Network security has become an important part of corporate IT strategy and safeguarding all the nooks and crannies of your network can be timely and expensive. This book provides information about how to use free Open Source tools to build and manage an Intrusion Detection System. Rehman provides detailed information about using SNORT as an IDS and using Apache, MySQL, PHP and ACID to analyze intrusion data. The book contains custom scripts, real-life examples for SNORT, and to-the-point information about installing SNORT IDS so readers can build and run their sophisticated intrusion detection systems.SNORT is your network's packet sniffer that monitors network traffic in real time, scrutinizing each packet closely to detect a dangerous payload or suspicious anomalies.NSS Group, a European network security testing organization, tested SNORT along with intrusion detection system (IDS) products from 15 major vendors including Cisco, Computer Associates, and Symantec. According to NSS, SNORT, which was the sole Open Source freeware product tested, clearly outperformed the proprietary products.
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Preface
Security is a big issue for all networks in today's enterprise environment. Hackers and intruders have made many successful attempts to bring down high-profile company networks and web services. Many methods have been developed to secure the network infrastructure and communication over the Internet, among them the use of firewalls, encryption, and virtual private networks. Intrusion detection is a relatively new addition to such techniques. Intrusion detection methods started appearing in the last few years. Using intrusion detection methods, you can collect and use information from known types of attacks and find out if someone is trying to attack your network or particular hosts. The information collected this way can be used to harden your network security, as well as for legal purposes. Both commercial and open source products are now available for this purpose. Many vulnerability assessment tools are also available in the market that can be used to assess different types of security holes present in your network. A comprehensive security system consists of multiple tools, including:
- Firewalls that are used to block unwanted incoming as well as outgoing traffic of data. There is a range of firewall products available in the market both in Open Source and commercial products. Most popular commercial firewall products are from Checkpoint , Cisco and Netscreen . The most popular Open Source firewall is the Netfilter/Iptables-based firewall.
- Intrusion detection systems (IDS) that are used to find out if someone has gotten into or is trying to get into your network. The most popular IDS is Snort.
- Vulnerability assessment tools that are used to find and plug security holes present in your network. Information collected from vulnerability assessment tools is used to set rules on firewalls so that these security holes are safeguarded from malicious Internet users. There are many vulnerability assessment tools including Nmap and Nessus.
These tools can work together and exchange information with each other. Some products provide complete systems consisting of all of these products bundled together.
Snort is an open source Network Intrusion Detection System (NIDS) which is available free of cost. NIDS is the type of Intrusion Detection System (IDS) that is used for scanning data flowing on the network. There are also host-based intrusion detection systems, which are installed on a particular host and detect attacks targeted to that host only. Although all intrusion detection methods are still new, Snort is ranked among the top quality systems available today.
The book starts with an introduction to intrusion detection and related terminology. You will learn installation and management of Snort as well as other products that work with Snort. These products include MySQL database and Analysis Control for Intrusion Database (ACID). Snort has the capability to log data collected (such as alerts and other log messages) to a database. MySQL is used as the database engine where all of this data is stored. Using Apache web server and ACID, you can analyze this data. A combination of Snort, Apache, MySQL, and ACID makes it possible to log the intrusion detection data into a database and then view and analyze it later, using a web interface.
This book is organized in such a way that the reader will be able to build a complete intrusion detection system by going through the following chapters in a step-by-step manner. All steps of installing and integrating different tools are explained in the book as outlined below.
Chapter 2 provides basic information about how to build and install Snort itself. Using the basic installation and default rules, you will be able to get a working IDS. You will be able to create log files that show intrusion activity.
Chapter 3 provides information about Snort rules, different parts of Snort rules and how to write your own rules according to your environment and needs. This chapter is very important, as writing good rules is the key to building a detection system. The chapter also explains different rules that are part of Snort distribution.
Chapter 4 is about input and output plug-ins. Plug-ins are parts of the software that are compiled with Snort and are used to modify input or output of the Snort detection engine. Input plug-ins prepare captured data packets before the actual detection process is applied on these packets. Output plug-ins format output to be used for a particular purpose. For example, an output plug-in can convert the detection data to a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) trap. Another output plug-in is used to log Snort output data into databases. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of how these plug-ins are configured and used.
