Snort 3 Reference Manual

The Snort Team

Snort 3 Reference Manual ii

REVISION HISTORY

NUMBER DATE DESCRIPTION NAME

3.1.27.0 2022-04-07 13:35:35 TST

EDT
Snort 3 Reference Manual iii

Contents

1 Help 1

2 Basic Modules 1
2.1 active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2.2 alerts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.3 attribute_table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.4 classifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.5 daq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.6 decode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.7 detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.8 event_filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.9 event_queue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.10 file_policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.11 high_availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.12 host_cache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.13 host_tracker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.14 hosts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.15 inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.16 ips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.17 latency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.18 memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.19 network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.20 output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.21 packet_tracer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.22 packets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.23 payload_injector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.24 process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.25 profiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.26 rate_filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.27 references . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.28 search_engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.29 side_channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.30 snort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.31 suppress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.32 trace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
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3 Codec Modules 23
3.1 arp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.2 auth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.3 ciscometadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.4 eapol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.5 erspan2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.6 erspan3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.7 esp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
3.8 eth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.9 fabricpath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.10 geneve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.11 gre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.12 gtp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.13 icmp4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.14 icmp6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.15 igmp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.16 ipv4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
3.17 ipv6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.18 llc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.19 mpls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.20 pbb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.21 pgm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.22 pppoe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
3.23 tcp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3.24 token_ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3.25 udp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
3.26 vlan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
3.27 wlan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

4 Connector Modules 34
4.1 file_connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
4.2 tcp_connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

5 Inspector Modules 35
5.1 appid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
5.2 appid_listener . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
5.3 arp_spoof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
5.4 back_orifice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
5.5 binder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
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5.6 cip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
5.7 cpeos_test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
5.8 data_log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
5.9 dce_http_proxy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
5.10 dce_http_server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
5.11 dce_smb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
5.12 dce_tcp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
5.13 dce_udp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
5.14 dnp3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
5.15 dns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5.16 domain_filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
5.17 dpx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
5.18 file_id . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
5.19 file_log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
5.20 ftp_client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.21 ftp_data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.22 ftp_server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
5.23 gtp_inspect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
5.24 http2_inspect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
5.25 http_inspect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
5.26 iec104 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
5.27 imap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
5.28 mem_test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
5.29 modbus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
5.30 netflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
5.31 normalizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
5.32 null_trace_logger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
5.33 packet_capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
5.34 perf_monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
5.35 pop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
5.36 port_scan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
5.37 reputation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
5.38 rna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
5.39 rpc_decode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
5.40 s7commplus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
5.41 sip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
5.42 smtp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
5.43 so_proxy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
5.44 ssh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
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5.45 ssl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
5.46 stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
5.47 stream_file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
5.48 stream_icmp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
5.49 stream_ip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
5.50 stream_tcp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
5.51 stream_udp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
5.52 stream_user . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
5.53 telnet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
5.54 wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

6 IPS Action Modules 95

6.1 react . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
6.2 reject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

7 IPS Option Modules 96

7.1 ack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
7.2 appids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
7.3 asn1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
7.4 base64_decode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
7.5 ber_data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
7.6 ber_skip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
7.7 bufferlen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
7.8 byte_extract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
7.9 byte_jump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
7.10 byte_math . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
7.11 byte_test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
7.12 cip_attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
7.13 cip_class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
7.14 cip_conn_path_class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
7.15 cip_instance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
7.16 cip_req . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
7.17 cip_rsp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
7.18 cip_service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
7.19 cip_status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
7.20 classtype . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
7.21 content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
7.22 cvs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
7.23 dce_iface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
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7.24 dce_opnum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

7.25 dce_stub_data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
7.26 detection_filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
7.27 dnp3_data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
7.28 dnp3_func . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
7.29 dnp3_ind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
7.30 dnp3_obj . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
7.31 dsize . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
7.32 enable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
7.33 enip_command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
7.34 enip_req . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
7.35 enip_rsp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
7.36 file_data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
7.37 file_type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
7.38 flags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
7.39 flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
7.40 flowbits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
7.41 fragbits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
7.42 fragoffset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
7.43 gid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
7.44 gtp_info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
7.45 gtp_type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
7.46 gtp_version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
7.47 http_client_body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
7.48 http_cookie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
7.49 http_header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
7.50 http_header_test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
7.51 http_method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
7.52 http_num_headers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
7.53 http_num_trailers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
7.54 http_param . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
7.55 http_raw_body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
7.56 http_raw_cookie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
7.57 http_raw_header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
7.58 http_raw_request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
7.59 http_raw_status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
7.60 http_raw_trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
7.61 http_raw_uri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
7.62 http_stat_code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
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7.63 http_stat_msg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

7.64 http_trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
7.65 http_trailer_test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
7.66 http_true_ip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
7.67 http_uri . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
7.68 http_version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
7.69 http_version_match . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
7.70 icmp_id . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
7.71 icmp_seq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
7.72 icode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
7.73 id . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
7.74 iec104_apci_type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
7.75 iec104_asdu_func . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
7.76 ip_proto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
7.77 ipopts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
7.78 isdataat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
7.79 itype . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
7.80 js_data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
7.81 md5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
7.82 metadata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
7.83 modbus_data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
7.84 modbus_func . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
7.85 modbus_unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
7.86 msg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
7.87 mss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
7.88 pcre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
7.89 pkt_data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
7.90 pkt_num . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
7.91 priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
7.92 raw_data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
7.93 reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
7.94 regex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
7.95 rem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
7.96 replace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
7.97 rev . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
7.98 rpc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
7.99 s7commplus_content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
7.100s7commplus_func . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
7.101s7commplus_opcode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
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7.102sd_pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
7.103seq . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
7.104service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
7.105sha256 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
7.106sha512 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
7.107sid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
7.108sip_body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
7.109sip_header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
7.110sip_method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
7.111sip_stat_code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
7.112so . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
7.113soid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
7.114ssl_state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
7.115ssl_version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
7.116stream_reassemble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
7.117stream_size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
7.118tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
7.119target . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
7.120tos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
7.121ttl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
7.122urg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
7.123vba_data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
7.124window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
7.125wscale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

8 Search Engine Modules 126

9 SO Rule Modules 126

10 Logger Modules 126

10.1 alert_csv . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
10.2 alert_ex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
10.3 alert_fast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
10.4 alert_full . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
10.5 alert_json . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
10.6 alert_syslog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
10.7 alert_talos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
10.8 alert_unixsock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
10.9 log_codecs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
10.10log_hext . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
10.11log_pcap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
10.12unified2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Snort 3 Reference Manual x

11 Appendix 129
11.1 Build Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
11.2 Environment Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
11.3 Command Line Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
11.4 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
11.5 Counts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
11.6 Generators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
11.7 Builtin Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
11.8 Command Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
11.9 Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
11.10Module Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
11.11Plugin Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Snort 3 Reference Manual 1 / 245

1 Help

The detail in this reference manual was generated from the various help commands available in Snort. snort --help will
output:
Snort has several options to get more help:

-? list command line options (same as --help)

--help this overview of help
--help-commands [<module prefix>] output matching commands
--help-config [<module prefix>] output matching config options
--help-counts [<module prefix>] output matching peg counts
--help-limits print the int upper bounds denoted by max*
--help-module <module> output description of given module
--help-modules list all available modules with brief help
--help-modules-json dump description of all available modules in JSON format
--help-plugins list all available plugins with brief help
--help-options [<option prefix>] output matching command line options
--help-signals dump available control signals
--list-buffers output available inspection buffers
--list-builtin [<module prefix>] output matching builtin rules
--list-gids [<module prefix>] output matching generators
--list-modules [<module type>] list all known modules
--list-plugins list all known modules
--show-plugins list module and plugin versions

--help* and --list* options preempt other processing so should be last on the
command line since any following options are ignored. To ensure options like
--markup and --plugin-path take effect, place them ahead of the help or list
options.

Options that filter output based on a matching prefix, such as --help-config

won't output anything if there is no match. If no prefix is given, everything
matches.

Report bugs to [email protected].

2 Basic Modules

Internal modules which are not plugins are termed "basic". These include configuration for core processing.

2.1 active

Help: configure responses

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• int active.attempts = 0: number of TCP packets sent per response (with varying sequence numbers) { 0:255 }
• string active.device: use ip for network layer responses or eth0 etc for link layer
• string active.dst_mac: use format 01:23:45:67:89:ab

• int active.max_responses = 0: maximum number of responses { 0:255 }

Snort 3 Reference Manual 2 / 245

• int active.min_interval = 255: minimum number of seconds between responses { 1:255 }

Peg counts:

• active.injects: total crafted packets encoded and injected (sum)

• active.failed_injects: total crafted packet encode + injects that failed (sum)
• active.direct_injects: total crafted packets directly injected (sum)
• active.failed_direct_injects: total crafted packet direct injects that failed (sum)

• active.holds_denied: total number of packet hold requests denied (sum)

• active.holds_canceled: total number of packet hold requests canceled (sum)
• active.holds_allowed: total number of packet hold requests allowed (sum)

2.2 alerts

Help: configure alerts

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool alerts.alert_with_interface_name = false: include interface in alert info (fast, full, or syslog only)

• int alerts.detection_filter_memcap = 1048576: set available MB of memory for detection_filters { 0:max32 }

• int alerts.event_filter_memcap = 1048576: set available MB of memory for event_filters { 0:max32 }
• bool alerts.log_references = false: include rule references in alert info (full only)

• string alerts.order: change the order of rule action application

• int alerts.rate_filter_memcap = 1048576: set available MB of memory for rate_filters { 0:max32 }
• string alerts.reference_net: set the CIDR for homenet (for use with -l or -B, does NOT change $HOME_NET in IDS mode)
• string alerts.tunnel_verdicts: let DAQ handle non-allow verdicts for gtp|teredo|6in4|4in6|4in4|6in6|gre|mpls|vxlan traffic

2.3 attribute_table

Help: configure hosts loading

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• string attribute_table.hosts_file: filename to load attribute host table from

• int attribute_table.max_hosts = 1024: maximum number of hosts in attribute table { 32:max53 }
• int attribute_table.max_services_per_host = 8: maximum number of services per host entry in attribute table { 1:65535 }
• int attribute_table.max_metadata_services = 9: maximum number of services in rule { 1:255 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 3 / 245

2.4 classifications

Help: define rule categories with priority

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• string classifications[].name: name used with classtype rule option

• int classifications[].priority = 1: default priority for class { 0:max32 }
• string classifications[].text: description of class

2.5 daq

Help: configure packet acquisition interface

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• string daq.module_dirs[].path: directory path

• string daq.inputs[].input: input source
• int daq.snaplen = 1518: set snap length (same as -s) { 0:65535 }
• int daq.batch_size = 64: set receive batch size (same as --daq-batch-size) { 1: }
• string daq.modules[].name: DAQ module name (required)
• enum daq.modules[].mode = passive: DAQ module mode { passive | inline | read-file }
• string daq.modules[].variables[].variable: DAQ module variable (foo[=bar])

Peg counts:

• daq.pcaps: total files and interfaces processed (max)

• daq.received: total packets received from DAQ (sum)
• daq.analyzed: total packets analyzed from DAQ (sum)
• daq.dropped: packets dropped (sum)
• daq.filtered: packets filtered out (sum)
• daq.outstanding: packets unprocessed (sum)
• daq.injected: active responses or replacements (sum)
• daq.allow: total allow verdicts (sum)
• daq.block: total block verdicts (sum)
• daq.replace: total replace verdicts (sum)
• daq.whitelist: total whitelist verdicts (sum)
• daq.blacklist: total blacklist verdicts (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 4 / 245

• daq.ignore: total ignore verdicts (sum)

• daq.internal_blacklist: packets blacklisted internally due to lack of DAQ support (sum)
• daq.internal_whitelist: packets whitelisted internally due to lack of DAQ support (sum)

• daq.skipped: packets skipped at startup (sum)

• daq.idle: attempts to acquire from DAQ without available packets (sum)
• daq.rx_bytes: total bytes received (sum)

• daq.expected_flows: expected flows created in DAQ (sum)

• daq.retries_queued: messages queued for retry (sum)
• daq.retries_dropped: messages dropped when overrunning the retry queue (sum)
• daq.retries_processed: messages processed from the retry queue (sum)

• daq.retries_discarded: messages discarded when purging the retry queue (sum)

• daq.sof_messages: start of flow messages received from DAQ (sum)
• daq.eof_messages: end of flow messages received from DAQ (sum)

• daq.other_messages: messages received from DAQ with unrecognized message type (sum)

2.6 decode

Help: general decoder rules

Type: basic
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:150 (decode) loopback IP

• 116:151 (decode) same src/dst IP
• 116:293 (decode) two or more IP (v4 and/or v6) encapsulation layers present

• 116:449 (decode) unassigned/reserved IP protocol

• 116:450 (decode) bad IP protocol
• 116:459 (decode) fragment with zero length
• 116:472 (decode) too many protocols present

• 116:473 (decode) ether type out of range

Snort 3 Reference Manual 5 / 245

2.7 detection

Help: configure general IPS rule processing parameters

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool detection.allow_missing_so_rules = false: warn (true) or error (false) when an SO rule stub refers to an SO rule that isn’t
loaded
• int detection.asn1 = 0: maximum decode nodes { 0:65535 }
• bool detection.global_default_rule_state = true: enable or disable rules by default (overridden by ips policy settings)
• bool detection.global_rule_state = false: apply rule_state against all policies

• bool detection.hyperscan_literals = false: use hyperscan for content literal searches instead of boyer-moore
• int detection.offload_limit = 99999: minimum sizeof PDU to offload fast pattern search (defaults to disabled) { 0:max32 }
• int detection.offload_threads = 0: maximum number of simultaneous offloads (defaults to disabled) { 0:max32 }

• bool detection.pcre_enable = true: enable pcre pattern matching

• int detection.pcre_match_limit = 1500: limit pcre backtracking, 0 = off { 0:max32 }
• int detection.pcre_match_limit_recursion = 1500: limit pcre stack consumption, 0 = off { 0:max32 }
• bool detection.pcre_override = true: enable pcre match limit overrides when pattern matching (ie ignore /O)

• bool detection.pcre_to_regex = false: enable the use of regex instead of pcre for compatible expressions
• bool detection.enable_address_anomaly_checks = false: enable check and alerting of address anomalies

Peg counts:

• detection.analyzed: total packets processed (now)

• detection.hard_evals: non-fast pattern rule evaluations (sum)
• detection.raw_searches: fast pattern searches in raw packet data (sum)

• detection.cooked_searches: fast pattern searches in cooked packet data (sum)

• detection.pkt_searches: fast pattern searches in packet data (sum)
• detection.alt_searches: alt fast pattern searches in packet data (sum)
• detection.key_searches: fast pattern searches in key buffer (sum)

• detection.header_searches: fast pattern searches in header buffer (sum)

• detection.body_searches: fast pattern searches in body buffer (sum)
• detection.file_searches: fast pattern searches in file buffer (sum)

• detection.raw_key_searches: fast pattern searches in raw key buffer (sum)

• detection.raw_header_searches: fast pattern searches in raw header buffer (sum)
• detection.method_searches: fast pattern searches in method buffer (sum)
• detection.stat_code_searches: fast pattern searches in status code buffer (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 6 / 245

• detection.stat_msg_searches: fast pattern searches in status message buffer (sum)

