As time progresses in the zettabyte era, network security is becoming increasingly critical. With constantly evolving cyber threats and increasing numbers of daily network breaches, SecOps teams must identify an effective set of tools they can leverage to combat these threats. This challenge becomes even more complicated as network bandwidth rapidly grows.
Without a solid network security system, the exposure to attacks exponentially increases. Network traffic analyzers are typically used to monitor daily activity and detect anomalous behavior so that machine learning algorithms can shut down bad actors to minimize damage.
This guide will explain what Zeek is and how it optimizes network security.
The Basics of Zeek
Zeek is a passive, open-source network traffic analyzer tool used by many operators. It analyzes network traffic packets and creates “Zeek logs” which can be used to detect malicious activity within a network. Different types of network metadata, like Zeek logs, IPFIX and NetFlow, allow better visibility into specific network conversations (or flows).
For each network flow, network metadata typically communicates basic 5-tuple information (IP address, protocol, port) as well as specific traffic attributes that can assist security teams like DNS information, TLS encryption details and layer 7 application information. This information can be highly leverage by network security algorithms to detect network-wide botnet and malware campaigns.
As global traffic rates increase, the importance of high-speed ethernet security is critical and technologies that rely on network metadata (such as Zeek) can help network security solutions scale.
History of Zeek and Bro
If you know network security protocols, you should know that Zeek is not a new name. In fact, this open-source tool that relies on analyzing metadata has been around since the 1990s. Initially designed by Vern Paxson in 1995, the software took its first breath at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
How it All Began
Initially, the software was termed “Bro,” inspired by referencing George Orwell’s novel ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four.’ Later, in 1996, LBNL deployed the software for the first time.
After two years, Vern received the Best Paper Award when the USENIX Security Symposium published his work on Bro.
Further Development of Zeek
Eventually, Vern led the ICSI Networking and Security Group, which started supporting the research and development on Bro. Development on Bro continued thru the mid-2000s and the number of Bro community users grew.
In 2018, the tools name was changed from Bro to Zeek. The project leadership team decided to choose a name they felt would better reflect the values of the community. Since the “bro-culture” had a negative impression of the outside world, they wanted to avoid it. Instead, the history of the Zeek community bears the mark of efficiency.
Benefits of Using Zeek and Security-Enriched Network Metadata
As a network security tool based on the use of metadata, Zeek provide several advantages.
- Powerful Security Language: Zeek logs provides a powerful set of flow-based information that can be leveraged by network security tools.
- Open-Source Tool: You can easily create integrate 3rd party tools for analyzing network data.
- Threat Hunting: Zeek enables detection of active threats through behavioral-based analysis. Zeek logs provide a more effective foundation for proactive threat hunting versus traditional methods.
- Encrypted Traffic Analysis: Privacy concerns have led to a sharp rise in encrypted traffic volume. Zeek provides a mechanism to analyze encrypted traffic using specific raw indicators like JA3 fingerprints and TLS ciphers.
Conclusion
Cyber attacks are rising at rates never before seen, therefore security measures must be adjusted accordingly. Thanks to the Zeek programming language, businesses can easily customize the metadata interpretation accordingly.
With the help of Zeek and other forms of enriched metadata, you can easily monitor any and all network activity to the finest of detail..
Need help or have more queries regarding the optimized use of network metadata to avoid any network security issues in the future? Let the experienced professionals at NetQuest be of assistance. Feel free to reach out regarding any help regarding the use of network metadata and upgrade your threat intelligence today.