The 30 Best Free and Open-Source Cybersecurity Tools
Should your enterprise embrace open-source cybersecurity tools? What can free and open-source cybersecurity tools offer your enterprise? Also, what open-source cybersecurity tools exist for the three major branches of business InfoSec: Identity Management, Endpoint Security, and SIEM?
Open-source cybersecurity tools, as the name suggests, open their cybersecurity designs to the public for easy modification and customization. Therefore, your IT security team could deploy one of these tools and modify it to fit your organization’s use case.
Additionally, almost all open-source cybersecurity tools are free to use, which can help enterprises save on their IT budgets. During the coronavirus pandemic and the era of social distancing, this could certainly appeal to businesses of all sizes.
However, these tools don’t offer the same functionality, capabilities, or optimal performance of a full-fledged solution. For example, open source identity and access management can’t offer the capabilities of full identity governance or privileged access management solutions. At the same time, these tools could help bridge gaps while you seek out a more robust solution or while you sort your cybersecurity budget.
Thus, Solutions Review presents the top 30 free and open-source cybersecurity tools.
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Open Source Cybersecurity Tools
Identity Management
OpenIAM
This stands as perhaps one of the most well-known open-source identity management tools; it features single sign-on, user and group management, flexible authentication, and automated provisioning—a major component of identity governance and administration. Moreover, OpenIAM aims to help reduce enterprise operational costs and improve identity audits via a centralized control station. Also, the community version doesn’t enforce a time limit on subscriptions and benefits from community forum support.
Apache Syncope
The Apache Syncope platform describes itself as an open-source system managing digital identities in enterprise environments; it rarely gets more straightforward. Apache Syncope focuses on providing identity lifecycle management, identity storage, provisioning engines, and access management capabilities. Furthermore, it even offers some monitoring and security capabilities for third-party applications.
Shibboleth Consortium
Shibboleth Consortium offers their Identity Provider; this tool offers web Single Sign-On, authentication, and user data aggregation. Additionally, Shibboleth can enforce your identity management policies on user authentication requests and implement fine-grain controls. It can even scale with your enterprise’s growth right out of the box. Moreover, the Consortium also provides a service provider and a metadata aggregator as deployable business products.
WSO2
Significantly, the WSO2 Identity Service stands as one of the few open-source identity management tools providing CIAM capabilities. For businesses interested in CIAM, WSO2 advertises lower-friction access for customers, data gathering for business intelligence, and streamlined preference management. Further, the WSO2 Identity Service offers API and microservices security, access control, account management, identity provisioning, identity bridging, and analytics.
MidPoint
Midpoint from Evolveum seeks to combine identity management and identity governance. Indeed, MidPoint aims to provide scalability, allowing enterprises to grow to accommodate millions of users; it also seeks to offer diverse customization. Additionally, Midpoint offers an auditing feature—which can even evaluate role catalogs— as well as compliance fulfillment. Its compliance capabilities can even help your enterprise with strict identity regulations such as the EU’s GDPR.
Soffid
Soffid offers single sign-on and identity management at the enterprise level. In addition, it aims to reduce your IAM support costs and assist with auditing and legal compliance. Critically, Soffid also aims to facilitate mobile device usage through self-service portals. In the realm of identity governance and administration, Soffid also offers identity provisioning, workflow features, reporting, and a unified directory. It also provides enterprise-wide role management through predefined risk levels.
Gluu
Open source identity management tools aim to keep your cybersecurity platforms together. Thus, Gluu’s name proves remarkably appropriate. Among its features, Gluu offers an authorization server for web & API access management. Also, it provides a directory for identity data storage, authentication middleware for inbound identities, two-factor authentication, and directory integration.
Keycloak
Keycloak positions its design primarily for applications and services. The emphasis on third-party application identity security enables your enterprise to monitor and secure third-party programs with little coding. Yet Keycloak also provides out-of-the-box user authentication and federation. Furthermore, it provides standard protocols, centralized management, password policies, and even social login for CIAM needs.
FreeIPA
Perhaps a little more esoteric than the other open-source identity management tools listed here, FreeIPA works to manage Linux users particularly. Additionally, it can assist in monitoring and securing digital identity in MIT Kerberos and UNIX networked environments. To this end, FreeIPA provides centralized authentication and authorization through user data storage. Finally, it also offers a web interface and command-line administration tools.
Central Authentication Service (CAS)
The CAS offers Single Sign-On for the web. However, it offers so much more: an open-source Java server component, support for multiple protocols, diverse integration capabilities, community documentation, and implementation support. CAS also offers session and user authentication process
Antivirus
Avast Free Antivirus
Avast Free Antivirus offers real-time file analysis for detecting malware, as well as access to threat detection networks. In addition, it offers a machine-learning antivirus tool alongside Wifi and Browser Security.
Panda Free Antivirus
Panda Free Antivirus operates on Windows, Mac. and Android and specializes in USB protections. It can scan all installed applications in real-time, and even offer some free VPN services.
ClamWin
One of the most well-known free antivirus products, ClamWin works best on Windows OS. It offers a virus scanner with a scheduler, open-source code, and automatic downloads from its continually updated Virus Database.
