Advanced IDS/IPS Capabilities with Suricata by Cyber Security Testing Pro

Get full-spectrum visibility and response through Cyber Security Testing Pro’s deployment of Security Onion for industrial and utility-scale IoT environments.

System Overview

Security Onion is a free and open-source Linux distribution that integrates powerful tools for intrusion detection, log management, threat hunting, and network forensics. At Cyber Security Testing Pro, we configure and deploy Security Onion in complex smart utility IoT infrastructures to unify monitoring across diverse endpoints and environments. With built-in support for tools like Suricata, Zeek, Wazuh, and the Elastic Stack, Security Onion empowers operators with real-time detection, correlated alerts, and comprehensive packet-level visibility. From our base in Canoga Park, CA, Cyber Security Testing Pro brings Security Onion into production across North American B2B networks, delivering tailored, scalable, and policy-compliant threat intelligence solutions.

Core Components

Hardware

Media Converters

Works on commodity x86 hardware or virtual environments. Relevant Product Category: Media Converters Ethernet to Fiber

Fiber Distribution Terminal

Supports centralized and distributed sensor configurations Relevant Product Category Fiber Distribution Terminal

SFP+ Transceiver

Easily scalable to multi-gigabit IoT environments Relevant Product Category SFP+ Transceiver

Software

Linux-based OS with integrated Suricata, Zeek, Wazuh, Stenographer

Kibana dashboards and Elasticsearch backend for visualization

Log parsing, full packet capture, and event correlation

Cloud Services

Secure remote management through cloud dashboards

SIEM cloud integration for long-term log storage

Cloud-enforced threat rule updates and policy management

Key Features

Comprehensive Detection Stack – Combines signature and behavior-based analysis

Full Packet Capture (PCAP) – Retains packet data for forensic analysis

Centralized Log Management – Stores and visualizes logs using the Elastic Stack

Automated Alerting and Correlation – Reduces alert fatigue and speeds up triage

Scalable Deployment Options – From single-node to hybrid multi-location architecture

Integrated Threat Hunting Tools – Provides powerful queries and visualizations for proactive threat discovery

Integrations

  • Elastic Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana)

  • Zeek (formerly Bro) for behavioral analysis
  • Suricata for IDS/IPS
  • Wazuh for endpoint security and log monitoring
  • Stenographer for high-speed packet capture
  • External SIEMs and ticketing systems via APIs

Compatibility

  • Compatible with major virtualization platforms (VMware, Hyper-V, Proxmox)

  • Works on-prem, in cloud, or in hybrid deployments
  • Supports a range of protocols including DNS, HTTP, SSL, FTP, Modbus, and more
  • Integrates with IoT devices, SCADA, and ICS protocols

Benefits

Threat Analysis

Enables real-time and retrospective threat analysis

Faster Response

Reduces breach response time through centralized visibility

Scalable Deployments

Scalable for both small facilities and nationwide deployments

Cost-Efficient

Open-source cost-efficiency with enterprise-level capabilities

Customizable Compliance

Fully customizable to meet compliance and operational needs

Applications

  • Security operations in smart grid infrastructure

  • Incident response in water and gas utilities
  • Network traffic auditing in smart manufacturing
  • Threat hunting in remote and urban IoT ecosystems
  • Policy enforcement in public-sector critical systems

Industries

  • Energy Distribution & Utilities

  • Industrial Manufacturing
  • Transportation Infrastructure
  • Public Sector and Defense
  • Smart Cities and Government Facilities

Relevant U.S. & Canadian Industry Standards

NIST SP 800-61

ISO/IEC 27035

CCPA

FERC Order No. 706

Canada’s Cyber Security Standard Baseline

Case Studies

U.S. Renewable Energy Firm – Oregon

Cyber Security Testing Pro deployed Security Onion to monitor network traffic from wind farm turbines and energy management systems. With full packet capture and Zeek analysis, the firm uncovered hidden beaconing activity tied to remote access malware and neutralized it before any disruption.

U.S. City Water Utility – Michigan

Security Onion, configured byCyber Security Testing Pro, provided intrusion detection and centralized logging for a city-wide SCADA network. The deployment helped correlate a series of DNS tunneling alerts across pump stations, leading to the containment of a persistent threat actor.

Canadian Government Research Lab – Ontario

To protect sensitive research data and control systems,Cyber Security Testing Pro integrated Security Onion with Wazuh and Kibana. The lab gained continuous insight into abnormal user behavior and unauthorized SSH access attempts—enhancing forensic readiness and insider threat monitoring.

Looking to unify your threat detection, monitoring, and forensic response?

 Contact us now to learn how Cyber Security Testing Pro can deploy and optimize Security Onion for your smart utility or industrial infrastructure. Let’s secure what matters.