Hello. Total newbie here with Suricata. I am new to using Suricata and was wondering what the traffic group numbers mean on the alerts. eg. ET COMPROMISED Known Compromised or Hostile Host Traffic group 17 or Traffic group 14. Traffic group 8 etc.
Thanks in advance.
ChatGPT o1-mini:
Suricata, as a powerful open-source network threat detection engine, utilizes a variety of rule sets to identify and categorize network traffic based on potential threats. When you encounter traffic group numbers (e.g., Traffic Group 17, Traffic Group 14, Traffic Group 8) in Suricata alerts, these numbers typically correspond to specific categories or classifications defined within the rule sets being used. Here’s a detailed breakdown to help you understand what these traffic group numbers mean:
- Understanding Traffic Groups in Suricata
• Rule Sets and Categories: Suricata relies on rule sets, such as those from Emerging Threats (ET), to detect malicious activities. These rule sets categorize threats into various groups based on their nature, severity, and behavior.
• Traffic Group Numbers: The numerical identifiers (e.g., 17, 14, 8) you see are likely custom or standardized mappings that associate specific threat categories with numerical codes. These mappings help in quickly identifying and filtering alerts based on their severity or type.
- Common Traffic Group Number Mappings
While the exact meaning of traffic group numbers can vary depending on the organization or the specific rule set implementation, here’s a general guideline based on common practices:
• Traffic Group 8: Policy Violations
• Description: Alerts related to policy breaches, such as unauthorized access attempts, non-compliant protocols, or other administrative policy violations.
• Traffic Group 14: Hostile Host Traffic
• Description: Traffic originating from or directed towards known hostile hosts. This can include communication with command and control (C2) servers, malicious IP addresses, or compromised machines.
• Traffic Group 17: Compromised Hosts
• Description: Indicators that a host within your network has been compromised. This could involve malware activity, unauthorized data exfiltration, or other signs of a breached system.
- Determining the Exact Meaning
To accurately determine what each traffic group number represents in your specific environment:
• Check Rule Set Documentation: If you’re using a standard rule set like Emerging Threats, refer to their official documentation or contact their support to get detailed mappings of traffic group numbers to threat categories.
• Custom Implementations: If your organization has customized Suricata rules or integrates it with other security platforms (e.g., SIEMs like Splunk or ELK Stack), consult your internal documentation or speak with your network security team to understand the specific mappings used.
• Configuration Files: Review your Suricata configuration files or any associated rule files. Sometimes, traffic group numbers are defined or referenced within these files, providing clarity on their meanings.
- Best Practices
• Maintain Updated Documentation: Ensure that any custom mappings or implementations are well-documented. This aids in quick incident response and reduces confusion during threat analysis.
• Regularly Update Rule Sets: Keep your Suricata rule sets up-to-date to benefit from the latest threat intelligence and categorizations.
• Integrate with SIEMs: Leveraging Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools can help in better visualizing and managing traffic group alerts by providing dashboards and correlation capabilities.
- Example Alert Interpretation
Suppose you receive an alert like:
[**] [1:1000001:0] ET COMPROMISED Known Compromised Host Traffic Group 17
• ET COMPROMISED: Indicates the category from the Emerging Threats rule set related to compromised hosts.
• Traffic Group 17: As per our general mapping, this signifies alerts related to compromised hosts within your network.
- Additional Resources
• Suricata Documentation: Documentation - Suricata
• Emerging Threats Rules: https://rules.emergingthreats.net/
• Community Forums: Engaging with the Suricata community can provide insights and clarifications from other users and experts.
Note: The exact meanings of traffic group numbers can vary based on how Suricata is deployed and configured in your environment. Always refer to your specific rule set documentation or consult with your network security team for precise information.