Comodo
Comodo also provides fully-fledged endpoint security and draws from their solutions for their free antivirus. Thus their product can defend against unknown files before they gain access, receive real-time security updates, and remove dangerous websites.
Windows Defender/ Microsoft Security Essentials
The distinction here comes from the OS of your PCs. Regardless, this free antivirus usually comes included with the purchase of new PCs. Windows Defender operates in the background; it scans systems not currently in use to avoid disrupting your business processes.
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition
Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition offers a solid, open-source antivirus solution requiring little technical skill. Additionally, it offers behavioral detection and active application monitoring.
FortiClient
FortiClient reduces the risk of malware, blocks spam URLs, and blocks exploits kits. Moreover, it provides a centralized dashboard for controlling security across multiple endpoints. FortiClient supports web browsers and PDF readers.
Nano Antivirus
Nano Antivirus works with Nano Antivirus Sky Scan. The former provides protection against ransomware. The latter manages the Antivirus on your devices and exclusively serves touchscreen endpoints. Nano can offer cloud scanning without restriction.
AVG Antivirus
This one serves as an example of a free security product not specifically designed for business use; however, it comes with a good reputation from small business clients. AVG Antivirus provides “Do Not Track” functions and PC tune-ups, as well as website safety ratings.
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus
ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus offers data encryption and online privacy options as part of their product. In addition, it offers firewalls and backup features in case of breaches or ransomware. ZoneAlarm also offers wireless network protection with real-time security updates.
SIEM
Apache Metron
Apache Metron evolved from Cisco’s Open SOC platform. Much like SIEMonster, it also ties multiple open source solutions together in one centralized platform. Apache Metron can parse and normalize security events into standard JSON language for easy analysis. Additionally, it can provide security alerts, data enrichment, and labeling. Furthermore, Apache Metron can index and store security events, a major boon to enterprises of all sizes.
AlienVault OSSIM
AT&T Cybersecurity offers AlienVault OSSIM, an open-source SIEM tool based on their AlienVault USM solution. Similar to the above entries, AlienVault OSSIM combines multiple open-source projects into one package. In addition, AlienVault OSSIM allows for device monitoring and log collection. It also provides for normalization and event correlation.
MozDef
Created by Mozilla to automate security incident processing, MozDef offers scalability and resilience; the former quality especially appeals to SMBs. This open-source SIEM solution uses a microservice-based architecture; MozDef can provide event correlation and security alerts. Moreover, it can integrate with multiple third-parties.
OSSEC
Technically, OSSEC is an open-source intrusion detection system rather than a SIEM solution. However, it still offers a host agent for log collection and a central application for processing those logs. Overall, this tool monitors log files and file integrity for potential cyber-attacks. It can perform log analysis from multiple networks services and provide your IT team with numerous alerting options.
Wazuh
Wazuh actually evolved from a different open-source SIEM solution; namely, OSSEC. Yet Wazuh now stands as its own unique solution. Indeed, it supports agent-based data collection as well as syslog aggregation. Therefore, Wazuh can easily monitor on-premises devices. It has a distinct web UI and comprehensive rulesets for easy IT admin management.
Prelude OSS
Prelude OSS offers an open-source version of the Prelude SIEM solution. This supports a wide range of log formats and can integrate with other security tools. It also offers event data normalization into a standard language which can help support other cybersecurity tools and solutions. Prelude OSS also benefits from continuous development so it stays up to date with the latest threat intelligence.
Snort
Another open-source intrusion detection system, Snort works to provide log analysis; it also performs real-time analysis on network traffic to suss out potential dangers. Snort can also display real-time traffic or dump streams of packets to a log file. Moreover, it can use output plugins to determine how and where it stores data in your network.
Sagan
As a platform, Sagan works almost exclusively with fellow open-source SIEM tool Snort; Sagan compliments and supports Snort’s rules. Sagan is designed to be lightweight and can write to Snort Databases. For those interested in working with Snort, this may serve as another essential tool.
ELK Stack
This solution also goes by ELK or Elastic Stack. The ELK Stack solution also consists of multiple free SIEM products. For example, using embedded Logstash components, ELK can aggregate logs from nearly any data source. In addition, it can correlate that log data via a wide array of plugins, although it requires manual security rules. ELK Stack can also visualize the data with another component.
SIEMonster
SIEMonster straddles the line between free SIEM and a paid solution, as it offers both. As with many of the listed solutions, SIEMonster offers a platform combining multiple open-source tools As a result, it does offer a centralized interface for controlling these tools, data visualization, and threat intelligence. Unlike some other open-source SIEM solutions, your business can deploy it on the cloud.
Open-Source Cybersecurity Tools or Paid Solution?
The editors of Solutions Review proudly present these open-source tools. Moreover, we state with confidence that these tools can help small businesses or with complex use cases. However, we urge you to consider a full cybersecurity solution for its effectiveness and capabilities.
Start with identity and access management; most cybersecurity experts state it forms the core of modern digital safety. Check out our Identity Management Buyer’s Guide to learn more. Afterward, check out our SIEM and Endpoint Security Guides. Finally, check out the Solutions Suggestion Engine for matching vendor profiles in seconds.