• detection.cookie_searches: fast pattern searches in cookie buffer (sum)
• detection.js_data_searches: fast pattern searches in js_data buffer (sum)
• detection.vba_searches: fast pattern searches in MS Office Visual Basic for Applications buffer (sum)
• detection.offloads: fast pattern searches that were offloaded (sum)
• detection.alerts: alerts not including IP reputation (sum)
• detection.total_alerts: alerts including IP reputation (sum)
• detection.logged: logged packets (sum)
• detection.passed: passed packets (sum)
• detection.match_limit: fast pattern matches not processed (sum)
• detection.queue_limit: events not queued because queue full (sum)
• detection.log_limit: events queued but not logged (sum)
• detection.event_limit: events filtered (sum)
• detection.alert_limit: events previously triggered on same PDU (sum)
• detection.context_stalls: times processing stalled to wait for an available context (sum)
• detection.offload_busy: times offload was not available (sum)
• detection.onload_waits: times processing waited for onload to complete (sum)
• detection.offload_fallback: fast pattern offload search fallback attempts (sum)
• detection.offload_failures: fast pattern offload search failures (sum)
• detection.offload_suspends: fast pattern search suspends due to offload context chains (sum)
• detection.pcre_match_limit: total number of times pcre hit the match limit (sum)
• detection.pcre_recursion_limit: total number of times pcre hit the recursion limit (sum)
• detection.pcre_error: total number of times pcre returns error (sum)

2.8 event_filter

Help: configure thresholding of events

Type: basic
Usage: context
Configuration:

• int event_filter[].gid = 1: rule generator ID { 0:max32 }

• int event_filter[].sid = 1: rule signature ID { 0:max32 }
• enum event_filter[].type: 1st count events | every count events | once after count events { limit | threshold | both }
• enum event_filter[].track: filter only matching source or destination addresses { by_src | by_dst }
• int event_filter[].count = 0: number of events in interval before tripping; -1 to disable { -1:max31 }
• int event_filter[].seconds = 0: count interval { 0:max32 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 7 / 245

• string event_filter[].ip: restrict filter to these addresses according to track

Peg counts:

• event_filter.no_memory_local: number of times event filter ran out of local memory (sum)
• event_filter.no_memory_global: number of times event filter ran out of global memory (sum)

2.9 event_queue

Help: configure event queue parameters

Type: basic
Usage: context
Configuration:

• int event_queue.max_queue = 8: maximum events to queue { 1:max32 }

• int event_queue.log = 3: maximum events to log { 1:max32 }

• enum event_queue.order_events = content_length: criteria for ordering incoming events { priority|content_length }

• bool event_queue.process_all_events = false: process just first action group or all action groups

2.10 file_policy

Help: configure file policy

Type: basic
Usage: context
Configuration:

• bool file_policy.enable_type = true: enable type ID

• bool file_policy.enable_signature = false: enable signature calculation

• bool file_policy.enable_capture = false: enable file capture

• int file_policy.verdict_delay = 0: number of queries to return final verdict { 0:max53 }
• int file_policy.rules[].when.file_type_id = 0: unique ID for file type in file magic rule { 0:max32 }

• string file_policy.rules[].when.sha256: SHA 256

• enum file_policy.rules[].use.verdict = unknown: what to do with matching traffic { unknown | log | stop |
block | reset }
• bool file_policy.rules[].use.enable_file_type = false: true/false → enable/disable file type identification

• bool file_policy.rules[].use.enable_file_signature = false: true/false → enable/disable file signature

• bool file_policy.rules[].use.enable_file_capture = false: true/false → enable/disable file capture
Snort 3 Reference Manual 8 / 245

2.11 high_availability

Help: implement flow tracking high availability

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool high_availability.enable = false: enable high availability

• bool high_availability.daq_channel = false: enable use of daq data plane channel
• bit_list high_availability.ports: side channel message port list { 65535 }
• int high_availability.min_age = 0: minimum session life in milliseconds before HA updates { 0:max32 }
• int high_availability.min_sync = 0: minimum interval in milliseconds between HA updates { 0:max32 }

Peg counts:

• high_availability.msgs_recv: total messages received (sum)

• high_availability.update_msgs_recv: update messages received (sum)
• high_availability.update_msgs_recv_no_flow: update messages received without a local flow (sum)
• high_availability.update_msgs_consumed: update messages fully consumed (sum)
• high_availability.delete_msgs_consumed: deletion messages consumed (sum)
• high_availability.daq_stores: states stored via daq (sum)
• high_availability.daq_imports: states imported via daq (sum)
• high_availability.key_mismatch: messages received with a flow key mismatch (sum)
• high_availability.msg_version_mismatch: messages received with a version mismatch (sum)
• high_availability.msg_length_mismatch: messages received with an inconsistent total length (sum)
• high_availability.truncated_msgs: truncated messages received (sum)
• high_availability.unknown_key_type: messages received with an unknown flow key type (sum)
• high_availability.unknown_client_idx: messages received with an unknown client index (sum)
• high_availability.client_consume_errors: client data consume failure count (sum)

2.12 host_cache

Help: global LRU cache of host_tracker data about hosts

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• string host_cache.dump_file: file name to dump host cache on shutdown; won’t dump by default
• int host_cache.memcap = 8388608: maximum host cache size in bytes { 512:maxSZ }

Commands:
Snort 3 Reference Manual 9 / 245

• host_cache.dump(file_name): dump host cache

• host_cache.delete_host(host_ip): delete host from host cache
• host_cache.delete_network_proto(host_ip, proto): delete network protocol from host
• host_cache.delete_transport_proto(host_ip, proto): delete transport protocol from host
• host_cache.delete_service(host_ip, port, proto): delete service from host
• host_cache.delete_client(host_ip, id, service, version): delete client from host
• host_cache.get_stats(): get current host cache usage and pegs

Peg counts:

• host_cache.adds: lru cache added new entry (sum)

• host_cache.alloc_prunes: lru cache pruned entry to make space for new entry (sum)
• host_cache.find_hits: lru cache found entry in cache (sum)
• host_cache.find_misses: lru cache did not find entry in cache (sum)
• host_cache.reload_prunes: lru cache pruned entry for lower memcap during reload (sum)
• host_cache.removes: lru cache found entry and removed it (sum)
• host_cache.replaced: lru cache found entry and replaced it (sum)

2.13 host_tracker

Help: configure hosts

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• addr host_tracker[].ip: hosts address / cidr

• port host_tracker[].services[].port: port number
• enum host_tracker[].services[].proto: IP protocol { ip | tcp | udp }

Peg counts:

• host_tracker.service_adds: host service adds (sum)

• host_tracker.service_finds: host service finds (sum)

2.14 hosts

Help: configure hosts

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• addr hosts[].ip = 0.0.0.0/32: hosts address / CIDR

Snort 3 Reference Manual 10 / 245

• enum hosts[].frag_policy: defragmentation policy { first | linux | bsd | bsd_right | last | windows | solaris }
• enum hosts[].tcp_policy: TCP reassembly policy { first | last | linux | old_linux | bsd | macos | solaris | irix | hpux11 |
hpux10 | windows | win_2003 | vista | proxy }
• string hosts[].services[].name: service identifier
• enum hosts[].services[].proto = tcp: IP protocol { tcp | udp }
• port hosts[].services[].port: port number

Peg counts:

• hosts.total_hosts: maximum number of entries in the host attribute table (max)

• hosts.hosts_pruned: number of LRU hosts pruned due to configured resource limits (sum)
• hosts.dynamic_host_adds: number of host additions after initial host file load (sum)
• hosts.dynamic_service_adds: number of service additions after initial host file load (sum)
• hosts.dynamic_service_updates: number of service updates after initial host file load (sum)
• hosts.service_list_overflows: number of service additions that failed due to configured resource limits (sum)

2.15 inspection

Help: configure basic inspection policy parameters

Type: basic
Usage: inspect
Configuration:

• int inspection.id = 0: correlate policy and events with other items in configuration { 0:65535 }
• string inspection.uuid: correlate events by uuid
• enum inspection.mode = inline-test: set policy mode { inline | inline-test }
• int inspection.max_aux_ip = 16: maximum number of auxiliary IPs per flow to detect and save (-1 = disable, 0 = detect but
don’t save, 1+ = save in FIFO manner) { -1:127 }

2.16 ips

Help: configure IPS rule processing

Type: basic
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string ips.action_map[].replace: action you want to change

• string ips.action_map[].with: action you want to use instead
• string ips.action_override: use this action for all rules (applied before action_map)
• enum ips.default_rule_state = inherit: enable or disable ips rules { no | yes | inherit }
• bool ips.enable_builtin_rules = false: enable events from builtin rules w/o stubs
Snort 3 Reference Manual 11 / 245

• int ips.id = 0: correlate unified2 events with configuration { 0:65535 }

• string ips.include: snort rules and includes
• string ips.includer: for internal use; where includes are included from { (optional) }
• enum ips.mode: set policy mode { tap | inline | inline-test }
• bool ips.obfuscate_pii = false: mask all but the last 4 characters of credit card and social security numbers
• string ips.rules: snort rules and includes (may contain states too)
• string ips.states: snort rule states and includes (may contain rules too)
• string ips.uuid = 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000: IPS policy uuid
• string ips.variables.nets.$var: IPS policy variable
• string ips.variables.paths.$var: IPS policy variable
• string ips.variables.ports.$var: IPS policy variable

2.17 latency

Help: packet and rule latency monitoring and control

Type: basic
Usage: context
Configuration:

• int latency.packet.max_time = 500: set timeout for packet latency thresholding (usec) { 0:max53 }
• bool latency.packet.fastpath = false: fastpath expensive packets (max_time exceeded)
• int latency.rule.max_time = 500: set timeout for rule evaluation (usec) { 0:max53 }
• bool latency.rule.suspend = false: temporarily suspend expensive rules
• int latency.rule.suspend_threshold = 5: set threshold for number of timeouts before suspending a rule { 1:max32 }
• int latency.rule.max_suspend_time = 30000: set max time for suspending a rule (ms, 0 means permanently disable rule) {
0:max32 }

Rules:

• 134:1 (latency) rule tree suspended due to latency

• 134:2 (latency) rule tree re-enabled after suspend timeout
• 134:3 (latency) packet fastpathed due to latency

Peg counts:

• latency.total_packets: total packets monitored (sum)

• latency.total_usecs: total usecs elapsed (sum)
• latency.max_usecs: maximum usecs elapsed (sum)
• latency.packet_timeouts: packets that timed out (sum)
• latency.total_rule_evals: total rule evals monitored (sum)
• latency.rule_eval_timeouts: rule evals that timed out (sum)
• latency.rule_tree_enables: rule tree re-enables (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 12 / 245

2.18 memory

Help: memory management configuration

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• int memory.cap = 0: set the per-packet-thread cap on memory (bytes, 0 to disable) { 0:maxSZ }
• int memory.threshold = 100: scale cap to account for heap overhead { 1:100 }

Peg counts:

• memory.allocations: total number of allocations (now)

• memory.deallocations: total number of deallocations (now)
• memory.allocated: total amount of memory allocated (now)
• memory.deallocated: total amount of memory allocated (now)
• memory.reap_attempts: attempts to reclaim memory (now)
• memory.reap_failures: failures to reclaim memory (now)
• memory.max_in_use: highest allocated - deallocated (max)

2.19 network

Help: configure basic network parameters

Type: basic
Usage: context
Configuration:

• multi network.checksum_drop = none: drop if checksum is bad { all | ip | noip | tcp | notcp | udp | noudp | icmp | noicmp |
none }
• multi network.checksum_eval = all: checksums to verify { all | ip | noip | tcp | notcp | udp | noudp | icmp | noicmp | none }
• int network.id = 0: correlate unified2 events with configuration { 0:65535 }
• int network.min_ttl = 1: alert / normalize packets with lower TTL / hop limit (you must enable rules and / or normalization
also) { 1:255 }
• int network.new_ttl = 1: use this value for responses and when normalizing { 1:255 }
• int network.layers = 40: the maximum number of protocols that Snort can correctly decode { 3:255 }
• int network.max_ip6_extensions = 0: the maximum number of IP6 options Snort will process for a given IPv6 layer before
raising 116:456 (0 = unlimited) { 0:255 }
• int network.max_ip_layers = 0: the maximum number of IP layers Snort will process for a given packet before raising 116:293
(0 = unlimited) { 0:255 }

Commands:

• network.set_policy(id): set the network policy for commands given the user policy id
Snort 3 Reference Manual 13 / 245

2.20 output

Help: configure general output parameters

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool output.dump_chars_only = false: turns on character dumps (same as -C)

• bool output.dump_payload = false: dumps application layer (same as -d)

• bool output.dump_payload_verbose = false: dumps raw packet starting at link layer (same as -X)
• int output.event_trace.max_data = 0: maximum amount of packet data to capture { 0:65535 }

• bool output.quiet = false: suppress normal logging on stdout (same as -q)

• string output.logdir = .: where to put log files (same as -l)
• bool output.show_year = false: include year in timestamp in the alert and log files (same as -y)
• int output.tagged_packet_limit = 256: maximum number of packets tagged for non-packet metrics { 0:max32 }

• bool output.verbose = false: be verbose (same as -v)

• bool output.obfuscate = false: obfuscate the logged IP addresses (same as -O)
• bool output.wide_hex_dump = false: output 20 bytes per lines instead of 16 when dumping buffers

Rules:

• 2:1 (output) tagged packet

2.21 packet_tracer

Help: generate debug trace messages for packets

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool packet_tracer.enable = false: enable summary output of state that determined packet verdict
• enum packet_tracer.output = console: select where to send packet trace { console | file }

Commands:

• packet_tracer.enable(proto, src_ip, src_port, dst_ip, dst_port): enable packet tracer debugging

• packet_tracer.disable(): disable packet tracer
Snort 3 Reference Manual 14 / 245

2.22 packets

Help: configure basic packet handling

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool packets.address_space_agnostic = false: determines whether DAQ address space info is used to track fragments and
connections
• string packets.bpf_file: file with BPF to select traffic for Snort
• int packets.limit = 0: maximum number of packets to process before stopping (0 is unlimited) { 0:max53 }
• int packets.skip = 0: number of packets to skip before before processing { 0:max53 }
• bool packets.mpls_agnostic = true: determines whether MPLS labels are used to track fragments and connections
• bool packets.vlan_agnostic = false: determines whether VLAN tags are used to track fragments and connections

2.23 payload_injector

Help: payload injection utility

Type: basic
Usage: global
Peg counts:

• payload_injector.http_injects: total number of http injections (sum)

• payload_injector.http2_injects: total number of http2 injections (sum)
• payload_injector.http2_translate_err: total number of http2 page translation errors (sum)
• payload_injector.http2_mid_frame: total number of attempts to inject mid-frame (sum)

2.24 process

Help: configure basic process setup

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• string process.chroot: set chroot directory (same as -t)

• string process.threads[].cpuset: pin the associated thread to this cpuset
• int process.threads[].thread: set cpu affinity for the <cur_thread_num> thread that runs { 0:65535 }
• enum process.threads[].type: define which threads will have specified affinity, by their type { other|packet|main }
• string process.threads[].name: define which threads will have specified affinity, by thread name
• bool process.daemon = false: fork as a daemon (same as -D)
• bool process.dirty_pig = false: shutdown without internal cleanup
Snort 3 Reference Manual 15 / 245

• string process.set_gid: set group ID (same as -g)

• string process.set_uid: set user ID (same as -u)
• int process.umask: set process umask (same as -m) { 0x000:0x1FF }
• bool process.utc = false: use UTC instead of local time for timestamps
• int process.watchdog_timer = 0: watchdog timer for packet threads (seconds, 0 to disable) { 0:60 }

