Detect attacks on your network with Maltrail
Hundreds of security products vie for the favor of users on the Internet, promising the highest levels of protection. Along with the numerous commercial offerings available for a monthly rate are some free open-source products that aim to expand the basic protection that might already be in place.
Maltrail [1] is an open source tool that lays in wait on the network and sounds the alarm if a package appears suspicious. It reports its findings but does not intervene. The way Maltrail works is somewhere between an intrusion detection system and a malware scanner. Maltrail uses public blacklists to examine the packages. In Maltrail jargon, the description of a suspicious IP address, web URL, or domain is known as a trail. Feeds are lists of known trails that the Maltrail community keeps up to date.
Structure
Maltrail consists of two components. The sensor component sniffs the packets, and the server component collects the alarms from the sensor. In a perfect setup, the sensor component resides on a router or firewall, because these devices get to see the data streams of all network participants. In Figure 1, the sensor resides on a firewall and therefore has access to all the packets passing through. The position of the server does not matter much as long as the sensor and the admin can access it.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.