Snort
Snort is an open-source network intrusion detection and prevention system (IDS/IPS) that monitors network traffic in real-time to detect and block malicious activities. It uses rule-based analysis to identify threats such as malware, exploits, and policy violations, and can be deployed in inline mode to actively prevent attacks. Originally developed in 1998, it has become a widely used tool for network security monitoring and threat detection.
Developers should learn Snort when working on network security, system administration, or cybersecurity projects to enhance the protection of their infrastructure. It is particularly useful for monitoring network traffic in environments like data centers, corporate networks, or cloud deployments to detect intrusions, analyze security incidents, and comply with regulatory requirements. For example, it can be integrated into DevOps pipelines for continuous security monitoring or used by security analysts to investigate breaches.