Detect attacks on your network with Maltrail
Outlook
Maltrail is also at home in virtual environments. For instance, you can analyze the network traffic of guest systems in a VMware infrastructure. The ESXi host has a Python interpreter on board, but Maltrail works better as a standalone virtual machine. The VM needs one network adapter per port group. Because Maltrail accesses the IP packets via PCAP, the port group or virtual switch needs permission to use promiscuous mode. In this setup, Maltrail works only with copies of the packets. This keeps the virtual servers accessible even if the sensor process throws errors or the Maltrail VM is not running.
The Maltrail sensor can, of course, report to its own server, but it can also feed Syslog and Logstash. To do this, it formats its messages as standardized syslogs or as structured JSON. This support for logging means you can integrate Maltrail into a larger log infrastructure or include it as part of a logging-as-a-service strategy.
Conclusions
The lightweight Maltrail network scanner analyzes network traffic for suspicious activity, gleaning information from freely available blacklists and reputation databases. Maltrail also acts like an intrusion detection system: It loads signatures and compares them with the inspected IP packets. If a match occurs, an alert appears on the dashboard to warn the admin. Maltrail is not an all-around no-worries package, but it is a useful building block in a security strategy.
Infos
- Maltrail: https://github.com/stamparm/maltrail
- Fritzdump: https://github.com/ntop/ntopng/blob/dev/tools/fritzdump.sh
- Script access to speedport: https://github.com/koutheir/speedport-w724v-external-ip-address
- Compiling Pcapy on Windows: https://github.com/helpsystems/pcapy/wiki/Compiling-Pcapy-on-Windows-Guide
« Previous 1 2 3 4
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
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
-
New Slimbook EVO with Raw AMD Ryzen Power
If you're looking for serious power in a 14" ultrabook that is powered by Linux, Slimbook has just the thing for you.
-
The Gnome Foundation Struggling to Stay Afloat
The foundation behind the Gnome desktop environment is having to go through some serious belt-tightening due to continued financial problems.
-
Thousands of Linux Servers Infected with Stealth Malware Since 2021
Perfctl is capable of remaining undetected, which makes it dangerous and hard to mitigate.
-
Halcyon Creates Anti-Ransomware Protection for Linux
As more Linux systems are targeted by ransomware, Halcyon is stepping up its protection.
-
Valve and Arch Linux Announce Collaboration
Valve and Arch have come together for two projects that will have a serious impact on the Linux distribution.
-
Hacker Successfully Runs Linux on a CPU from the Early ‘70s
From the office of "Look what I can do," Dmitry Grinberg was able to get Linux running on a processor that was created in 1971.
-
OSI and LPI Form Strategic Alliance
With a goal of strengthening Linux and open source communities, this new alliance aims to nurture the growth of more highly skilled professionals.
-
Fedora 41 Beta Available with Some Interesting Additions
If you're a Fedora fan, you'll be excited to hear the beta version of the latest release is now available for testing and includes plenty of updates.
-
AlmaLinux Unveils New Hardware Certification Process
The AlmaLinux Hardware Certification Program run by the Certification Special Interest Group (SIG) aims to ensure seamless compatibility between AlmaLinux and a wide range of hardware configurations.
-
Wind River Introduces eLxr Pro Linux Solution
eLxr Pro offers an end-to-end Linux solution backed by expert commercial support.