ossec-hids

OSSEC is an Open Source Host-based Intrusion Detection System that performs log analysis, file integrity checking, policy monitoring, rootkit detection, real-time alerting and active response.

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Security Onion is a free and open platform for threat hunting, enterprise security monitoring, and log management. It includes our own interfaces for alerting, dashboards, hunting, PCAP, detections, and case management. It also includes other tools such as osquery, CyberChef, Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana, Suricata, and Zeek.

Quick Overview

OSSEC (Open Source HIDS SECurity) is a free, open-source host-based intrusion detection system (HIDS). It performs log analysis, file integrity checking, policy monitoring, rootkit detection, real-time alerting, and active response. OSSEC is used for threat detection, incident response, and compliance monitoring in various environments.

Pros

Comprehensive security features: Offers a wide range of security capabilities in a single package
Cross-platform compatibility: Supports multiple operating systems, including Linux, Windows, macOS, and various Unix-like systems
Highly customizable: Allows for extensive configuration and rule creation to suit specific security needs
Active community support: Regular updates and contributions from a large user base

Cons

Steep learning curve: Can be complex to set up and configure, especially for beginners
Resource-intensive: May impact system performance, particularly on older or resource-constrained hardware
Limited graphical interface: Primarily relies on command-line interface, which may be challenging for some users
False positives: Can generate a high number of alerts, requiring fine-tuning to reduce false positives

Getting Started

To install OSSEC on a Linux system:

Download the latest version:

wget https://github.com/ossec/ossec-hids/archive/3.7.0.tar.gz
tar -zxvf 3.7.0.tar.gz
cd ossec-hids-3.7.0

Run the installation script:

./install.sh

Follow the prompts to configure OSSEC according to your needs.
Start OSSEC:

/var/ossec/bin/ossec-control start

For more detailed instructions and advanced configurations, refer to the official OSSEC documentation.

Competitor Comparisons

wazuh

10,361

Wazuh - The Open Source Security Platform. Unified XDR and SIEM protection for endpoints and cloud workloads.

Pros of Wazuh

More active development and frequent updates
Enhanced features like cloud security monitoring and containerization support
User-friendly web interface for easier management and visualization

Cons of Wazuh

Higher resource consumption due to additional features
Steeper learning curve for new users compared to OSSEC

Code Comparison

OSSEC (ossec-hids) configuration example:

<ossec_config>
  <global>
    <email_notification>yes</email_notification>
    <email_to>admin@example.com</email_to>
    <smtp_server>mail.example.com</smtp_server>
    <email_from>ossec@example.com</email_from>
  </global>
</ossec_config>

Wazuh configuration example:

email_notification: 'yes'
email_to: 'admin@example.com'
smtp_server: 'mail.example.com'
email_from: 'wazuh@example.com'
email_maxperhour: 12
email_log_source: 'alerts.log'

Both OSSEC and Wazuh are open-source security information and event management (SIEM) solutions. While OSSEC is the original project, Wazuh is a fork that has evolved with additional features and improvements. Wazuh offers a more comprehensive security solution with cloud integration and a user-friendly interface, but it may require more resources and have a steeper learning curve. OSSEC remains a solid choice for those seeking a lightweight, traditional HIDS solution.

suricata

4,438

Suricata is a network Intrusion Detection System, Intrusion Prevention System and Network Security Monitoring engine developed by the OISF and the Suricata community.

