Security Onion

What it is

A Linux distribution that installs and wires together network and host monitoring tools, including Suricata, Zeek, and the Elastic Stack, behind one console. It can be deployed on a single box or across many sensors.

What it helps with

- Collecting and searching network alerts, logs, and host data in one place
- Hunting for threats across network sessions and endpoint events
- Triaging and escalating alerts as cases
- Building home or classroom SOC labs

Who it's for

SOC analysts, threat hunters, and defenders monitoring networks they operate.

Worth knowing

The source is public, but it is licensed under the Elastic License 2.0, which bars offering it as a hosted service. The company says the Pro edition adds Onion AI features for alert analysis and detection tuning.

Is formal training available?
Yes, Security Onion Solutions offers paid training and a certification.

How long has the project existed?
Its first release came out in 2009.