2.25 profiler

Help: configure profiling of rules and/or modules

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool profiler.modules.show = true: show module time profile stats

• int profiler.modules.count = 0: limit results to count items per level (0 = no limit) { 0:max32 }
• enum profiler.modules.sort = total_time: sort by given field { none | checks | avg_check | total_time }
• int profiler.modules.max_depth = -1: limit depth to max_depth (-1 = no limit) { -1:255 }
• bool profiler.memory.show = true: show module memory profile stats
• int profiler.memory.count = 0: limit results to count items per level (0 = no limit) { 0:max32 }
• enum profiler.memory.sort = total_used: sort by given field { none | allocations | total_used | avg_allocation }
• int profiler.memory.max_depth = -1: limit depth to max_depth (-1 = no limit) { -1:255 }
• bool profiler.rules.show = true: show rule time profile stats
• int profiler.rules.count = 0: print results to given level (0 = all) { 0:max32 }
• enum profiler.rules.sort = total_time: sort by given field { none | checks | avg_check | total_time | matches | no_matches |
avg_match | avg_no_match }

2.26 rate_filter

Help: configure rate filters (which change rule actions)

Type: basic
Usage: inspect
Configuration:

• int rate_filter[].gid = 1: rule generator ID { 0:max32 }

• int rate_filter[].sid = 1: rule signature ID { 0:max32 }
• enum rate_filter[].track = by_src: filter only matching source or destination addresses { by_src | by_dst | by_rule }
• int rate_filter[].count = 1: number of events in interval before tripping { 0:max32 }
• int rate_filter[].seconds = 1: count interval { 0:max32 }
• dynamic rate_filter[].new_action = alert: take this action on future hits until timeout { alert | block | drop | log |
pass | react | reject | rewrite }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 16 / 245

• int rate_filter[].timeout = 1: count interval { 0:max32 }

• string rate_filter[].apply_to: restrict filter to these addresses according to track

Peg counts:

• rate_filter.no_memory: number of times rate filter ran out of memory (sum)

2.27 references

Help: define reference systems used in rules

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• string references[].name: name used with reference rule option

• string references[].url: where this reference is defined

2.28 search_engine

Help: configure fast pattern matcher

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• int search_engine.bleedover_port_limit = 1024: maximum ports in rule before demotion to any-any port group { 1:max32 }
• bool search_engine.bleedover_warnings_enabled = false: print warning if a rule is demoted to any-any port group
• bool search_engine.enable_single_rule_group = false: put all rules into one group
• bool search_engine.debug = false: print verbose fast pattern info
• bool search_engine.debug_print_nocontent_rule_tests = false: print rule group info during packet evaluation
• bool search_engine.debug_print_rule_group_build_details = false: print rule group info during compilation
• bool search_engine.debug_print_rule_groups_uncompiled = false: prints uncompiled rule group information
• bool search_engine.debug_print_rule_groups_compiled = false: prints compiled rule group information
• int search_engine.max_pattern_len = 0: truncate patterns when compiling into state machine (0 means no maximum) {
0:max32 }
• int search_engine.max_queue_events = 5: maximum number of matching fast pattern states to queue per packet { 2:100 }
• bool search_engine.detect_raw_tcp = false: detect on TCP payload before reassembly
• dynamic search_engine.search_method = ac_bnfa: set fast pattern algorithm - choose available search engine { ac_bnfa |
ac_full | hyperscan | lowmem }
• dynamic search_engine.offload_search_method: set fast pattern offload algorithm - choose available search engine { ac_bnfa
| ac_full | hyperscan | lowmem }
• string search_engine.rule_db_dir: deserialize rule databases from given directory
• bool search_engine.show_fast_patterns = false: print fast pattern info for each rule
Snort 3 Reference Manual 17 / 245

• bool search_engine.split_any_any = true: evaluate any-any rules separately to save memory

• int search_engine.queue_limit = 0: maximum number of fast pattern matches to queue per packet (0 is unlimited) { 0:max32
}

Peg counts:

• search_engine.max_queued: maximum fast pattern matches queued for further evaluation (max)
• search_engine.total_flushed: total fast pattern matches processed (sum)
• search_engine.total_inserts: total fast pattern hits (sum)
• search_engine.total_overruns: fast pattern matches discarded due to overflow (sum)
• search_engine.total_unique: total unique fast pattern hits (sum)
• search_engine.non_qualified_events: total non-qualified events (sum)
• search_engine.qualified_events: total qualified events (sum)
• search_engine.searched_bytes: total bytes searched (sum)

2.29 side_channel

Help: implement the side-channel asynchronous messaging subsystem

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bit_list side_channel[].ports: side channel message port list { 65535 }

• string side_channel[].connectors[].connector: connector handle
• string side_channel[].connector: connector handle

Peg counts:

• side_channel.packets: total packets (sum)

2.30 snort

Help: command line configuration and shell commands

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• string snort.-?: <option prefix> output matching command line option quick help (same as --help-options) { (optional) }
• string snort.-A: <mode> set alert mode: none, cmg, or alert_*
• addr snort.-B = 255.255.255.255/32: <mask> obfuscated IP addresses in alerts and packet dumps using CIDR mask
• implied snort.-C: print out payloads with character data only (no hex)
• string snort.-c: <conf> use this configuration
Snort 3 Reference Manual 18 / 245

• implied snort.-D: run Snort in background (daemon) mode

• implied snort.-d: dump the Application Layer
• implied snort.-e: display the second layer header info

• implied snort.-f: turn off fflush() calls after binary log writes
• int snort.-G: <0xid> (same as --logid) { 0:65535 }
• string snort.-g: <gname> run snort gid as <gname> group (or gid) after initialization

• implied snort.-H: make hash tables deterministic

• implied snort.-h: show help overview (same as --help)
• string snort.-i: <iface>. . . list of interfaces
• port snort.-j: <port> to listen for Telnet connections

• enum snort.-k = all: <mode> checksum mode; default is all { all|noip|notcp|noudp|noicmp|none }

• string snort.-L: <mode> logging mode (none, dump, pcap, or log_*)
• string snort.-l: <logdir> log to this directory instead of current directory

• implied snort.-M: log messages to syslog (not alerts)

• int snort.-m: <umask> set the process file mode creation mask { 0x000:0x1FF }
• int snort.-n: <count> stop after count packets { 0:max53 }
• implied snort.-O: obfuscate the logged IP addresses

• implied snort.-Q: enable inline mode operation

• implied snort.-q: quiet mode - suppress normal logging on stdout
• string snort.-R: <rules> include this rules file in the default policy
• string snort.-r: <pcap>. . . (same as --pcap-list)

• int snort.-s: <snap> (same as --snaplen); default is 1518 { 0:65535 }

• implied snort.-T: test and report on the current Snort configuration
• string snort.-t: <dir> chroots process to <dir> after initialization

• implied snort.-U: use UTC for timestamps

• string snort.-u: <uname> run snort as <uname> or <uid> after initialization
• implied snort.-V: (same as --version)
• implied snort.-v: be verbose

• implied snort.-X: dump the raw packet data starting at the link layer
• implied snort.-x: same as --pedantic
• implied snort.-y: include year in timestamp in the alert and log files

• int snort.-z: <count> maximum number of packet threads (same as --max-packet-threads); 0 gets the number of CPU cores
reported by the system; default is 1 { 0:max32 }
• implied snort.--alert-before-pass: evaluate alert rules before pass rules; default is pass rules first
• string snort.--bpf: <filter options> are standard BPF options, as seen in TCPDump
Snort 3 Reference Manual 19 / 245

• string snort.--c2x: output hex for given char (see also --x2c)
• string snort.--control-socket: <file> to create unix socket
• implied snort.--create-pidfile: create PID file, even when not in Daemon mode

• string snort.--daq: <type> select packet acquisition module (default is pcap)

• int snort.--daq-batch-size: <size> set the DAQ receive batch size; default is 64 { 1: }
• string snort.--daq-dir: <dir> tell snort where to find desired DAQ

• implied snort.--daq-list: list packet acquisition modules available in optional dir, default is static modules only
• enum snort.--daq-mode: <mode> select DAQ module operating mode (overrides automatic selection) { passive | inline |
read-file }
• string snort.--daq-var: <name=value> specify extra DAQ configuration variable

• implied snort.--dirty-pig: don’t flush packets on shutdown

• string snort.--dump-builtin-options: additional options to include with --dump-builtin-rules stubs
• string snort.--dump-builtin-rules: [<module prefix>] output stub rules for selected modules { (optional) }
• select snort.--dump-config: dump config in json format { all | top }

• implied snort.--dump-config-text: dump config in text format

• implied snort.--dump-dynamic-rules: output stub rules for all loaded rules libraries
• string snort.--dump-defaults: [<module prefix>] output module defaults in Lua format { (optional) }

• string snort.--dump-rule-databases: dump rule databases to given directory (hyperscan only)

• implied snort.--dump-rule-deps: dump rule dependencies in json format for use by other tools
• implied snort.--dump-rule-meta: dump configured rule info in json format for use by other tools
• implied snort.--dump-rule-state: dump configured rule state in json format for use by other tools

• implied snort.--dump-version: output the version, the whole version, and only the version
• implied snort.--enable-inline-test: enable Inline-Test Mode Operation
• implied snort.--enable-test-features: enable features used in testing

• implied snort.--gen-msg-map: dump configured rules in gen-msg.map format for use by other tools
• implied snort.--help: show help overview
• string snort.--help-commands: [<module prefix>] output matching commands { (optional) }
• string snort.--help-config: [<module prefix>] output matching config options { (optional) }

• string snort.--help-counts: [<module prefix>] output matching peg counts { (optional) }

• implied snort.--help-limits: print the int upper bounds denoted by max*
• string snort.--help-module: <module> output description of given module
• implied snort.--help-modules: list all available modules with brief help

• implied snort.--help-modules-json: dump description of all available modules in JSON format

• string snort.--help-options: [<option prefix>] output matching command line option quick help (same as -?) { (optional) }
• implied snort.--help-plugins: list all available plugins with brief help
Snort 3 Reference Manual 20 / 245

• implied snort.--help-signals: dump available control signals

• int snort.--id-offset = 0: offset to add to instance IDs when logging to files { 0:65535 }
• implied snort.--id-subdir: create/use instance subdirectories in logdir instead of instance filename prefix
• implied snort.--id-zero: use id prefix / subdirectory even with one packet thread
• string snort.--include-path: <path> where to find Lua and rule included files; searched before current or config directories
• implied snort.--list-buffers: output available inspection buffers
• string snort.--list-builtin: [<module prefix>] output matching builtin rules { (optional) }
• string snort.--list-gids: [<module prefix>] output matching generators { (optional) }
• string snort.--list-modules: [<module type>] list all known modules of given type { (optional) }
• implied snort.--list-plugins: list all known plugins
• string snort.--lua: <chunk> extend/override conf with chunk; may be repeated
• string snort.--lua-sandbox: <file> file that contains the lua sandbox environment in which config will be loaded
• int snort.--logid: <0xid> log Identifier to uniquely id events for multiple snorts (same as -G) { 0:65535 }
• implied snort.--markup: output help in asciidoc compatible format
• int snort.--max-packet-threads: <count> configure maximum number of packet threads (same as -z) { 0:max32 }
• implied snort.--mem-check: like -T but also compile search engines
• string snort.--metadata-filter: <filter> load only rules containing filter string in metadata if set
• implied snort.--nostamps: don’t include timestamps in log file names
• implied snort.--nolock-pidfile: do not try to lock Snort PID file
• implied snort.--no-warn-flowbits: ignore warnings about flowbits that are checked but not set and vice-versa
• implied snort.--no-warn-rules: ignore warnings about duplicate rules and rule parsing issues
• implied snort.--pause: wait for resume/quit command before processing packets/terminating
• string snort.--pcap-file: <file> file that contains a list of pcaps to read - read mode is implied
• string snort.--pcap-list: <list> a space separated list of pcaps to read - read mode is implied
• string snort.--pcap-dir: <dir> a directory to recurse to look for pcaps - read mode is implied
• string snort.--pcap-filter: <filter> filter to apply when getting pcaps from file or directory
• int snort.--pcap-loop: <count> read all pcaps <count> times; 0 will read until Snort is terminated { 0:max32 }
• implied snort.--pcap-no-filter: reset to use no filter when getting pcaps from file or directory
• implied snort.--pcap-show: print a line saying what pcap is currently being read
• implied snort.--pedantic: warnings are fatal
• string snort.--plugin-path: <path> a colon separated list of directories or plugin libraries
• implied snort.--process-all-events: process all action groups
• string snort.--rule: <rules> to be added to configuration; may be repeated
• string snort.--rule-path: <path> where to find rules files
• implied snort.--rule-to-hex: output so rule header to stdout for text rule on stdin
Snort 3 Reference Manual 21 / 245

• string snort.--rule-to-text: output plain so rule header to stdout for text rule on stdin (specify delimiter or [Snort_SO_Rule]
will be used) { 16 }
• string snort.--run-prefix: <pfx> prepend this to each output file
• string snort.--script-path: <path> to a luajit script or directory containing luajit scripts
• implied snort.--shell: enable the interactive command line
• implied snort.--show-file-codes: indicate how files are located: A=absolute and W, F, C which are relative to the working
directory, including file, and config file respectively
• implied snort.--show-plugins: list module and plugin versions
• int snort.--skip: <n> skip 1st n packets { 0:max53 }
• int snort.--snaplen: <snap> set snaplen of packet (same as -s) { 0:65535 }
• implied snort.--stdin-rules: read rules from stdin until EOF or a line starting with END is read
• implied snort.--talos: enable Talos tweak (same as --tweaks talos)
• string snort.--tweaks: tune configuration
• implied snort.--version: show version number (same as -V)
• implied snort.--warn-all: enable all warnings
• implied snort.--warn-conf: warn about configuration issues
• implied snort.--warn-conf-strict: warn about unrecognized elements in configuration files
• implied snort.--warn-daq: warn about DAQ issues, usually related to mode
• implied snort.--warn-flowbits: warn about flowbits that are checked but not set and vice-versa
• implied snort.--warn-hosts: warn about host table issues
• implied snort.--warn-plugins: warn about issues that prevent plugins from loading
• implied snort.--warn-rules: warn about duplicate rules and rule parsing issues
• implied snort.--warn-scripts: warn about issues discovered while processing Lua scripts
• implied snort.--warn-symbols: warn about unknown symbols in your Lua config
• implied snort.--warn-vars: warn about variable definition and usage issues
• int snort.--x2c: output ASCII char for given hex (see also --c2x) { 0x00:0xFF }
• string snort.--x2s: output ASCII string for given byte code (see also --x2c)

Commands:

• snort.show_plugins(): show available plugins

• snort.delete_inspector(inspector): delete an inspector from the default policy
• snort.dump_stats(): show summary statistics
• snort.reset_stats(): clear summary statistics
• snort.rotate_stats(): roll perfmonitor log files
• snort.reload_config(filename): load new configuration
• snort.reload_policy(filename): reload part or all of the default policy
Snort 3 Reference Manual 22 / 245

• snort.reload_module(module): reload module

• snort.reload_daq(): reload daq module
• snort.reload_hosts(filename): load a new hosts table

• snort.pause(): suspend packet processing

• snort.resume(pkt_num): continue packet processing. If number of packets is specified, will resume for n packets and pause
• snort.detach(): detach from control shell (without shutting down)

• snort.quit(): shutdown and dump-stats

• snort.help(): this output

Peg counts:

• snort.local_commands: total local commands processed (sum)

• snort.remote_commands: total remote commands processed (sum)
• snort.signals: total signals processed (sum)
• snort.conf_reloads: number of times configuration was reloaded (sum)

