An Open Source Security Triple Play

Marcus Maciel writes to tell that Linux.com's Joe Barr recently took a look at OSSEC-HIDS, an open source host intrusion detection system. From the article: "According the OOSEC-HIDS Web site, it's more than a host intrusion detection system (IDS). It's also a security event manager and a security information manager, which makes it the security equivalent of a hat trick in hockey, a triple-play in baseball, or a rare triple-double in basketball. OSSEC-HIDS runs on both Windows and Linux/Unix. You can download the latest version along with the project's PGP public key, so you can verify the download." Linux.com and Slashdot are both owned by OSTG.

Good but could be improved

[datasetgo]

While OSSEC HIDS looks like the beginnings of a good solution (aside from the name - sheesh - sounds like a sneeze) I'd like to see integration of projects like DShield.org [dshield.org] and maybe some community-maintained updates for rootkit definitions and such. APF/BFD [rfxnetworks.com] does this - why not OSSEC HIDS?
Gesundheit.

Re:OSSEC is great

[ricotest]

Nagios [nagios.org] has been doing Open Source security since 1996 and looks much the same.

Re:OSSEC is great

[Darkael]

Well, can Nagios detect a SSH brute force attack, report it to you by mail and ban the offending IP, out of the box with almost no configuration to do?

Last time I checked Nagios was a general-purpose monitoring system, a pain in the ass to configure and too bloated if all you want is just improving your security. An HIDS like OSSEC is better suited for this kind of task.

Re:Sporting Analogies

[ryanhornbeck]

Not to get anal, but a triple play is MUCH more rare than either a triple-double or a hat trick.

MLB: 30 teams x 162 games = 4860 games (possibly 2 triple plays per season or 1 every 2430 games)
NBA: 30 teams x 82 games = 2460 games (23 triple-doubles last season or 1 ever 106.95652173913043478260869565217 games)
NHL: 30 teams x 82 games = 2460 games (84 hat tricks last season or 1 every 29.285714285714285714285714285714 games)