Suricata vs Zeek

Struggling to choose between Suricata and Zeek? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Suricata is a Security & Privacy solution with tags like network-security, threat-detection, rules-engine.

It boasts features such as Real-time threat detection, Protocol decoding and analysis, File extraction and logging, Anomaly detection, IPS mode to block threats, Integration with logging and analytics tools and pros including Open source and free, Powerful detection capabilities, Active community support, Regular ruleset updates, Can analyze many protocols, Good performance.

On the other hand, Zeek is a Security & Privacy product tagged with network-security, intrusion-detection, forensics, monitoring.

Its standout features include Real-time traffic analysis, Protocol analysis, Custom protocol detection, Dynamic protocol detection, File extraction, Asset tracking, Anomaly detection, Signature-based detection, and it shines with pros like Open source and free, Powerful scripting capabilities, Large user community and support, Integrates well with other tools, Can handle high bandwidth, Good at detecting anomalies.

Feature	Suricata	Zeek
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Security & Privacy	Security & Privacy

Product Overview

Suricata

Description: Suricata is an open source intrusion detection and prevention system. It uses rules and signatures to monitor network traffic for anomalies and threats, and can generate alerts and block attacks in real-time.

Zeek

Description: Zeek (formerly Bro) is an open-source network security monitor that can passively inspect network traffic for suspicious activity. It detects intrusions, malware, and policy violations and generates logs for network forensics and analysis.

Key Features Comparison

Suricata Features

• Real-time threat detection
• Protocol decoding and analysis
• File extraction and logging
• Anomaly detection
• IPS mode to block threats
• Integration with logging and analytics tools

Zeek Features

• Real-time traffic analysis
• Protocol analysis
• Custom protocol detection
• Dynamic protocol detection
• File extraction
• Asset tracking
• Anomaly detection
• Signature-based detection

Pros & Cons Analysis

Suricata

Pros

• Open source and free
• Powerful detection capabilities
• Active community support
• Regular ruleset updates
• Can analyze many protocols
• Good performance

Cons

• Complex installation and configuration
• Generates many false positives initially
• Requires tuning of rules and thresholds
• No built-in reporting capabilities
• Limited application layer analysis

Zeek

Pros

• Open source and free
• Powerful scripting capabilities
• Large user community and support
• Integrates well with other tools
• Can handle high bandwidth
• Good at detecting anomalies

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Requires expertise to configure and customize
• Generates large amounts of log data
• Limited built-in reporting capabilities
• Does not block attacks in real-time

Pricing Comparison

Suricata

• Open Source

Zeek

• Open Source