• snort.policy_reloads: number of times policies were reloaded (sum)

• snort.inspector_deletions: number of times inspectors were deleted (sum)
• snort.daq_reloads: number of times daq configuration was reloaded (sum)

• snort.attribute_table_reloads: number of times hosts attribute table was reloaded (sum)

• snort.attribute_table_hosts: number of hosts added to the attribute table (sum)
• snort.attribute_table_overflow: number of host additions that failed due to attribute table full (sum)

2.31 suppress

Help: configure event suppressions

Type: basic
Usage: context
Configuration:

• int suppress[].gid = 0: rule generator ID { 0:max32 }

• int suppress[].sid = 0: rule signature ID { 0:max32 }

• enum suppress[].track: suppress only matching source or destination addresses { by_src | by_dst }
• string suppress[].ip: restrict suppression to these addresses according to track
Snort 3 Reference Manual 23 / 245

2.32 trace

Help: configure trace log messages

Type: basic
Usage: global
Configuration:

• int trace.modules.all: enable trace for all modules { 0:255 }

• int trace.modules.dce_smb.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }

• int trace.modules.dpx.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }
• int trace.modules.file_id.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }

• int trace.modules.http_inspect.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }

• int trace.modules.http_inspect.js_proc: enable JavaScript processing logging { 0:255 }
• int trace.modules.http_inspect.js_dump: enable JavaScript data logging { 0:255 }
• int trace.modules.snort.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }

• int trace.modules.snort.inspector_manager: enable inspector manager trace logging { 0:255 }

• int trace.modules.vba_data.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }
• int trace.modules.wizard.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }
• int trace.constraints.ip_proto: numerical IP protocol ID filter { 0:255 }

• string trace.constraints.src_ip: source IP address filter

• int trace.constraints.src_port: source port filter { 0:65535 }
• string trace.constraints.dst_ip: destination IP address filter

• int trace.constraints.dst_port: destination port filter { 0:65535 }

• bool trace.constraints.match = true: use constraints to filter traces
• enum trace.output: output method for trace log messages { stdout | syslog }
• bool trace.ntuple = false: print packet n-tuple info with trace messages

• bool trace.timestamp = false: print message timestamps with trace messages

Commands:

• trace.set(modules, constraints, ntuple, timestamp): set modules traces, constraints, ntuple and timestamp options

• trace.clear(): clear modules traces and constraints

3 Codec Modules

Codec is short for coder / decoder. These modules are used for basic protocol decoding, anomaly detection, and construction of
active responses.
Snort 3 Reference Manual 24 / 245

3.1 arp

Help: support for address resolution protocol

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:109 (arp) truncated ARP

3.2 auth

Help: support for IP authentication header

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:465 (auth) truncated authentication header

• 116:466 (auth) bad authentication header length

3.3 ciscometadata

Help: support for cisco metadata

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:468 (ciscometadata) truncated Cisco Metadata header

• 116:469 (ciscometadata) invalid Cisco Metadata option length

• 116:470 (ciscometadata) invalid Cisco Metadata option type

• 116:471 (ciscometadata) invalid Cisco Metadata security group tag

Peg counts:

• ciscometadata.truncated_hdr: total truncated Cisco Metadata headers (sum)

• ciscometadata.invalid_hdr_ver: total invalid Cisco Metadata header versions (sum)
• ciscometadata.invalid_hdr_len: total invalid Cisco Metadata header lengths (sum)
• ciscometadata.invalid_opt_len: total invalid Cisco Metadata option lengths (sum)

• ciscometadata.invalid_opt_type: total invalid Cisco Metadata option types (sum)

• ciscometadata.invalid_sgt: total invalid Cisco Metadata security group tags (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 25 / 245

3.4 eapol

Help: support for extensible authentication protocol over LAN

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:110 (eapol) truncated EAP header

• 116:111 (eapol) EAP key truncated

• 116:112 (eapol) EAP header truncated

3.5 erspan2

Help: support for encapsulated remote switched port analyzer - type 2

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:462 (erspan2) ERSpan header version mismatch

• 116:463 (erspan2) captured length < ERSpan type2 header length

3.6 erspan3

Help: support for encapsulated remote switched port analyzer - type 3

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:464 (erspan3) captured < ERSpan type3 header length

3.7 esp

Help: support for encapsulating security payload

Type: codec
Usage: context
Configuration:

• bool esp.decode_esp = false: enable for inspection of esp traffic that has authentication but not encryption

Rules:

• 116:294 (esp) truncated encapsulated security payload header

Snort 3 Reference Manual 26 / 245

3.8 eth

Help: support for ethernet protocol (DLT 1) (DLT 51)

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:424 (eth) truncated ethernet header

3.9 fabricpath

Help: support for fabricpath

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:467 (fabricpath) truncated FabricPath header

3.10 geneve

Help: support for Geneve: Generic Network Virtualization Encapsulation

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:180 (geneve) insufficient room for geneve header

• 116:181 (geneve) invalid version
• 116:182 (geneve) invalid header
• 116:183 (geneve) invalid flags
• 116:184 (geneve) invalid options

3.11 gre

Help: support for generic routing encapsulation

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:160 (gre) GRE header length > payload length

• 116:161 (gre) multiple encapsulations in packet
• 116:162 (gre) invalid GRE version
• 116:163 (gre) invalid GRE header
• 116:164 (gre) invalid GRE v.1 PPTP header
• 116:165 (gre) GRE trans header length > payload length
Snort 3 Reference Manual 27 / 245

3.12 gtp

Help: support for general-packet-radio-service tunneling protocol

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:297 (gtp) two or more GTP encapsulation layers present

• 116:298 (gtp) GTP header length is invalid

3.13 icmp4

Help: support for Internet control message protocol v4

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:105 (icmp4) ICMP header truncated

• 116:106 (icmp4) ICMP timestamp header truncated
• 116:107 (icmp4) ICMP address header truncated
• 116:250 (icmp4) ICMP original IP header truncated
• 116:251 (icmp4) ICMP version and original IP header versions differ
• 116:252 (icmp4) ICMP original datagram length < original IP header length
• 116:253 (icmp4) ICMP original IP payload < 64 bits
• 116:254 (icmp4) ICMP original IP payload > 576 bytes
• 116:255 (icmp4) ICMP original IP fragmented and offset not 0
• 116:415 (icmp4) ICMP4 packet to multicast dest address
• 116:416 (icmp4) ICMP4 packet to broadcast dest address
• 116:418 (icmp4) ICMP4 type other
• 116:426 (icmp4) truncated ICMP4 header
• 116:434 (icmp4) ICMP ping Nmap
• 116:435 (icmp4) ICMP icmpenum v1.1.1
• 116:436 (icmp4) ICMP redirect host
• 116:437 (icmp4) ICMP redirect net
• 116:438 (icmp4) ICMP traceroute ipopts
• 116:439 (icmp4) ICMP source quench
• 116:440 (icmp4) broadscan smurf scanner
• 116:441 (icmp4) ICMP destination unreachable communication administratively prohibited
• 116:442 (icmp4) ICMP destination unreachable communication with destination host is administratively prohibited
Snort 3 Reference Manual 28 / 245

• 116:443 (icmp4) ICMP destination unreachable communication with destination network is administratively prohibited
• 116:451 (icmp4) ICMP path MTU denial of service attempt
• 116:452 (icmp4) Linux ICMP header DOS attempt

Peg counts:

• icmp4.bad_checksum: non-zero icmp checksums (sum)

• icmp4.checksum_bypassed: checksum calculations bypassed (sum)

3.14 icmp6

Help: support for Internet control message protocol v6

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:285 (icmp6) ICMPv6 packet of type 2 (message too big) with MTU field < 1280
• 116:286 (icmp6) ICMPv6 packet of type 1 (destination unreachable) with non-RFC 2463 code
• 116:287 (icmp6) ICMPv6 router solicitation packet with a code not equal to 0
• 116:288 (icmp6) ICMPv6 router advertisement packet with a code not equal to 0
• 116:289 (icmp6) ICMPv6 router solicitation packet with the reserved field not equal to 0
• 116:290 (icmp6) ICMPv6 router advertisement packet with the reachable time field set > 1 hour
• 116:427 (icmp6) truncated ICMPv6 header
• 116:431 (icmp6) ICMPv6 type not decoded
• 116:432 (icmp6) ICMPv6 packet to multicast address
• 116:457 (icmp6) ICMPv6 packet of type 1 (destination unreachable) with non-RFC 4443 code
• 116:460 (icmp6) ICMPv6 node info query/response packet with a code greater than 2
• 116:474 (icmp6) ICMPv6 not encapsulated in IPv6

Peg counts:

• icmp6.bad_icmp6_checksum: nonzero icmp6 checksums (sum)

• icmp6.checksum_bypassed: checksum calculations bypassed (sum)

3.15 igmp

Help: support for Internet group management protocol

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:455 (igmp) DOS IGMP IP options validation attempt

Snort 3 Reference Manual 29 / 245

3.16 ipv4

Help: support for Internet protocol v4 (DLT 228)

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:1 (ipv4) not IPv4 datagram

• 116:2 (ipv4) IPv4 header length < minimum

• 116:3 (ipv4) IPv4 datagram length < header field
• 116:4 (ipv4) IPv4 options found with bad lengths

• 116:5 (ipv4) truncated IPv4 options

• 116:6 (ipv4) IPv4 datagram length > captured length
• 116:404 (ipv4) IPv4 packet with zero TTL
• 116:405 (ipv4) IPv4 packet with bad frag bits (both MF and DF set)

• 116:407 (ipv4) IPv4 packet frag offset + length exceed maximum

• 116:408 (ipv4) IPv4 packet from current net source address
• 116:409 (ipv4) IPv4 packet to current net dest address
• 116:410 (ipv4) IPv4 packet from multicast source address

• 116:411 (ipv4) IPv4 packet from reserved source address

• 116:412 (ipv4) IPv4 packet to reserved dest address
• 116:413 (ipv4) IPv4 packet from broadcast source address

• 116:414 (ipv4) IPv4 packet to broadcast dest address

• 116:425 (ipv4) truncated IPv4 header
• 116:428 (ipv4) IPv4 packet below TTL limit
• 116:430 (ipv4) IPv4 packet both DF and offset set

• 116:444 (ipv4) IPv4 option set

• 116:448 (ipv4) IPv4 reserved bit set

Peg counts:

• ipv4.bad_checksum: nonzero ip checksums (sum)

• ipv4.checksum_bypassed: checksum calculations bypassed (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 30 / 245

3.17 ipv6

Help: support for Internet protocol v6 (DLT 229)

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:270 (ipv6) IPv6 packet below TTL limit

• 116:271 (ipv6) IPv6 header claims to not be IPv6
• 116:272 (ipv6) IPv6 truncated extension header
• 116:273 (ipv6) IPv6 truncated header
• 116:274 (ipv6) IPv6 datagram length < header field
• 116:275 (ipv6) IPv6 datagram length > captured length
• 116:276 (ipv6) IPv6 packet with destination address ::0
• 116:277 (ipv6) IPv6 packet with multicast source address
• 116:278 (ipv6) IPv6 packet with reserved multicast destination address
• 116:279 (ipv6) IPv6 header includes an undefined option type
• 116:280 (ipv6) IPv6 address includes an unassigned multicast scope value
• 116:281 (ipv6) IPv6 header includes an invalid value for the next header field
• 116:282 (ipv6) IPv6 header includes a routing extension header followed by a hop-by-hop header
• 116:283 (ipv6) IPv6 header includes two routing extension headers
• 116:291 (ipv6) IPV6 tunneled over IPv4, IPv6 header truncated, possible Linux kernel attack
• 116:292 (ipv6) IPv6 header has destination options followed by a routing header
• 116:295 (ipv6) IPv6 header includes an option which is too big for the containing header
• 116:296 (ipv6) IPv6 packet includes out-of-order extension headers
• 116:429 (ipv6) IPv6 packet has zero hop limit
• 116:453 (ipv6) ISATAP-addressed IPv6 traffic spoofing attempt
• 116:456 (ipv6) too many IPv6 extension headers
• 116:458 (ipv6) bogus fragmentation packet, possible BSD attack
• 116:461 (ipv6) IPv6 routing type 0 extension header
• 116:475 (ipv6) IPv6 mobility header includes an invalid value for the payload protocol field

3.18 llc

Help: support for logical link control

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:131 (llc) bad LLC header

• 116:132 (llc) bad extra LLC info
Snort 3 Reference Manual 31 / 245

3.19 mpls

Help: support for multiprotocol label switching

Type: codec
Usage: context
Configuration:

• int mpls.max_stack_depth = -1: set maximum MPLS stack depth { -1:255 }

• enum mpls.payload_type = auto: force encapsulated payload type { auto | eth | ip4 | ip6 }

Rules:

• 116:170 (mpls) bad MPLS frame

• 116:171 (mpls) MPLS label 0 appears in bottom header when not decoding as ip4
• 116:172 (mpls) MPLS label 1 appears in bottom header
• 116:173 (mpls) MPLS label 2 appears in bottom header when not decoding as ip6
• 116:174 (mpls) MPLS label 3 appears in header
• 116:175 (mpls) MPLS label 4, 5,.. or 15 appears in header
• 116:176 (mpls) too many MPLS headers

3.20 pbb

Help: support for 802.1ah protocol

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:424 (pbb) truncated ethernet header

3.21 pgm

Help: support for pragmatic general multicast

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:454 (pgm) PGM nak list overflow attempt

3.22 pppoe

Help: support for point-to-point protocol over ethernet

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:120 (pppoe) bad PPPOE frame detected

Snort 3 Reference Manual 32 / 245

3.23 tcp

Help: support for transmission control protocol

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:45 (tcp) TCP packet length is smaller than 20 bytes

• 116:46 (tcp) TCP data offset is less than 5

• 116:47 (tcp) TCP header length exceeds packet length
• 116:54 (tcp) TCP options found with bad lengths

• 116:55 (tcp) truncated TCP options

• 116:56 (tcp) T/TCP detected
• 116:57 (tcp) obsolete TCP options found
• 116:58 (tcp) experimental TCP options found

• 116:59 (tcp) TCP window scale option found with length > 14
• 116:400 (tcp) XMAS attack detected
• 116:401 (tcp) Nmap XMAS attack detected
• 116:402 (tcp) DOS NAPTHA vulnerability detected

• 116:403 (tcp) SYN to multicast address

• 116:419 (tcp) TCP urgent pointer exceeds payload length or no payload
• 116:420 (tcp) TCP SYN with FIN

• 116:421 (tcp) TCP SYN with RST

• 116:422 (tcp) TCP PDU missing ack for established session
• 116:423 (tcp) TCP has no SYN, ACK, or RST
• 116:433 (tcp) DDOS shaft SYN flood

• 116:446 (tcp) TCP port 0 traffic

Peg counts:

• tcp.bad_tcp4_checksum: nonzero tcp over ip checksums (sum)

• tcp.bad_tcp6_checksum: nonzero tcp over ipv6 checksums (sum)

• tcp.checksum_bypassed: checksum calculations bypassed (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 33 / 245

3.24 token_ring

Help: support for token ring decoding

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:140 (token_ring) bad Token Ring header

• 116:141 (token_ring) bad Token Ring ETHLLC header

• 116:142 (token_ring) bad Token Ring MRLEN header
• 116:143 (token_ring) bad Token Ring MR header

3.25 udp

Help: support for user datagram protocol

Type: codec
Usage: context
Configuration:

• bool udp.deep_teredo_inspection = false: look for Teredo on all UDP ports (default is only 3544)

• bit_list udp.gtp_ports = 2152 3386: set GTP ports { 65535 }

• bit_list udp.vxlan_ports = 4789: set VXLAN ports { 65535 }
• bit_list udp.geneve_ports = 6081: set Geneve ports { 65535 }

Rules:

• 116:95 (udp) truncated UDP header

• 116:96 (udp) invalid UDP header, length field < 8

• 116:97 (udp) short UDP packet, length field > payload length
• 116:98 (udp) long UDP packet, length field < payload length
• 116:406 (udp) invalid IPv6 UDP packet, checksum zero
• 116:445 (udp) large UDP packet (> 4000 bytes)

• 116:447 (udp) UDP port 0 traffic

Peg counts:

• udp.bad_udp4_checksum: nonzero udp over ipv4 checksums (sum)

• udp.bad_udp6_checksum: nonzero udp over ipv6 checksums (sum)

• udp.checksum_bypassed: checksum calculations bypassed (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 34 / 245

3.26 vlan

Help: support for local area network

Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:130 (vlan) bad VLAN frame

3.27 wlan

Help: support for wireless local area network protocol (DLT 105)
Type: codec
Usage: context
Rules:

• 116:133 (wlan) bad 802.11 LLC header

• 116:134 (wlan) bad 802.11 extra LLC info

4 Connector Modules

Connectors support High Availability communication links.

