Suricata is a high-performance, open-source network threat detection engine capable of IDS, IPS, and network security monitoring. While compatible with Snort rule syntax, Suricata extends the language with multi-threading, protocol-specific keywords, file extraction, TLS/JA3 fingerprinting, and built-in JSON logging via EVE. Suricata rule development leverages these advanced capabilities to build detections that operate at line speed on modern networks while extracting rich metadata for analysis.
Suricata rules follow the Snort format but add protocol-aware keywords for HTTP, TLS, DNS, SMB, and other application-layer protocols. Developers use keywords like http.uri, http.host, tls.sni, and dns.query to inspect specific protocol fields without manual offset calculations. Suricata's multi-pattern matcher processes thousands of rules simultaneously using Aho-Corasick and Hyperscan algorithms. Rules can extract files from network streams for sandbox analysis, compute JA3/JA3S hashes for TLS fingerprinting, and leverage Lua scripting for complex detection logic that exceeds the capabilities of the standard rule language.
Modern networks demand detection engines that can process encrypted traffic metadata, extract files at scale, and maintain performance at multi-gigabit speeds. Suricata meets these requirements while providing richer protocol visibility than traditional IDS solutions. Organizations adopting Suricata gain protocol-aware detection, integrated network metadata logging, and a thriving open-source community contributing rules and intelligence.
CDA deploys Suricata as the preferred network detection engine in VSD domain engagements. Theater missions include custom Suricata rule sets that leverage protocol-aware keywords and JA3 fingerprinting, delivering network visibility that aligns with the Planetary Defense Model's emphasis on continuous surface reduction.