Snort operates by examining network packets in real-time, analyzing their content and headers for signs of malicious activity, such as known patterns or signatures of attacks, anomalies, or policy violations. When it identifies suspicious patterns or content that match its predefined rules or signatures, it can generate alerts, log the event, and in some configurations, take actions to prevent or block such traffic.
It's highly customizable, allowing users to create and modify detection rules to cater to specific network environments and security needs. Snort is widely used in various settings, from small to large-scale networks, as part of the overall security infrastructure to help identify and mitigate potential security threats.
Security professionals, network administrators, and researchers use Snort as a tool to bolster their network security by monitoring and detecting potential threats, including malware, denial-of-service attacks, port scans, and other suspicious network behavior.
With over 5 million downloads and over 600,000 registered users, Snort is the most widely deployed intrusion prevention system in the world. I've personally set up and implemented Snort on my PfSense home lab firewall configuration. When operating within PfSense firewalls, Snort has the capability to identify network trojans and effectively block hazardous traffic, making it a valuable tool even for home users.
Visit Snort official website for more information.