Pros of Suricata

High-performance network IDS, IPS, and network security monitoring engine
Supports multi-threading for improved speed and efficiency
Extensive protocol analysis and file extraction capabilities

Cons of Suricata

Requires more system resources compared to OSSEC
Steeper learning curve for configuration and rule management
Primarily focused on network-based detection, less comprehensive for host-based monitoring

Code Comparison

OSSEC (C-based):

void OS_CleanMSG(char *msg)
{
    size_t i;
    for (i = 0; msg[i] != '\0'; i++) {
        if (msg[i] == '!' || msg[i] == ':' || msg[i] == ';') {
            msg[i] = ' ';
        }
    }
}

Suricata (C-based):

int DetectEngineInspectPacket(ThreadVars *tv, DetectEngineCtx *de_ctx,
                              DetectEngineThreadCtx *det_ctx, Packet *p)
{
    int r = 0;
    if (p->flags & PKT_NOPAYLOAD_INSPECTION) {
        return 0;
    }
    // ... (additional code)
}

Both projects are written in C, but Suricata's codebase is more complex due to its focus on high-performance network analysis. OSSEC's code is generally simpler, reflecting its host-based approach.

fail2ban

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Daemon to ban hosts that cause multiple authentication errors

Pros of fail2ban

Lightweight and easy to set up, focusing primarily on intrusion prevention
Highly customizable with flexible filter and action configurations
Active development and community support

Cons of fail2ban

Limited to log-based detection and IP banning
Less comprehensive in terms of overall system security monitoring
Requires manual configuration for each service to be protected

Code Comparison

fail2ban:

def start(self):
    self.__logtarget = self.__server.getLogTarget()
    self.__jail = self.__server.getJail()
    self.__filter = self.__jail.getFilter()
    self.__actions = self.__jail.getActions()

OSSEC:

void OS_StartMQ(const char *path, short int type)
{
    if((mqd = StartMQ(path, READ, type)) < 0)
    {
        merror_exit(QUEUE_ERROR, path, strerror(errno));
    }
}

fail2ban focuses on Python-based log parsing and action execution, while OSSEC uses C for its core functionality, including message queue handling for inter-process communication. This reflects their different approaches to security monitoring and intrusion prevention.

securityonion

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Pros of securityonion

Comprehensive network security monitoring solution with multiple integrated tools
User-friendly interface for easier management and analysis
Regular updates and active community support

Cons of securityonion

Higher resource requirements due to its all-in-one nature
Steeper learning curve for new users due to the variety of tools
May be overkill for smaller environments or specific use cases

Code comparison

ossec-hids:

/* Generate alert */
if (currently_rule->alert_message) {
    snprintf(alert_msg, OS_MAXSTR, "%s%s", currently_rule->alert_message, log_msg);
} else {
    snprintf(alert_msg, OS_MAXSTR, "%s", log_msg);
}

securityonion:

if [ "$ZEEK" = "yes" ]; then
    echo "Configuring Zeek..."
    /usr/sbin/so-zeek-start >> $LOG 2>&1
    if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
        echo "Error configuring Zeek. See $LOG for details."
    fi
fi

The code snippets show different aspects of each project. ossec-hids focuses on alert generation in C, while securityonion uses shell scripts for configuration and management of various components like Zeek.

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README

Information about OSSEC

OSSEC is a full platform to monitor and control your systems. It mixes together all the aspects of HIDS (host-based intrusion detection), log monitoring and SIM/SIEM together in a simple, powerful and open source solution.

Visit our website for the latest information. www.ossec.net

Current Releases

The current stable releases are available on the ossec website.

Releases can be downloaded from: Downloads
Release documentation is available at: docs

Development

The development version is hosted on GitHub and just a simple git clone away.

Screenshots

File Integrity Monitoring

FIM

Attack Detection

SSH Brute Force

Help / Support

Join us on slack, ossec.slack.com: Invites to slack@ossec.net

Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/BXzM75Xzq7

Credits and Thanks

OSSEC comes with a modified version of zlib and a small part of openssl (sha1 and blowfish libraries)
This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit (http://www.openssl.org/)
This product includes cryptographic software written by Eric Young (eay@cryptsoft.com)
This product include software developed by the zlib project (Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler)
This product include software developed by the cJSON project (Dave Gamble)
Atomicorp hosting the annual OSSEC conference. Presentations for the 2019 conference can be found at https://www.atomicorp.com/ossec-con2019/

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