What Snort is
Snort is a signature-based network intrusion detection and prevention system. On pfSense it can inspect traffic on selected interfaces, generate alerts and—after tuning—block traffic that matches enabled rules.
Why I use it
I use Snort to understand what an IDS can see at the network edge and how raw alerts become useful operational information. The project is as much about false-positive reduction and safe deployment as it is about enabling signatures.
Tuning approach
- Start in alert-only mode
- Define the networks and servers being protected
- Enable appropriate rule categories
- Review repeated alerts before blocking
- Use pass lists for trusted infrastructure
- Document disabled or suppressed rules and why
What it demonstrates
This project shows packet-level troubleshooting, rule lifecycle management, incident triage and the discipline required to avoid turning an IPS into a source of outages.
Run in alert-only mode first, tune noisy signatures and enable blocking only after confirming legitimate traffic will not be disrupted.
Install Snort through the supported pfSense package or on an isolated sensor, select the correct monitored interface and begin with a conservative rule set.