Snort is a
free open source
Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use and view the source code, design documents, or content of the product. The open source model is a decentrali ...
network intrusion detection system (IDS) and intrusion prevention system (IPS) created in 1998 by
Martin Roesch, founder and former CTO of
Sourcefire. Snort is now developed by
Cisco
Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, s ...
, which purchased Sourcefire in 2013.
In 2009, Snort entered
InfoWorld
''InfoWorld'' (''IW'') is an American information technology media business. Founded in 1978, it began as a monthly magazine. In 2007, it transitioned to a Web-only publication. Its parent company is International Data Group, and its sister pu ...
's Open Source Hall of Fame as one of the "greatest
ieces ofopen source software of all time".
Uses
Snort's open-source network-based
intrusion detection/prevention system (IDS/IPS) has the ability to perform real-time traffic analysis and
packet logging on
Internet Protocol
The Internet Protocol (IP) is the network layer communications protocol in the Internet protocol suite for relaying datagrams across network boundaries. Its routing function enables internetworking, and essentially establishes the Internet.
IP ...
(IP) networks. Snort performs protocol analysis, content searching and matching.
The program can also be used to detect probes or
attacks, including, but not limited to,
operating system fingerprinting attempts,
semantic URL attacks,
buffer overflows,
server message block
Server Message Block (SMB) is a communication protocol used to share files, printers, serial ports, and miscellaneous communications between nodes on a network. On Microsoft Windows, the SMB implementation consists of two vaguely named Windows ...
probes, and stealth
port scans.
Snort can be configured in three main modes: 1. sniffer, 2. packet logger, and 3. network intrusion detection.
Sniffer Mode
The program will read network packets and display them on the console.
Packet Logger Mode
In packet logger mode, the program will log packets to the disk.
Network Intrusion Detection System Mode
In intrusion detection mode, the program will monitor network traffic and analyze it against a rule set defined by the user. The program will then perform a specific action based on what has been identified.
Third-party tools
There are several third-party tools interfacing Snort for administration, reporting, performance and log analysis:
* Snorby – a
GPLv3
The GNU General Public Licenses (GNU GPL or simply GPL) are a series of widely used free software licenses, or ''copyleft'' licenses, that guarantee end users the freedom to run, study, share, or modify the software. The GPL was the first ...
application
* BASE
*
Sguil (free)
See also
*
List of free and open-source software packages
This is a list of free and open-source software (FOSS) packages, computer software licensed under free software licenses and open-source licenses. Software that fits the Free Software Definition may be more appropriately called free software; ...
*
Sigma
Sigma ( ; uppercase Σ, lowercase σ, lowercase in word-final position ς; ) is the eighteenth letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of 200. In general mathematics, uppercase Σ is used as an operator ...
*
Suricata (software)
*
YARA
*
Zeek
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snort (Software)
Free security software
Computer security software
Linux security software
Unix network-related software
Lua (programming language)-scriptable software
Intrusion detection systems