tube does, it intensifies the image so you can see it. Passively, so the enemy doesn't.
Active refers to the sending out of signals, then receiving those signals back and interpreting them. Like radar, lidar, etc.
They aren't active in the sense that they require IR band frequencies to be generated in order to view images. On bad overcast nights, and particularly in conjunction with lower performance NODs, yeah, you may need an IR flashlight. Or red light --that works almost as good and doesn't stand out like white light would; any light will be visible by adversaries with NODs.
Usually when you discuss active IR, you generally are discussing security apparatus. Electronic security. It is common to use IR illuminators to make it so a CCD camera can see in the dark. Generally b/w. There are active IR motion detectors too, but most of them are passive just like the NODs.
Yeah, lasers and illuminators can be tricky. It was preferable for us to fall over shit and run into trees, vs. using any light, and in my unit, an AD with a laser was no different than an AD with a live round --field grade Art. 15. Yeah, a well trained force with NODs shouldn't be regarded any differently than our own forces. And they only need one set running to see your laser light show.
You can also use the laser, Class 3's and up (4's smoke 'em fast, permanent damage even with visible light) to blind your enemy without him knowing until too late, so it doubles as a non-lethal stealth tool as well. Provided enemy doesn't have the same capability and can see what you are trying to pull.
Contact those guys from TNVC on here, they know WAY more shit about it than anyone who just uses it --they live and eat that shit, let me tell you. And IMO, in the end, the best set on the market now (for the price) is the OMNI-7 hand select ITT Night Enforcer (factory, ISO 9001 clean room, etc. with specs so tough a lot don't pass). After a month of research, I went with those. I don't think you can get better than that, those can and do outperform the milspec OMNI-8's (I'm told --and the contract specs make sense to allude to that idea, it was loosened to prevent so many 14's being rejected). TNVC has 'em for a really good deal, they really took care of me. Get while gettin' is good, because OMNI-8 is the new contract. I reckon when they run out of the old contract, those will be the best you can get.
They have some new shit, the TCAD, a thermal laser with unique properties --the shooter can see the dot, but the target can't follow the beam back because it doesn't react with dust in the air. Though I suspect if he was within so many radians of the source, it may be visible. Still, ingenious. And the wavelength it operates on isn't visible with regular NODs.