4.1 file_connector

Help: implement the file based connector

Type: connector
Usage: global
Configuration:

• string file_connector[].connector: connector name

• string file_connector[].name: channel name

• enum file_connector[].format: file format { binary | text }
• enum file_connector[].direction: usage { receive | transmit | duplex }

Peg counts:

• file_connector.messages: total messages (sum)

Snort 3 Reference Manual 35 / 245

4.2 tcp_connector

Help: implement the tcp stream connector

Type: connector
Usage: global
Configuration:

• string tcp_connector[].connector: connector name

• string tcp_connector[].address: address
• port tcp_connector[].base_port: base port number
• enum tcp_connector[].setup: stream establishment { call | answer }

Peg counts:

• tcp_connector.messages: total messages (sum)

5 Inspector Modules

These modules perform a variety of functions, including analysis of protocols beyond basic decoding.

5.1 appid

Help: application and service identification

Type: inspector (control)
Usage: global
Instance Type: global
Configuration:

• int appid.memcap = 1048576: max size of the service cache before we start pruning the cache { 1024:maxSZ }
• bool appid.log_stats = false: enable logging of appid statistics
• int appid.app_stats_period = 300: time period for collecting and logging appid statistics { 1:max32 }
• int appid.app_stats_rollover_size = 20971520: max file size for appid stats before rolling over the log file { 0:max32 }
• string appid.app_detector_dir: directory to load appid detectors from
• bool appid.list_odp_detectors = false: enable logging of odp detectors statistics
• string appid.tp_appid_path: path to third party appid dynamic library
• string appid.tp_appid_config: path to third party appid configuration file
• bool appid.tp_appid_stats_enable: enable collection of stats and print stats on exit in third party module
• bool appid.tp_appid_config_dump: print third party configuration on startup
• bool appid.log_all_sessions = false: enable logging of all appid sessions
• bool appid.enable_rna_filter = false: monitor only the networks specified in rna configuration
• string appid.rna_conf_path: path to rna configuration file
Snort 3 Reference Manual 36 / 245

Commands:

• appid.enable_debug(proto, src_ip, src_port, dst_ip, dst_port): enable appid debugging

• appid.disable_debug(): disable appid debugging
• appid.reload_third_party(): reload appid third-party module
• appid.reload_detectors(): reload appid detectors

Peg counts:

• appid.packets: count of packets received (sum)

• appid.processed_packets: count of packets processed (sum)
• appid.ignored_packets: count of packets ignored (sum)
• appid.total_sessions: count of sessions created (sum)
• appid.service_cache_prunes: number of times the service cache was pruned (sum)
• appid.service_cache_adds: number of times an entry was added to the service cache (sum)
• appid.service_cache_removes: number of times an item was removed from the service cache (sum)
• appid.odp_reload_ignored_pkts: count of packets ignored after open detector package is reloaded (sum)
• appid.tp_reload_ignored_pkts: count of packets ignored after third-party module is reloaded (sum)

5.2 appid_listener

Help: log selected published data to appid_listener.log

Type: inspector (passive)
Usage: context
Instance Type: network
Configuration:

• bool appid_listener.json_logging = false: log appid data in json format

• string appid_listener.file: output data to given file

5.3 arp_spoof

Help: detect ARP attacks and anomalies

Type: inspector (network)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: singleton
Configuration:

• ip4 arp_spoof.hosts[].ip: host ip address

• mac arp_spoof.hosts[].mac: host mac address

Rules:
Snort 3 Reference Manual 37 / 245

• 112:1 (arp_spoof) unicast ARP request

• 112:2 (arp_spoof) ethernet/ARP mismatch for source hardware address
• 112:3 (arp_spoof) ethernet/ARP mismatch for destination hardware address in reply
• 112:4 (arp_spoof) attempted ARP cache overwrite attack

Peg counts:

• arp_spoof.packets: total packets (sum)

5.4 back_orifice

Help: back orifice detection

Type: inspector (network)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Rules:

• 105:1 (back_orifice) Back orifice traffic detected, unknown direction

• 105:2 (back_orifice) Back orifice client traffic detected
• 105:3 (back_orifice) Back orifice server traffic detected
• 105:4 (back_orifice) Back orifice length field >= 1024 bytes

Peg counts:

• back_orifice.packets: total packets (sum)

5.5 binder

Help: configure processing based on CIDRs, ports, services, etc.

Type: inspector (passive)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: singleton
Configuration:

• int binder[].when.ips_policy_id: unique ID for selection of this config by external logic { 0:max32 }
• bit_list binder[].when.vlans: list of VLAN IDs { 4095 }
• addr_list binder[].when.nets: list of networks
• addr_list binder[].when.src_nets: list of source networks
• addr_list binder[].when.dst_nets: list of destination networks
• enum binder[].when.proto: protocol { any | ip | icmp | tcp | udp | user | file }
• bit_list binder[].when.ports: list of ports { 65535 }
• bit_list binder[].when.src_ports: list of source ports { 65535 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 38 / 245

• bit_list binder[].when.dst_ports: list of destination ports { 65535 }

• string binder[].when.intfs: list of interface IDs
• string binder[].when.src_intfs: list of source interface IDs

• string binder[].when.dst_intfs: list of destination interface IDs

• string binder[].when.groups: list of interface group IDs
• string binder[].when.src_groups: list of source interface group IDs

• string binder[].when.dst_groups: list of destination group IDs

• string binder[].when.addr_spaces: list of address space IDs
• string binder[].when.tenants: list of tenants
• enum binder[].when.role = any: use the given configuration on one or any end of a session { client | server | any }

• string binder[].when.service: override default configuration

• string binder[].when.zones: deprecated alias for groups
• string binder[].when.src_zone: deprecated alias for src_groups

• string binder[].when.dst_zone: deprecated alias for dst_groups

• enum binder[].use.action = inspect: what to do with matching traffic { reset | block | allow | inspect }
• string binder[].use.file: use configuration in given file
• string binder[].use.network_policy: use network policy from given file

• string binder[].use.inspection_policy: use inspection policy from given file

• string binder[].use.ips_policy: use ips policy from given file
• string binder[].use.service: override automatic service identification
• string binder[].use.type: select module for binding

• string binder[].use.name: symbol name (defaults to type)

Peg counts:

• binder.raw_packets: raw packets evaluated (sum)

• binder.new_flows: new flows evaluated (sum)
• binder.rebinds: flows rebound (sum)
• binder.service_changes: flow service changes evaluated (sum)

• binder.assistant_inspectors: flow assistant inspector requests handled (sum)

• binder.new_standby_flows: new HA flows evaluated (sum)
• binder.no_match: binding evaluations that had no matches (sum)
• binder.resets: reset actions bound (sum)

• binder.blocks: block actions bound (sum)

• binder.allows: allow actions bound (sum)
• binder.inspects: inspect actions bound (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 39 / 245

5.6 cip

Help: cip inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• string cip.embedded_cip_path = false: check embedded CIP path

• int cip.unconnected_timeout = 300: unconnected timeout in seconds { 0:360 }
• int cip.max_cip_connections = 100: max cip connections { 1:10000 }
• int cip.max_unconnected_messages = 100: max unconnected cip messages { 1:10000 }

Rules:

• 148:1 (cip) CIP data is malformed

• 148:2 (cip) CIP data is non-conforming to ODVA standard
• 148:3 (cip) CIP connection limit exceeded. Least recently used connection removed
• 148:4 (cip) CIP unconnected request limit exceeded. Oldest request removed

Peg counts:

• cip.packets: total packets (sum)

• cip.session: total sessions (sum)
• cip.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent SIP sessions (now)
• cip.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent SIP sessions (max)

5.7 cpeos_test

Help: for testing CPE OS RNA event generation

Type: inspector (control)
Usage: context
Instance Type: network

5.8 data_log

Help: log selected published data to data.log

Type: inspector (passive)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: singleton
Configuration:

• select data_log.key = http_request_header_event : name of the event to log { http_request_header_event | http_response_header_event

}
• int data_log.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:max32 }

Peg counts:

• data_log.packets: total packets (sum)

Snort 3 Reference Manual 40 / 245

5.9 dce_http_proxy

Help: dce over http inspection - client to/from proxy

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Peg counts:

• dce_http_proxy.http_proxy_sessions: successful http proxy sessions (sum)

• dce_http_proxy.http_proxy_session_failures: failed http proxy sessions (sum)

5.10 dce_http_server

Help: dce over http inspection - proxy to/from server

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Peg counts:

• dce_http_server.http_server_sessions: successful http server sessions (sum)

• dce_http_server.http_server_session_failures: failed http server sessions (sum)

5.11 dce_smb

Help: dce over smb inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• bool dce_smb.limit_alerts = true: limit DCE alert to at most one per signature per flow

• bool dce_smb.disable_defrag = false: disable DCE/RPC defragmentation

• int dce_smb.max_frag_len = 65535: maximum fragment size for defragmentation { 1514:65535 }
• int dce_smb.reassemble_threshold = 0: minimum bytes received before performing reassembly { 0:65535 }

• enum dce_smb.smb_fingerprint_policy = none: target based SMB policy to use { none | client | server | both }
• enum dce_smb.policy = WinXP: target based policy to use { Win2000 | WinXP | WinVista | Win2003 | Win2008 | Win7 |
Samba | Samba-3.0.37 | Samba-3.0.22 | Samba-3.0.20 }
• int dce_smb.smb_max_chain = 3: SMB max chain size { 0:255 }

• int dce_smb.smb_max_compound = 3: SMB max compound size { 0:255 }

• multi dce_smb.valid_smb_versions = all: valid SMB versions { v1 | v2 | all }
• enum dce_smb.smb_file_inspection: deprecated (not used): file inspection controlled by smb_file_depth { off | on | only }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 41 / 245

• int dce_smb.smb_file_depth = 16384: SMB file depth for file data (-1 = disabled, 0 = unlimited) { -1:32767 }
• string dce_smb.smb_invalid_shares: SMB shares to alert on
• bool dce_smb.smb_legacy_mode = false: inspect only SMBv1

• int dce_smb.smb_max_credit = 8192: Maximum number of outstanding request { 1:65536 }

• int dce_smb.memcap = 8388608: Memory utilization limit on smb { 512:maxSZ }

Rules:

• 133:2 (dce_smb) SMB - bad NetBIOS session service session type

• 133:3 (dce_smb) SMB - bad SMB message type
• 133:4 (dce_smb) SMB - bad SMB Id (not \xffSMB for SMB1 or not \xfeSMB for SMB2)

• 133:5 (dce_smb) SMB - bad word count or structure size

• 133:6 (dce_smb) SMB - bad byte count
• 133:7 (dce_smb) SMB - bad format type
• 133:8 (dce_smb) SMB - bad offset

• 133:9 (dce_smb) SMB - zero total data count

• 133:10 (dce_smb) SMB - NetBIOS data length less than SMB header length
• 133:11 (dce_smb) SMB - remaining NetBIOS data length less than command length

• 133:12 (dce_smb) SMB - remaining NetBIOS data length less than command byte count
• 133:13 (dce_smb) SMB - remaining NetBIOS data length less than command data size
• 133:14 (dce_smb) SMB - remaining total data count less than this command data size
• 133:15 (dce_smb) SMB - total data sent (STDu64) greater than command total data expected

• 133:16 (dce_smb) SMB - byte count less than command data size (STDu64)
• 133:17 (dce_smb) SMB - invalid command data size for byte count
• 133:18 (dce_smb) SMB - excessive tree connect requests with pending tree connect responses

• 133:19 (dce_smb) SMB - excessive read requests with pending read responses
• 133:20 (dce_smb) SMB - excessive command chaining
• 133:21 (dce_smb) SMB - Multiple chained login requests
• 133:22 (dce_smb) SMB - Multiple chained tree connect requests

• 133:23 (dce_smb) SMB - chained/compounded login followed by logoff

• 133:24 (dce_smb) SMB - chained/compounded tree connect followed by tree disconnect
• 133:25 (dce_smb) SMB - chained/compounded open pipe followed by close pipe
• 133:26 (dce_smb) SMB - invalid share access

• 133:44 (dce_smb) SMB - invalid SMB version 1 seen

• 133:45 (dce_smb) SMB - invalid SMB version 2 seen
• 133:46 (dce_smb) SMB - invalid user, tree connect, file binding
Snort 3 Reference Manual 42 / 245

• 133:47 (dce_smb) SMB - excessive command compounding

• 133:48 (dce_smb) SMB - zero data count
• 133:50 (dce_smb) SMB - maximum number of outstanding requests exceeded

• 133:51 (dce_smb) SMB - outstanding requests with same MID

• 133:52 (dce_smb) SMB - deprecated dialect negotiated
• 133:53 (dce_smb) SMB - deprecated command used

• 133:54 (dce_smb) SMB - unusual command used

• 133:55 (dce_smb) SMB - invalid setup count for command
• 133:56 (dce_smb) SMB - client attempted multiple dialect negotiations on session
• 133:57 (dce_smb) SMB - client attempted to create or set a file’s attributes to readonly/hidden/system

• 133:58 (dce_smb) SMB - file offset provided is greater than file size specified
• 133:59 (dce_smb) SMB - next command specified in SMB2 header is beyond payload boundary

Peg counts:

• dce_smb.events: total events (sum)

• dce_smb.pdus: total connection-oriented PDUs (sum)
• dce_smb.binds: total connection-oriented binds (sum)

• dce_smb.bind_acks: total connection-oriented binds acks (sum)

• dce_smb.alter_contexts: total connection-oriented alter contexts (sum)
• dce_smb.alter_context_responses: total connection-oriented alter context responses (sum)
• dce_smb.bind_naks: total connection-oriented bind naks (sum)

• dce_smb.requests: total connection-oriented requests (sum)

• dce_smb.responses: total connection-oriented responses (sum)
• dce_smb.cancels: total connection-oriented cancels (sum)

• dce_smb.orphaned: total connection-oriented orphaned (sum)

• dce_smb.faults: total connection-oriented faults (sum)
• dce_smb.auth3s: total connection-oriented auth3s (sum)
• dce_smb.shutdowns: total connection-oriented shutdowns (sum)

• dce_smb.rejects: total connection-oriented rejects (sum)

