Intrusion Detection and Traffic Analysis with Snort by Cyber Security Testing Pro

Monitor, detect, and block malicious IoT traffic using Snort’s robust IDS/IPS engine—customized and supported by Cyber Security Testing Pro for critical infrastructure.

System Insight

Snort is a high-performance intrusion detection and prevention system (IDS/IPS) widely adopted across industrial and utility sectors for defending against cyber threats in real-time. At Cyber Security Testing Pro, we deploy and fine-tune Snort to monitor network traffic across IoT-enabled infrastructures, identifying suspicious activity, protocol anomalies, and known exploits. Leveraging Snort’s flexible rule-based architecture, Cyber Security Testing Pro enables utility operators and infrastructure managers to proactively respond to cyberattacks, zero-day vulnerabilities, and policy violations. Based in Canoga Park, CA, Cyber Security Testing Pro integrates Snort with custom alerting, visualization, and forensic systems, empowering North American enterprises to protect their smart operations with confidence.

Core Components

Hardware

Ethernet Testers

used to validate connectivity and performance of the Ethernet interfaces on x86-based deployment hardware.

Ethernet Media Converters

enable seamless connectivity between fiber and copper links for traffic mirroring in passive monitoring setups.

Video Mux & Converters

support high-bandwidth data processing environments by optimizing video and parallel data flow for GPU-accelerated analysis.

Software

Snort engine with customizable rule sets

Preprocessors for protocol normalization and anomaly detection

Packet decoders, detection plugins, and alerting modules

Cloud Services

Snort rule updates and telemetry from cloud feeds

Integration with cloud-native SIEM platforms

Supports deployment within virtualized or containerized environments

Key Features

Real-Time Packet Analysis – Monitors network packets for malicious content and patterns

Signature-Based Detection – Uses thousands of predefined and custom rules

Protocol Anomaly Detection – Identifies malformed traffic and protocol misuse

Inline Mode Support – Blocks malicious traffic when deployed as an IPS

Comprehensive Logging – Exports alerts to syslog, JSON, or database targets

Rule Update Automation – Continuously fetches updates from community and commercial feeds

Integrations

Security Onion and ELK Stack
SIEMs like Splunk, QRadar, and Graylog
Suricata for hybrid IDS setups
pfSense and other firewalls
Custom alerting via Python, Syslog, or SNMP

Compatibility

Works on Linux, BSD, and Windows
Supports IPv4/IPv6, VLANs, tunnels, and fragmented traffic
SCADA/ICS protocol compatibility (Modbus, DNP3, IEC 60870-5-104)
Deployed across on-premise, hybrid, and cloud environments

Benefits

Threat Detection

Immediate threat detection across critical communication paths

Defense-in-Depth

Strengthens defense-in-depth strategies

Anomaly Detection

Detects both known attacks and unusual behavior

Active/Passive Blocking

Flexible for both passive and active blocking roles

Custom Rules

Customizable rule sets for industry-specific traffic profiles

Applications

Utility network perimeter and internal monitoring
Industrial IoT intrusion detection
SCADA/ICS traffic auditing
Event correlation in smart grid deployments
Compliance-driven logging and reporting

Industries

Smart Utilities (Power, Gas, Water)
Critical Infrastructure Operators
Industrial Automation Providers
Data Centers and Cloud Service Providers
Public Transit and Transportation

Relevant U.S. & Canadian Industry Standards

NIST SP 800-94

ISO/IEC 27035

OWASP IoT Top 10

NERC CIP

Canada’s PIPEDA

Case Studies

U.S. Water Authority – Michigan

Cyber Security Testing Pro helped deploy Snort to monitor segmented networks across 15 pumping stations. Within two weeks, Snort flagged abnormal Modbus TCP commands that were traced to compromised engineering workstations. The authority implemented stricter VLAN controls and device isolation based on Snort findings.

U.S. Transportation SCADA Operator – Arizona

Cyber Security Testing Pro configured Snort for a public metro operator to monitor industrial protocol traffic between remote track monitoring systems and the control center. Snort alerted on unusual connection attempts that indicated lateral movement. The alert enabled faster incident response and recovery planning.

Canadian Energy Distributor – Ontario

Cyber Security Testing Pro deployed Snort at multiple substations to track control message flow integrity. The system detected suspicious ping sweeps and malformed packets, later tied to misconfigured vendor access. Policy was revised to restrict third-party maintenance channels.

Need real-time detection across your IoT-enabled utility infrastructure?

Contact us today to explore how Cyber Security Testing Pro can integrate and manage Snort for your organization. Our team is ready to tailor deployments, tune rulesets, and enhance your operational security with scalable, proven technology.