Snort
The foremost Open Source Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) in the world.
Overview
Snort is an open-source, free and lightweight network intrusion detection system (NIDS) software for Linux and Windows to detect emerging threats. It can perform real-time traffic analysis and packet logging on IP networks. It can perform protocol analysis, content searching/matching, and can be used to detect a variety of attacks and probes, such as buffer overflows, stealth port scans, CGI attacks, SMB probes, OS fingerprinting attempts, and much more.
✨ Key Features
- Real-time traffic analysis
- Packet logging
- Protocol analysis
- Content searching and matching
- Intrusion prevention capabilities
- Rule-based detection engine
- Packet sniffer mode
🎯 Key Differentiators
- Lightweight and flexible architecture
- Large and active community
- Backed by Cisco Talos
Unique Value: Provides powerful and flexible open-source intrusion detection and prevention capabilities.
🎯 Use Cases (3)
✅ Best For
- Detecting and blocking network attacks
- Monitoring network traffic for malicious activity
- Logging network packets for later analysis
💡 Check With Vendor
Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:
- In-depth protocol analysis (better suited for Wireshark)
- Artifact extraction (better suited for NetworkMiner or Xplico)
🏆 Alternatives
Snort is known for its simplicity and ease of use compared to more complex frameworks like Zeek, while still offering robust threat detection.
💻 Platforms
✅ Offline Mode Available
💰 Pricing
Free tier: Full functionality with community ruleset.
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