Chapter 5 provides information about using MySQL database with Snort. MySQL plug-in enables Snort to log data into the database to be used in the analysis later on. In this chapter you will find information about how to create a database in MySQL, configure a database plug-in, and log data to the database.
Chapter 6 describes ACID, how to use it to get data from the database you configured in Chapter 5, and how to display it using Apache web server. ACID is a very important tool that provides rich data analysis capabilities. You can find frequency of attacks, classify different attacks, view the source of these attacks and so on. ACID uses PHP (Pretty Home Page) scripting language, graphic display library (GD library) and PHPLOT, which is a tool to draw graphs. A combination of all of these results in web pages that display, analyze and graph data stored in the MySQL database.
Chapter 7 is devoted to information about some other useful tools that can be used with Snort.
From the Back Cover
Protect your network with Snort: the high-performance, open source IDS
Snort gives network administrators an open source intrusion detection system that outperforms proprietary alternatives. Now, Rafeeq Ur Rehman explains and simplifies every aspect of deploying and managing Snort in your network. You'll discover how to monitor all your network traffic in real time; update Snort to reflect new security threats; automate and analyze Snort alerts; and more. Best of all, Rehman's custom scripts integrate Snort with Apache, MySQL, PHP, and ACID-so you can build and optimize a complete IDS solution more quickly than ever before.
- An expert introduction to intrusion detection and the role of Snort
- Writing and updating Snort rules to reflect the latest attacks and exploits
- Contains detailed coverage of Snort plug-ins, preprocessors, and output modules
- Logging alerts to a MySQL database
- Using ACID to search, process, and analyze security alerts
- Using SnortSnarf to analyze Snort log files
- XML support for Snort via the Simple Network Markup Language (SNML)
The accompanying ftp site contains all the software, scripts, and rules you need to get started with Snort.
About the Open Source SeriesBruce Perens' Open Source Series is a definitive series of Linux and Open Source books by the world's leading Linux software developers. Bruce Perens is the primary author of The Open Source Definition, the formative document of the open source movement, and the former Debian GNU/Linux Project Leader. The text of this book is Open Source licensed
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First Sentence
Security is a big issue for all networks in today's enterprise environment. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Security is a big issue for all networks in today's enterprise environment. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format:Paperback
This book is an effective introduction to Intruder Detection, demonstrating how popular open-source tools can be used. I found the code samples, table, diagrams and screenshots to be clear and useful. I learned what I'd hoped to learn and feel empowered to set up an IDS myself. Plenty of links and resources when I want to learn more.
I read a few of the other reviews here after I read the book... especially Richard B's. I noticed some of the same techinical mistakes, but don't feel that they are a big deal. As a sr. software engineer and techinical editor, I always read critically, just mentally note them and continue. They aren't the kind of mistakes that make the code useless, or would confuse/mislead any level of reader. Another editing pass would help most books, and I none of the grammar mistakes annoy me - I read to learn what I can and move on, not to nitpick or get annoyed.
As far as 1.9 vs. 2.0, I've looked at the snort site and agree that the release is signficant, but it doesn't break backwards compatibility, so it doesn't make this book any less revelant. 2.0 seems to mostly change the backend implementation - *the application is used identically* so I suspect the vast majority of this book is unaffected. The Syngress book covers 2.0, yet so does the website, which hypes this two-times-more-expensive book. That book too will no doubt soon be superceded, so read whatever you buy immediately ;-)
By "sunix"
Format:Paperback
I really like books that are to the point and filled with examples. This is such a book. It enables the reader to get up and going quickly. The reader is guided through installation and each component of SNORT. Once the basics are covered, the author moves to more advanced topics and integrating other tools like Apache, MySQL, and ACID. All told, it presents an excellent approach to building an IDS.
Format:Paperback
"Intrusion Detection with Snort: Advanced IDS, etc." (IDWS) was the second of this year's intrusion detection books I've reviewed. The first was Tim Crothers' "Implementing Intrusion Detection Systems" (4 stars). I was disappointed by IDWS, since I have a high opinion of Prentice Hall and the new "Bruce Perens' Open Source Series." (I'm looking forward to the book on CIFS, for example.) IDWS read poorly and doesn't deliver as much useful content as the competing Syngress book "Snort 2.0."