• dce_smb.ms_rpc_http_pdus: total connection-oriented MS requests to send RPC over HTTP (sum)
• dce_smb.other_requests: total connection-oriented other requests (sum)
• dce_smb.other_responses: total connection-oriented other responses (sum)

• dce_smb.request_fragments: total connection-oriented request fragments (sum)

• dce_smb.response_fragments: total connection-oriented response fragments (sum)
• dce_smb.client_max_fragment_size: connection-oriented client maximum fragment size (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 43 / 245

• dce_smb.client_min_fragment_size: connection-oriented client minimum fragment size (sum)

• dce_smb.client_segs_reassembled: total connection-oriented client segments reassembled (sum)
• dce_smb.client_frags_reassembled: total connection-oriented client fragments reassembled (sum)
• dce_smb.server_max_fragment_size: connection-oriented server maximum fragment size (sum)
• dce_smb.server_min_fragment_size: connection-oriented server minimum fragment size (sum)
• dce_smb.server_segs_reassembled: total connection-oriented server segments reassembled (sum)
• dce_smb.server_frags_reassembled: total connection-oriented server fragments reassembled (sum)
• dce_smb.sessions: total smb sessions (sum)
• dce_smb.packets: total smb packets (sum)
• dce_smb.ignored_bytes: total ignored bytes (sum)
• dce_smb.smb_client_segs_reassembled: total smb client segments reassembled (sum)
• dce_smb.smb_server_segs_reassembled: total smb server segments reassembled (sum)
• dce_smb.max_outstanding_requests: total smb maximum outstanding requests (sum)
• dce_smb.files_processed: total smb files processed (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_setup: total number of SMBv2 setup packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_setup_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 setup error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_setup_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 setup packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_setup_resp_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 setup response packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_cnct: total number of SMBv2 tree connect packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_cnct_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 tree connect error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_cnct_ignored: total number of SMBv2 setup response packets ignored due to failure in creating tree tracker
(sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_cnct_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 tree connect packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_cnct_resp_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 tree connect response packets ignored due to corrupted header
(sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt: total number of SMBv2 create packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 create error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_inv_file_data: total number of SMBv2 create request packets ignored due to error in getting file name (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 create packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_resp_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 create response packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_req_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 create request packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_rtrkr_misng: total number of SMBv2 create response packets ignored due to missing create request tracker
(sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_req_ipc: total number of SMBv2 create request packets ignored as share type is IPC (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_tree_trkr_misng: total number of SMBv2 create response packets ignored due to missing tree tracker (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_wrt: total number of SMBv2 write packets seen (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 44 / 245

• dce_smb.v2_wrt_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 write error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_wrt_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 write packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_wrt_req_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 write request packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_wrt_resp_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 write response packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_read: total number of SMBv2 read packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_read_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 read error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_read_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 read packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_read_rtrkr_misng: total number of SMBv2 read response packets ignored due to missing read request tracker
(sum)
• dce_smb.v2_read_resp_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 read response packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_read_req_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 read request packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_setinfo: total number of SMBv2 set info packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_stinf_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 set info error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_stinf_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 set info packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_stinf_req_ftrkr_misng: total number of SMBv2 set info request packets ignored due to missing file tracker
(sum)
• dce_smb.v2_stinf_req_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 set info request packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_cls: total number of SMBv2 close packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_cls_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 close error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_cls_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 close packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_cls_req_ftrkr_misng: total number of SMBv2 close request packets ignored due to missing file tracker (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_cls_req_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 close request packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_discn: total number of SMBv2 tree disconnect packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_discn_ignored: total number of SMBv2 tree disconnect packets ignored due to missing trackers or invalid
share type (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_discn_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 tree disconnect packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_discn_req_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 tree disconnect request packets ignored due to corrupted
header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_logoff: total number of SMBv2 logoff (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_logoff_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 logoff packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 packets seen with corrupted hdr (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_bad_next_cmd_offset: total number of SMBv2 packets seen with invalid next command offset (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_inv_file_ctx_err: total number of times null file context are seen resulting in not being able to set file size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_msgs_uninspected: total number of SMBv2 packets seen where command is not being inspected (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_cmpnd_req_lt_crossed: total number of SMBv2 packets seen where compound requests exceed the smb_max_compoun
limit (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_ignored: total number of packets ignored due to missing tree tracker (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 45 / 245

• dce_smb.v2_session_ignored: total number of packets ignored due to missing session tracker (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_ioctl: total number of ioctl calls (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_ioctl_err_resp: total number of ioctl errors responses (sum)

• dce_smb.v2_ioctl_inv_str_sz: total number of ioctl invalid structure size (sum)

• dce_smb.v2_ioctl_req_hdr_err: total number of ioctl request header errors (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_ioctl_resp_hdr_err: total number of ioctl response header errors (sum)

• dce_smb.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent sessions (now)

• dce_smb.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent sessions (max)
• dce_smb.total_smb1_sessions: total smb1 sessions (sum)
• dce_smb.total_smb2_sessions: total smb2 sessions (sum)

• dce_smb.total_encrypted_sessions: total encrypted sessions (sum)

• dce_smb.total_mc_sessions: total multichannel sessions (sum)

5.12 dce_tcp

Help: dce over tcp inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• bool dce_tcp.limit_alerts = true: limit DCE alert to at most one per signature per flow
• bool dce_tcp.disable_defrag = false: disable DCE/RPC defragmentation
• int dce_tcp.max_frag_len = 65535: maximum fragment size for defragmentation { 1514:65535 }

• int dce_tcp.reassemble_threshold = 0: minimum bytes received before performing reassembly { 0:65535 }

• enum dce_tcp.policy = WinXP: target based policy to use { Win2000 | WinXP | WinVista | Win2003 | Win2008 | Win7 | Samba
| Samba-3.0.37 | Samba-3.0.22 | Samba-3.0.20 }

Rules:

• 133:27 (dce_tcp) connection oriented DCE/RPC - invalid major version

• 133:28 (dce_tcp) connection oriented DCE/RPC - invalid minor version
• 133:29 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - invalid PDU type

• 133:30 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - fragment length less than header size
• 133:31 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - remaining fragment length less than size needed
• 133:32 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - no context items specified

• 133:33 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC -no transfer syntaxes specified

• 133:34 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - fragment length on non-last fragment less than maximum negotiated frag-
ment transmit size for client
Snort 3 Reference Manual 46 / 245

• 133:35 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - fragment length greater than maximum negotiated fragment transmit size
• 133:36 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - alter context byte order different from bind
• 133:37 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - call id of non first/last fragment different from call id established for frag-
mented request
• 133:38 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - opnum of non first/last fragment different from opnum established for
fragmented request
• 133:39 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - context id of non first/last fragment different from context id established for
fragmented request

Peg counts:

• dce_tcp.events: total events (sum)

• dce_tcp.pdus: total connection-oriented PDUs (sum)

• dce_tcp.binds: total connection-oriented binds (sum)
• dce_tcp.bind_acks: total connection-oriented binds acks (sum)
• dce_tcp.alter_contexts: total connection-oriented alter contexts (sum)

• dce_tcp.alter_context_responses: total connection-oriented alter context responses (sum)

• dce_tcp.bind_naks: total connection-oriented bind naks (sum)
• dce_tcp.requests: total connection-oriented requests (sum)
• dce_tcp.responses: total connection-oriented responses (sum)

• dce_tcp.cancels: total connection-oriented cancels (sum)

• dce_tcp.orphaned: total connection-oriented orphaned (sum)
• dce_tcp.faults: total connection-oriented faults (sum)

• dce_tcp.auth3s: total connection-oriented auth3s (sum)

• dce_tcp.shutdowns: total connection-oriented shutdowns (sum)
• dce_tcp.rejects: total connection-oriented rejects (sum)
• dce_tcp.ms_rpc_http_pdus: total connection-oriented MS requests to send RPC over HTTP (sum)

• dce_tcp.other_requests: total connection-oriented other requests (sum)

• dce_tcp.other_responses: total connection-oriented other responses (sum)
• dce_tcp.request_fragments: total connection-oriented request fragments (sum)

• dce_tcp.response_fragments: total connection-oriented response fragments (sum)

• dce_tcp.client_max_fragment_size: connection-oriented client maximum fragment size (sum)
• dce_tcp.client_min_fragment_size: connection-oriented client minimum fragment size (sum)
• dce_tcp.client_segs_reassembled: total connection-oriented client segments reassembled (sum)

• dce_tcp.client_frags_reassembled: total connection-oriented client fragments reassembled (sum)

• dce_tcp.server_max_fragment_size: connection-oriented server maximum fragment size (sum)
• dce_tcp.server_min_fragment_size: connection-oriented server minimum fragment size (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 47 / 245

• dce_tcp.server_segs_reassembled: total connection-oriented server segments reassembled (sum)

• dce_tcp.server_frags_reassembled: total connection-oriented server fragments reassembled (sum)
• dce_tcp.tcp_sessions: total tcp sessions (sum)
• dce_tcp.tcp_expected_sessions: total tcp dynamic endpoint expected sessions (sum)
• dce_tcp.tcp_expected_realized: total tcp dynamic endpoint expected realized sessions (sum)
• dce_tcp.tcp_packets: total tcp packets (sum)
• dce_tcp.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent sessions (now)
• dce_tcp.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent sessions (max)

5.13 dce_udp

Help: dce over udp inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• bool dce_udp.limit_alerts = true: limit DCE alert to at most one per signature per flow
• bool dce_udp.disable_defrag = false: disable DCE/RPC defragmentation
• int dce_udp.max_frag_len = 65535: maximum fragment size for defragmentation { 1514:65535 }

Rules:

• 133:40 (dce_udp) connection-less DCE/RPC - invalid major version

• 133:41 (dce_udp) connection-less DCE/RPC - invalid PDU type
• 133:42 (dce_udp) connection-less DCE/RPC - data length less than header size
• 133:43 (dce_udp) connection-less DCE/RPC - bad sequence number

Peg counts:

• dce_udp.events: total events (sum)

• dce_udp.udp_sessions: total udp sessions (sum)
• dce_udp.udp_packets: total udp packets (sum)
• dce_udp.requests: total connection-less requests (sum)
• dce_udp.acks: total connection-less acks (sum)
• dce_udp.cancels: total connection-less cancels (sum)
• dce_udp.client_facks: total connection-less client facks (sum)
• dce_udp.ping: total connection-less ping (sum)
• dce_udp.responses: total connection-less responses (sum)
• dce_udp.rejects: total connection-less rejects (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 48 / 245

• dce_udp.cancel_acks: total connection-less cancel acks (sum)

• dce_udp.server_facks: total connection-less server facks (sum)
• dce_udp.faults: total connection-less faults (sum)
• dce_udp.no_calls: total connection-less no calls (sum)
• dce_udp.working: total connection-less working (sum)
• dce_udp.other_requests: total connection-less other requests (sum)
• dce_udp.other_responses: total connection-less other responses (sum)
• dce_udp.fragments: total connection-less fragments (sum)
• dce_udp.max_fragment_size: connection-less maximum fragment size (sum)
• dce_udp.frags_reassembled: total connection-less fragments reassembled (sum)
• dce_udp.max_seqnum: max connection-less seqnum (sum)
• dce_udp.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent sessions (now)
• dce_udp.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent sessions (max)

5.14 dnp3

Help: dnp3 inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• bool dnp3.check_crc = false: validate checksums in DNP3 link layer frames

Rules:

• 145:1 (dnp3) DNP3 link-layer frame contains bad CRC

• 145:2 (dnp3) DNP3 link-layer frame is truncated or frame length is invalid
• 145:3 (dnp3) DNP3 transport-layer segment sequence number is incorrect
• 145:4 (dnp3) DNP3 transport-layer segment flag violation is detected
• 145:5 (dnp3) DNP3 link-layer frame uses a reserved address
• 145:6 (dnp3) DNP3 application-layer fragment uses a reserved function code

Peg counts:

• dnp3.total_packets: total packets (sum)

• dnp3.udp_packets: total udp packets (sum)
• dnp3.tcp_pdus: total tcp pdus (sum)
• dnp3.dnp3_link_layer_frames: total dnp3 link layer frames (sum)
• dnp3.dnp3_application_pdus: total dnp3 application pdus (sum)
• dnp3.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent dnp3 sessions (now)
• dnp3.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent dnp3 sessions (max)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 49 / 245

5.15 dns

Help: dns inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Rules:

• 131:1 (dns) obsolete DNS RR types

• 131:2 (dns) experimental DNS RR types

• 131:3 (dns) DNS client rdata txt overflow

Peg counts:

• dns.packets: total packets processed (sum)

• dns.requests: total dns requests (sum)

• dns.responses: total dns responses (sum)
• dns.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent dns sessions (now)

• dns.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent dns sessions (max)

5.16 domain_filter

Help: alert on configured HTTP domains

Type: inspector (passive)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: singleton
Configuration:

• string domain_filter.file: file with list of domains identifying hosts to be filtered

• string domain_filter.hosts: list of domains identifying hosts to be filtered

Rules:

• 175:1 (domain_filter) configured domain detected

Peg counts:

• domain_filter.checked: domains checked (sum)

• domain_filter.filtered: domains filtered (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 50 / 245

5.17 dpx

Help: dynamic inspector example

Type: inspector (network)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: singleton
Configuration:

• port dpx.port: port to check

• int dpx.max = 0: maximum payload before alert { 0:65535 }

Rules:

• 256:1 (dpx) too much data sent to port

Peg counts:

• dpx.packets: total packets (sum)

5.18 file_id

Help: configure file identification

Type: inspector (file)
Usage: global
Instance Type: global
Configuration:

• int file_id.type_depth = 1460: stop type ID at this point { 0:max53 }

• int file_id.signature_depth = 10485760: stop signature at this point { 0:max53 }
• int file_id.block_timeout = 86400: stop blocking after this many seconds { 0:max31 }
• int file_id.lookup_timeout = 2: give up on lookup after this many seconds { 0:max31 }
• bool file_id.block_timeout_lookup = false: block if lookup times out
• int file_id.capture_memcap = 100: memcap for file capture in megabytes { 0:max53 }
• int file_id.capture_max_size = 1048576: stop file capture beyond this point { 0:max53 }
• int file_id.capture_min_size = 0: stop file capture if file size less than this { 0:max53 }
• int file_id.capture_block_size = 32768: file capture block size in bytes { 8:max53 }
• int file_id.max_files_cached = 65536: maximal number of files cached in memory { 8:max53 }
• int file_id.max_files_per_flow = 128: maximal number of files able to be concurrently processed per flow { 1:max53 }
• int file_id.show_data_depth = 100: print this many octets { 0:max53 }
• int file_id.file_rules[].rev = 0: rule revision { 0:max32 }
• string file_id.file_rules[].msg: information about the file type
• string file_id.file_rules[].type: file type name
Snort 3 Reference Manual 51 / 245

• int file_id.file_rules[].id = 0: file type id { 0:max32 }

• string file_id.file_rules[].category: file type category
• string file_id.file_rules[].group: comma separated list of groups associated with file type

• string file_id.file_rules[].version: file type version

• string file_id.file_rules[].magic[].content: file magic content
• int file_id.file_rules[].magic[].offset = 0: file magic offset { 0:max32 }

• bool file_id.trace_type = false: enable runtime dump of type info

• bool file_id.trace_signature = false: enable runtime dump of signature info
• bool file_id.trace_stream = false: enable runtime dump of file data
• int file_id.decompress_buffer_size = 100000: file decompression buffer size { 1024:max31 }

Rules:

• 150:1 (file_id) file not processed due to per flow limit

Peg counts:

• file_id.total_files: number of files processed (sum)

• file_id.total_file_data: number of file data bytes processed (sum)
• file_id.cache_failures: number of file cache add failures (sum)

• file_id.files_not_processed: number of files not processed due to per-flow limit (sum)

• file_id.max_concurrent_files: maximum files processed concurrently on a flow (max)

5.19 file_log

Help: log file event to file.log

Type: inspector (passive)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: singleton
Configuration:

• bool file_log.log_pkt_time = true: log the packet time when event generated
• bool file_log.log_sys_time = false: log the system time when event generated

Peg counts:

• file_log.total_events: total file events (sum)

Snort 3 Reference Manual 52 / 245

5.20 ftp_client

Help: FTP client configuration module for use with ftp_server

Type: inspector (passive)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• bool ftp_client.bounce = false: check for bounces

• addr ftp_client.bounce_to[].address = 1.0.0.0/32: allowed IP address in CIDR format

• port ftp_client.bounce_to[].port = 20: allowed port

• port ftp_client.bounce_to[].last_port: optional allowed range from port to last_port inclusive
• bool ftp_client.ignore_telnet_erase_cmds = false: ignore erase character and erase line commands when normalizing

• int ftp_client.max_resp_len = 4294967295: maximum FTP response accepted by client { 0:max32 }

• bool ftp_client.telnet_cmds = false: detect Telnet escape sequences on FTP control channel

5.21 ftp_data

Help: FTP data channel handler

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Peg counts:

• ftp_data.packets: total packets (sum)

5.22 ftp_server

Help: main FTP module; ftp_client should also be configured

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• string ftp_server.chk_str_fmt: check the formatting of the given commands

• string ftp_server.data_chan_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands
• string ftp_server.data_rest_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands

• string ftp_server.data_xfer_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands

• string ftp_server.directory_cmds[].dir_cmd: directory command
• int ftp_server.directory_cmds[].rsp_code = 200: expected successful response code for command { 200:max32
}
Snort 3 Reference Manual 53 / 245

• string ftp_server.file_put_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands

• string ftp_server.file_get_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands
• string ftp_server.encr_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands
• string ftp_server.login_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands
• bool ftp_server.check_encrypted = false: check for end of encryption
• string ftp_server.cmd_validity[].command: command string
• string ftp_server.cmd_validity[].format: format specification
• int ftp_server.cmd_validity[].length = 0: specify non-default maximum for command { 0:max32 }
• int ftp_server.def_max_param_len = 100: default maximum length of commands handled by server; 0 is unlimited { 1:max32
}
• bool ftp_server.encrypted_traffic = false: check for encrypted Telnet and FTP
• string ftp_server.ftp_cmds: specify additional commands supported by server beyond RFC 959
• bool ftp_server.ignore_data_chan = false: do not inspect FTP data channels
• bool ftp_server.ignore_telnet_erase_cmds = false: ignore erase character and erase line commands when normalizing
• bool ftp_server.print_cmds = false: print command configurations on start up
• bool ftp_server.telnet_cmds = false: detect Telnet escape sequences of FTP control channel

Rules:

• 125:1 (ftp_server) TELNET cmd on FTP command channel

• 125:2 (ftp_server) invalid FTP command
• 125:3 (ftp_server) FTP command parameters were too long
• 125:4 (ftp_server) FTP command parameters were malformed
• 125:5 (ftp_server) FTP command parameters contained potential string format
• 125:6 (ftp_server) FTP response message was too long
• 125:7 (ftp_server) FTP traffic encrypted
• 125:8 (ftp_server) FTP bounce attempt
• 125:9 (ftp_server) evasive (incomplete) TELNET cmd on FTP command channel

Peg counts:

• ftp_server.total_packets: total packets (sum)

• ftp_server.total_bytes: total number of bytes processed (sum)
• ftp_server.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent FTP sessions (now)
• ftp_server.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent FTP sessions (max)
• ftp_server.start_tls: total STARTTLS events generated (sum)
• ftp_server.ssl_search_abandoned: total SSL search abandoned (sum)
• ftp_server.ssl_srch_abandoned_early: total SSL search abandoned too soon (sum)
• ftp_server.pkt_segment_size_changed: total number of FTP data packets with segment size change (sum)
• ftp_server.flow_segment_size_changed: total number of FTP sessions with segment size change (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 54 / 245

5.23 gtp_inspect

Help: gtp control channel inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• int gtp_inspect[].version = 2: GTP version { 0:2 }

• int gtp_inspect[].messages[].type = 0: message type code { 0:255 }
• string gtp_inspect[].messages[].name: message name
• int gtp_inspect[].infos[].type = 0: information element type code { 0:255 }
• string gtp_inspect[].infos[].name: information element name
• int gtp_inspect[].infos[].length = 0: information element type code { 0:255 }

Rules:

• 143:1 (gtp_inspect) message length is invalid

• 143:2 (gtp_inspect) information element length is invalid
• 143:3 (gtp_inspect) information elements are out of order
• 143:4 (gtp_inspect) TEID is missing

Peg counts:

• gtp_inspect.sessions: total sessions processed (sum)

• gtp_inspect.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent gtp sessions (now)
• gtp_inspect.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent gtp sessions (max)
• gtp_inspect.events: requests (sum)
• gtp_inspect.unknown_types: unknown message types (sum)
• gtp_inspect.unknown_infos: unknown information elements (sum)

5.24 http2_inspect

Help: HTTP/2 inspector

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• int http2_inspect.concurrent_streams_limit = 100: Maximum number of concurrent streams allowed in a single HTTP/2
flow { 100:1000 }

Rules:
Snort 3 Reference Manual 55 / 245

• 121:1 (http2_inspect) invalid flag set on HTTP/2 frame

• 121:2 (http2_inspect) HPACK integer value has leading zeros
• 121:3 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 stream initiated with invalid stream id
• 121:4 (http2_inspect) missing HTTP/2 continuation frame
• 121:5 (http2_inspect) unexpected HTTP/2 continuation frame
• 121:6 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 headers HPACK decoding error
• 121:7 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 connection preface does not match
• 121:8 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 request missing required header field
• 121:9 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 response has no status code
• 121:10 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 CONNECT request with scheme or path
• 121:11 (http2_inspect) error in HTTP/2 settings frame
• 121:12 (http2_inspect) unknown parameter in HTTP/2 settings frame
• 121:13 (http2_inspect) invalid HTTP/2 frame sequence
• 121:14 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 dynamic table has more than 512 entries
• 121:15 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 push promise frame with promised stream ID already in use.
• 121:16 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 padding length is bigger than frame data size
• 121:17 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 pseudo-header after regular header
• 121:18 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 pseudo-header in trailers
• 121:19 (http2_inspect) invalid HTTP/2 pseudo-header
• 121:20 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 trailers without END_STREAM bit
• 121:21 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 push promise frame sent when prohibited by receiver
• 121:22 (http2_inspect) padding flag set on HTTP/2 frame with zero length
• 121:23 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 push promise frame in client-to-server direction
• 121:24 (http2_inspect) invalid HTTP/2 push promise frame
• 121:25 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 push promise frame sent at invalid time
• 121:26 (http2_inspect) invalid parameter value sent in HTTP/2 settings frame
• 121:27 (http2_inspect) excessive concurrent HTTP/2 streams
• 121:28 (http2_inspect) invalid HTTP/2 rst stream frame
• 121:29 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 rst stream frame sent at invalid time
• 121:30 (http2_inspect) uppercase HTTP/2 header field name
• 121:31 (http2_inspect) invalid HTTP/2 window update frame
• 121:32 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 window update frame with zero increment
• 121:33 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 request without a method
• 121:34 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 HPACK table size update not at the start of a header block
• 121:35 (http2_inspect) More than two HTTP/2 HPACK table size updates in a single header block
Snort 3 Reference Manual 56 / 245

• 121:36 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 HPACK table size update exceeds max value set by decoder in SETTINGS frame
• 121:37 (http2_inspect) Nonempty HTTP/2 Data frame where message body not expected

Peg counts:

• http2_inspect.flows: HTTP/2 connections inspected (sum)

• http2_inspect.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent HTTP/2 sessions (now)
• http2_inspect.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent HTTP/2 sessions (max)
• http2_inspect.max_table_entries: maximum entries in an HTTP/2 dynamic table (max)
• http2_inspect.max_concurrent_files: maximum concurrent file transfers per HTTP/2 connection (max)
• http2_inspect.total_bytes: total HTTP/2 data bytes inspected (sum)
• http2_inspect.max_concurrent_streams: maximum concurrent streams per HTTP/2 connection (max)
• http2_inspect.flows_over_stream_limit: HTTP/2 flows exceeding 100 concurrent streams (sum)

5.25 http_inspect

Help: HTTP inspector

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• int http_inspect.request_depth = -1: maximum request message body bytes to examine (-1 no limit) { -1:max53 }
• int http_inspect.response_depth = -1: maximum response message body bytes to examine (-1 no limit) { -1:max53 }
• bool http_inspect.unzip = true: decompress gzip and deflate message bodies
• int http_inspect.maximum_host_length = -1: maximum allowed length for Host header value (-1 no limit) { -1:max53 }
• int http_inspect.maximum_chunk_length = 4294967295: maximum allowed length for a message body chunk { 0:4294967295
}
• bool http_inspect.normalize_utf = true: normalize charset utf encodings in response bodies
• bool http_inspect.decompress_pdf = false: decompress pdf files in response bodies
• bool http_inspect.decompress_swf = false: decompress swf files in response bodies
• bool http_inspect.decompress_zip = false: decompress zip files in response bodies
• bool http_inspect.decompress_vba = false: decompress MS Office Visual Basic for Applications macro files in response
bodies
• bool http_inspect.script_detection = false: inspect JavaScript immediately upon script end
• bool http_inspect.normalize_javascript = false: use legacy normalizer to normalize JavaScript in response bodies
• int http_inspect.js_norm_bytes_depth = -1: number of input JavaScript bytes to normalize (-1 unlimited) { -1:max53 }
• int http_inspect.js_norm_identifier_depth = 65536: max number of unique JavaScript identifiers to normalize { 0:65536 }
• int http_inspect.js_norm_max_tmpl_nest = 32: maximum depth of template literal nesting that enhanced javascript normal-
izer will process { 0:255 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 57 / 245

• int http_inspect.js_norm_max_bracket_depth = 256: maximum depth of bracket nesting that enhanced JavaScript normal-
izer will process { 1:65535 }
• int http_inspect.js_norm_max_scope_depth = 256: maximum depth of scope nesting that enhanced JavaScript normalizer
will process { 1:65535 }
• string http_inspect.js_norm_ident_ignore[].ident_name: name of the identifier to ignore
• int http_inspect.max_javascript_whitespaces = 200: maximum consecutive whitespaces allowed within the JavaScript ob-
fuscated data { 1:65535 }
• bit_list http_inspect.bad_characters: alert when any of specified bytes are present in URI after percent decoding { 255 }
• string http_inspect.ignore_unreserved: do not alert when the specified unreserved characters are percent-encoded in a
URI.Unreserved characters are 0-9, a-z, A-Z, period, underscore, tilde, and minus. { (optional) }
• bool http_inspect.percent_u = false: normalize %uNNNN and %UNNNN encodings
• bool http_inspect.utf8 = true: normalize 2-byte and 3-byte UTF-8 characters to a single byte
• bool http_inspect.utf8_bare_byte = false: when doing UTF-8 character normalization include bytes that were not percent
encoded
• bool http_inspect.iis_unicode = false: use IIS unicode code point mapping to normalize characters
• string http_inspect.iis_unicode_map_file: file containing code points for IIS unicode. { (optional) }
• int http_inspect.iis_unicode_code_page = 1252: code page to use from the IIS unicode map file { 0:65535 }
• bool http_inspect.iis_double_decode = true: perform double decoding of percent encodings to normalize characters
• int http_inspect.oversize_dir_length = 300: maximum length for URL directory { 1:65535 }
• bool http_inspect.backslash_to_slash = true: replace \ with / when normalizing URIs
• bool http_inspect.plus_to_space = true: replace + with <sp> when normalizing URIs
• bool http_inspect.simplify_path = true: reduce URI directory path to simplest form
• string http_inspect.xff_headers = x-forwarded-for true-client-ip: specifies the xff type headers to parse and consider in the
same order of preference as defined
• bool http_inspect.request_body_app_detection = true: make HTTP/2 request message bodies available for application de-
tection (detection requires AppId)

Rules:

• 119:1 (http_inspect) URI has percent-encoding of an unreserved character

• 119:2 (http_inspect) URI is percent encoded and the result is percent encoded again
• 119:3 (http_inspect) URI has non-standard %u-style Unicode encoding
• 119:4 (http_inspect) URI has Unicode encodings containing bytes that were not percent-encoded
• 119:6 (http_inspect) URI has two-byte or three-byte UTF-8 encoding
• 119:7 (http_inspect) URI has unicode map code point encoding
• 119:8 (http_inspect) URI path contains consecutive slash characters
• 119:9 (http_inspect) backslash character appears in the path portion of a URI.
• 119:10 (http_inspect) URI path contains /./ pattern repeating the current directory
• 119:11 (http_inspect) URI path contains /../ pattern moving up a directory
Snort 3 Reference Manual 58 / 245

• 119:12 (http_inspect) Tab character in HTTP start line

• 119:13 (http_inspect) HTTP start line or header line terminated by LF without a CR
• 119:14 (http_inspect) Normalized URI includes character from bad_characters list
• 119:15 (http_inspect) URI path contains a segment that is longer than the oversize_dir_length parameter
• 119:16 (http_inspect) chunk length exceeds configured maximum_chunk_length
• 119:18 (http_inspect) URI path includes /../ that goes above the root directory
• 119:19 (http_inspect) HTTP header line exceeds 4096 bytes
• 119:20 (http_inspect) HTTP message has more than 200 header fields
• 119:21 (http_inspect) HTTP message has more than one Content-Length header value
• 119:24 (http_inspect) Host header field appears more than once or has multiple values
• 119:25 (http_inspect) length of HTTP Host header field value exceeds maximum_host_length option
• 119:28 (http_inspect) HTTP POST or PUT request without content-length or chunks
• 119:31 (http_inspect) HTTP request method is not known to Snort
• 119:32 (http_inspect) HTTP request uses primitive HTTP format known as HTTP/0.9
• 119:33 (http_inspect) HTTP request URI has space character that is not percent-encoded
• 119:34 (http_inspect) HTTP connection has more than 100 simultaneous pipelined requests that have not been answered
• 119:102 (http_inspect) invalid status code in HTTP response
• 119:104 (http_inspect) HTTP response has UTF character set that failed to normalize
• 119:105 (http_inspect) HTTP response has UTF-7 character set
• 119:109 (http_inspect) more than one level of JavaScript obfuscation
• 119:110 (http_inspect) consecutive JavaScript whitespaces exceed maximum allowed
• 119:111 (http_inspect) multiple encodings within JavaScript obfuscated data
• 119:112 (http_inspect) SWF file zlib decompression failure
• 119:113 (http_inspect) SWF file LZMA decompression failure
• 119:114 (http_inspect) PDF file deflate decompression failure
• 119:115 (http_inspect) PDF file unsupported compression type
• 119:116 (http_inspect) PDF file with more than one compression applied
• 119:117 (http_inspect) PDF file parse failure
• 119:201 (http_inspect) not HTTP traffic or unrecoverable HTTP protocol error
• 119:202 (http_inspect) chunk length has excessive leading zeros
• 119:203 (http_inspect) white space before or between HTTP messages
• 119:204 (http_inspect) request message without URI
• 119:205 (http_inspect) control character in HTTP response reason phrase
• 119:206 (http_inspect) illegal extra whitespace in start line
• 119:207 (http_inspect) corrupted HTTP version
Snort 3 Reference Manual 59 / 245