The most difficult aspect of reading IDWS is the author's grammar, particularly his avoidance of using definitive articles like "the", and other important words. For instance, p. 3 says "Apache web server takes help from ACID, etc." p. 133 claims "However, if you are using HTTP decode preprocessor, this attempt can detected." Beyond grammar, the author demonstrates weak knowledge of the IDS field, stating on p. 1 "Intrusion detection methods starting appearing in the last few years." James Anderson led the way in 1980, followed by Denning and Neumann in 1983 and Todd Heberlein in 1990! The author also repeatedly compares IDS to anti-virus signatures, which is simplistic and incorrect.
Technical errors further hamper IDWS. p. 89 makes the mistake of saying TCP sequence numbers count packets; they really count bytes of application data. p. 96-97 confuses the use of standard Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) with their use in Snort, which is different. (SF+ means SYN and FIN and zero or more other flags, not SYN AND FIN alone.) The fuzzy diagrams don't appear professional, and acronyms like "PHP" are defined incorrectly as "Pretty Home Page" (rather than the self-referencing "PHP Hypertext Processor.")
Coverage of important topics is lacking or outdated. First, Snort 1.9 is the basis for the text. However, 2.0 is available and covered by the Syngress book. The output system Barnyard and unified logging receive a total of one page. No meaningful mention is made of the effects of collecting traffic via hub, SPAN port, or tap. The port list on pp. 87-88 shows "well known ports," but doesn't say if they are TCP or UDP. The author makes odd claims about Snort "not [being] able to analyze application layer protocols," which is misleading. Snort rules aren't designed specifically for HTTP, for example, but they can be used to inspect HTTP requests and responses.
My favorite part of IDWS was the coverage of using the MySQL database. Appendix B provides helpful supplemental material on this subject also. Bottom line: I would pass on IDWS but keep an eye on the other titles in the PHPTR "Open Source Series."
The most difficult aspect of reading IDWS is the author's grammar, particularly his avoidance of using definitive articles like "the", and other important words. For instance, p. 3 says "Apache web server takes help from ACID, etc." p. 133 claims "However, if you are using HTTP decode preprocessor, this attempt can detected." Beyond grammar, the author demonstrates weak knowledge of the IDS field, stating on p. 1 "Intrusion detection methods starting appearing in the last few years." James Anderson led the way in 1980, followed by Denning and Neumann in 1983 and Todd Heberlein in 1990! The author also repeatedly compares IDS to anti-virus signatures, which is simplistic and incorrect.
Technical errors further hamper IDWS. p. 89 makes the mistake of saying TCP sequence numbers count packets; they really count bytes of application data. p. 96-97 confuses the use of standard Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) with their use in Snort, which is different. (SF+ means SYN and FIN and zero or more other flags, not SYN AND FIN alone.) The fuzzy diagrams don't appear professional, and acronyms like "PHP" are defined incorrectly as "Pretty Home Page" (rather than the self-referencing "PHP Hypertext Processor.")
Coverage of important topics is lacking or outdated. First, Snort 1.9 is the basis for the text. However, 2.0 is available and covered by the Syngress book. The output system Barnyard and unified logging receive a total of one page. No meaningful mention is made of the effects of collecting traffic via hub, SPAN port, or tap. The port list on pp. 87-88 shows "well known ports," but doesn't say if they are TCP or UDP. The author makes odd claims about Snort "not [being] able to analyze application layer protocols," which is misleading. Snort rules aren't designed specifically for HTTP, for example, but they can be used to inspect HTTP requests and responses.
My favorite part of IDWS was the coverage of using the MySQL database. Appendix B provides helpful supplemental material on this subject also. Bottom line: I would pass on IDWS but keep an eye on the other titles in the PHPTR "Open Source Series."
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3.7 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not enough detail, and not up to date
This is the first book that I read on Snort, and I wish I had gone with something else. This book really reads like more of an overview of intrusion detection and Snort, rather... Read more
Published on May 27 2003 by Larry McGraw
2.0 out of 5 stars
Just OK
I got this book and read through it (didn't take me long. It's pretty short and actually has less than 200 pages really covering Snort). Read more
Published on May 23 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
Concise and to the point
A good book which is concise, to the point, and helps quickly build a complete IDS. It is fully focused on the Snort IDS without distracting the reader into sideline issues.
Published on May 21 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intrusion Detection with SNORT
the only books that has the smell of linux how to type explanation
not a book publish style
not a book publish style
Published on May 19 2003 by Amgad Fahmy
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