• 119:209 (http_inspect) format error in HTTP header

• 119:210 (http_inspect) chunk header options present
• 119:211 (http_inspect) URI badly formatted
• 119:212 (http_inspect) unrecognized type of percent encoding in URI
• 119:213 (http_inspect) HTTP chunk misformatted
• 119:214 (http_inspect) white space adjacent to chunk length
• 119:215 (http_inspect) white space within header name
• 119:216 (http_inspect) excessive gzip compression
• 119:217 (http_inspect) gzip decompression failed
• 119:218 (http_inspect) HTTP 0.9 requested followed by another request
• 119:219 (http_inspect) HTTP 0.9 request following a normal request
• 119:220 (http_inspect) message has both Content-Length and Transfer-Encoding
• 119:221 (http_inspect) status code implying no body combined with Transfer-Encoding or nonzero Content-Length
• 119:222 (http_inspect) Transfer-Encoding not ending with chunked
• 119:223 (http_inspect) Transfer-Encoding with encodings before chunked
• 119:224 (http_inspect) misformatted HTTP traffic
• 119:225 (http_inspect) unsupported Content-Encoding used
• 119:226 (http_inspect) unknown Content-Encoding used
• 119:227 (http_inspect) multiple Content-Encodings applied
• 119:228 (http_inspect) server response before client request
• 119:229 (http_inspect) PDF/SWF/ZIP decompression of server response too big
• 119:230 (http_inspect) nonprinting character in HTTP message header name
• 119:231 (http_inspect) bad Content-Length value in HTTP header
• 119:232 (http_inspect) HTTP header line wrapped
• 119:233 (http_inspect) HTTP header line terminated by CR without a LF
• 119:234 (http_inspect) chunk terminated by nonstandard separator
• 119:235 (http_inspect) chunk length terminated by LF without CR
• 119:236 (http_inspect) more than one response with 100 status code
• 119:237 (http_inspect) 100 status code not in response to Expect header
• 119:238 (http_inspect) 1XX status code other than 100 or 101
• 119:239 (http_inspect) Expect header sent without a message body
• 119:240 (http_inspect) HTTP 1.0 message with Transfer-Encoding header
• 119:241 (http_inspect) Content-Transfer-Encoding used as HTTP header
• 119:242 (http_inspect) illegal field in chunked message trailers
• 119:243 (http_inspect) header field inappropriately appears twice or has two values
Snort 3 Reference Manual 60 / 245

• 119:244 (http_inspect) invalid value chunked in Content-Encoding header

• 119:245 (http_inspect) 206 response sent to a request without a Range header
• 119:246 (http_inspect) HTTP in version field not all upper case
• 119:247 (http_inspect) white space embedded in critical header value
• 119:248 (http_inspect) gzip compressed data followed by unexpected non-gzip data
• 119:249 (http_inspect) excessive HTTP parameter key repeats
• 119:250 (http_inspect) HTTP/2 Transfer-Encoding header other than identity
• 119:251 (http_inspect) HTTP/2 message body overruns Content-Length header value
• 119:252 (http_inspect) HTTP/2 message body smaller than Content-Length header value
• 119:253 (http_inspect) HTTP CONNECT request with a message body
• 119:254 (http_inspect) HTTP client-to-server traffic after CONNECT request but before CONNECT response
• 119:255 (http_inspect) HTTP CONNECT 2XX response with Content-Length header
• 119:256 (http_inspect) HTTP CONNECT 2XX response with Transfer-Encoding header
• 119:257 (http_inspect) HTTP CONNECT response with 1XX status code
• 119:258 (http_inspect) HTTP CONNECT response before request message completed
• 119:259 (http_inspect) malformed HTTP Content-Disposition filename parameter
• 119:260 (http_inspect) HTTP Content-Length message body was truncated
• 119:261 (http_inspect) HTTP chunked message body was truncated
• 119:262 (http_inspect) HTTP URI scheme longer than 10 characters
• 119:263 (http_inspect) HTTP/1 client requested HTTP/2 upgrade
• 119:264 (http_inspect) HTTP/1 server granted HTTP/2 upgrade
• 119:265 (http_inspect) bad token in JavaScript
• 119:266 (http_inspect) unexpected script opening tag in JavaScript
• 119:267 (http_inspect) unexpected script closing tag in JavaScript
• 119:268 (http_inspect) JavaScript code under the external script tags
• 119:269 (http_inspect) script opening tag in a short form
• 119:270 (http_inspect) max number of unique JavaScript identifiers reached
• 119:271 (http_inspect) JavaScript bracket nesting is over capacity
• 119:272 (http_inspect) Consecutive commas in HTTP Accept-Encoding header
• 119:273 (http_inspect) missed PDUs during JavaScript normalization
• 119:274 (http_inspect) JavaScript scope nesting is over capacity
• 119:275 (http_inspect) HTTP/1 version other than 1.0 or 1.1
• 119:276 (http_inspect) HTTP version in start line is 0
• 119:277 (http_inspect) HTTP version in start line is higher than 1
• 119:278 (http_inspect) HTTP gzip body with the FEXTRA flag set
Snort 3 Reference Manual 61 / 245

Peg counts:

• http_inspect.flows: HTTP connections inspected (sum)

• http_inspect.scans: TCP segments scanned looking for HTTP messages (sum)
• http_inspect.reassembles: TCP segments combined into HTTP messages (sum)
• http_inspect.inspections: total message sections inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.requests: HTTP request messages inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.responses: HTTP response messages inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.get_requests: GET requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.head_requests: HEAD requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.post_requests: POST requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.put_requests: PUT requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.delete_requests: DELETE requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.connect_requests: CONNECT requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.options_requests: OPTIONS requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.trace_requests: TRACE requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.other_requests: other request methods inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.request_bodies: POST, PUT, and other requests with message bodies (sum)
• http_inspect.chunked: chunked message bodies (sum)
• http_inspect.uri_normalizations: URIs needing to be normalization (sum)
• http_inspect.uri_path: URIs with path problems (sum)
• http_inspect.uri_coding: URIs with character coding problems (sum)
• http_inspect.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent http sessions (now)
• http_inspect.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent http sessions (max)
• http_inspect.script_detections: early inspections of scripts in HTTP responses (sum)
• http_inspect.partial_inspections: early inspections done for script detection (sum)
• http_inspect.excess_parameters: repeat parameters exceeding max (sum)
• http_inspect.parameters: HTTP parameters inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.connect_tunnel_cutovers: CONNECT tunnel flow cutovers to wizard (sum)
• http_inspect.ssl_srch_abandoned_early: total SSL search abandoned too soon (sum)
• http_inspect.pipelined_flows: total HTTP connections containing pipelined requests (sum)
• http_inspect.pipelined_requests: total requests placed in a pipeline (sum)
• http_inspect.total_bytes: total HTTP data bytes inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.js_inline_scripts: total number of inline JavaScripts processed (sum)
• http_inspect.js_external_scripts: total number of external JavaScripts processed (sum)
• http_inspect.js_bytes: total number of JavaScript bytes processed (sum)
• http_inspect.js_identifiers: total number of unique JavaScript identifiers processed (sum)
• http_inspect.js_identifier_overflows: total number of unique JavaScript identifier limit overflows (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 62 / 245

5.26 iec104

Help: iec104 inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Rules:

• 151:1 (iec104) Length in IEC104 APCI header does not match the length needed for the given IEC104 ASDU type id
• 151:2 (iec104) IEC104 Start byte does not match 0x68

• 151:3 (iec104) Reserved IEC104 ASDU type id in use

• 151:4 (iec104) IEC104 APCI U Reserved field contains a non-default value
• 151:5 (iec104) IEC104 APCI U message type was set to an invalid value

• 151:6 (iec104) IEC104 APCI S Reserved field contains a non-default value

• 151:7 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I number of elements set to zero
• 151:8 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I SQ bit set on an ASDU that does not support the feature
• 151:9 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I number of elements set to greater than one on an ASDU that does not support the feature

• 151:10 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Cause of Initialization set to a reserved value

• 151:11 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Interrogation Command set to a reserved value
• 151:12 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Counter Interrogation Command request parameter set to a reserved value

• 151:13 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Parameter of Measured Values kind of parameter set to a reserved value
• 151:14 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Parameter of Measured Values local parameter change set to a technically valid
but unused value
• 151:15 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Parameter of Measured Values parameter option set to a technically valid but
unused value

• 151:16 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Parameter Activation set to a reserved value
• 151:17 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Command set to a reserved value
• 151:18 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Reset Process set to a reserved value

• 151:19 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I File Ready Qualifier set to a reserved value
• 151:20 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Section Ready Qualifier set to a reserved value
• 151:21 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Select and Call Qualifier set to a reserved value
• 151:22 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Last Section or Segment Qualifier set to a reserved value

• 151:23 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Acknowledge File or Section Qualifier set to a reserved value
• 151:24 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Structure Qualifier set on a message where it should have no effect
• 151:25 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Single Point Information Reserved field contains a non-default value

• 151:26 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Double Point Information Reserved field contains a non-default value
• 151:27 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Cause of Transmission set to a reserved value
Snort 3 Reference Manual 63 / 245

• 151:28 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Cause of Transmission set to a value not allowed for the ASDU
• 151:29 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I invalid two octet common address value detected
• 151:30 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Quality Descriptor Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value

• 151:31 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Quality Descriptor for Events of Protection Equipment Structure Reserved field contains a
non-default value
• 151:32 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I IEEE STD 754 value results in NaN
• 151:33 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I IEEE STD 754 value results in infinity

• 151:34 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Single Event of Protection Equipment Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value
• 151:35 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Start Event of Protection Equipment Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value
• 151:36 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Output Circuit Information Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value

• 151:37 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Abnormal Fixed Test Bit Pattern detected
• 151:38 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Single Command Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value
• 151:39 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Double Command Structure contains an invalid value
• 151:40 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Regulating Step Command Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value

• 151:41 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Millisecond set outside of the allowable range
• 151:42 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Minute set outside of the allowable range
• 151:43 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Minute Reserved field contains a non-default value

• 151:44 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Hours set outside of the allowable range
• 151:45 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Hours Reserved field contains a non-default value
• 151:46 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Day of Month set outside of the allowable range
• 151:47 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Month set outside of the allowable range

• 151:48 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Month Reserved field contains a non-default value
• 151:49 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Year set outside of the allowable range
• 151:50 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Year Reserved field contains a non-default value

• 151:51 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I a null Length of Segment value has been detected
• 151:52 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I an invalid Length of Segment value has been detected
• 151:53 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Status of File set to a reserved value
• 151:54 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Set Point Command ql field set to a reserved value

Peg counts:

• iec104.sessions: total sessions processed (sum)

• iec104.frames: total IEC104 messages (sum)

• iec104.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent IEC104 sessions (now)

• iec104.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent IEC104 sessions (max)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 64 / 245

5.27 imap

Help: imap inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• int imap.b64_decode_depth = -1: base64 decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }

• int imap.bitenc_decode_depth = -1: non-Encoded MIME attachment extraction depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• bool imap.decompress_pdf = false: decompress pdf files in MIME attachments
• bool imap.decompress_swf = false: decompress swf files in MIME attachments
• bool imap.decompress_zip = false: decompress zip files in MIME attachments
• bool imap.decompress_vba = false: decompress MS Office Visual Basic for Applications macro files in MIME attachments
• int imap.qp_decode_depth = -1: quoted Printable decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• int imap.uu_decode_depth = -1: Unix-to-Unix decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }

Rules:

• 141:1 (imap) unknown IMAP3 command

• 141:2 (imap) unknown IMAP3 response
• 141:4 (imap) base64 decoding failed
• 141:5 (imap) quoted-printable decoding failed
• 141:7 (imap) Unix-to-Unix decoding failed
• 141:8 (imap) file decompression failed

Peg counts:

• imap.packets: total packets processed (sum)

• imap.sessions: total imap sessions (sum)
• imap.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent imap sessions (now)
• imap.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent imap sessions (max)
• imap.start_tls: total STARTTLS events generated (sum)
• imap.ssl_search_abandoned: total SSL search abandoned (sum)
• imap.ssl_srch_abandoned_early: total SSL search abandoned too soon (sum)
• imap.b64_attachments: total base64 attachments decoded (sum)
• imap.b64_decoded_bytes: total base64 decoded bytes (sum)
• imap.qp_attachments: total quoted-printable attachments decoded (sum)
• imap.qp_decoded_bytes: total quoted-printable decoded bytes (sum)
• imap.uu_attachments: total uu attachments decoded (sum)
• imap.uu_decoded_bytes: total uu decoded bytes (sum)
• imap.non_encoded_attachments: total non-encoded attachments extracted (sum)
• imap.non_encoded_bytes: total non-encoded extracted bytes (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 65 / 245

5.28 mem_test

Help: for testing memory management

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: singleton
Peg counts:

• mem_test.packets: total packets (sum)

5.29 modbus

Help: modbus inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Rules:

• 144:1 (modbus) length in Modbus MBAP header does not match the length needed for the given function
• 144:2 (modbus) Modbus protocol ID is non-zero

• 144:3 (modbus) reserved Modbus function code in use

Peg counts:

• modbus.sessions: total sessions processed (sum)

• modbus.frames: total Modbus messages (sum)

• modbus.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent modbus sessions (now)
• modbus.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent modbus sessions (max)

5.30 netflow

Help: netflow inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• string netflow.dump_file: file name to dump netflow cache on shutdown; won’t dump by default
• int netflow.update_timeout = 3600: the interval at which the system updates host cache information { 0:max32 }

• addr netflow.rules[].device_ip: restrict the NetFlow devices from which Snort will analyze packets
• bool netflow.rules[].exclude = false: exclude the NetFlow records that match this rule
• string netflow.rules[].zones: generate events only for NetFlow packets that originate from these zones
Snort 3 Reference Manual 66 / 245

• string netflow.rules[].networks: generate events for NetFlow records that contain an initiator or responder IP from
these networks
• bool netflow.rules[].create_host = false: generate a new host event
• bool netflow.rules[].create_service = false: generate a new or changed service event

Peg counts:

• netflow.invalid_netflow_record: count of invalid netflow records (sum)

• netflow.packets: total packets processed (sum)
• netflow.records: total records found in netflow data (sum)
• netflow.unique_flows: count of unique netflow flows (sum)
• netflow.v9_missing_template: count of data records that are missing templates (sum)
• netflow.v9_options_template: count of options template flowset (sum)
• netflow.v9_templates: count of total version 9 templates (sum)
• netflow.version_5: count of netflow version 5 packets received (sum)
• netflow.version_9: count of netflow version 9 packets received (sum)

5.31 normalizer

Help: packet scrubbing for inline mode

Type: inspector (packet)
Usage: context
Instance Type: network
Configuration:

• bool normalizer.ip4.base = false: clear options

• bool normalizer.ip4.df = false: clear don’t frag flag
• bool normalizer.ip4.rf = false: clear reserved flag
• bool normalizer.ip4.tos = false: clear tos / differentiated services byte
• bool normalizer.ip4.trim = false: truncate excess payload beyond datagram length
• bool normalizer.tcp.base = false: clear reserved bits and option padding and fix urgent pointer / flags issues
• bool normalizer.tcp.block = false: allow packet drops during TCP normalization
• bool normalizer.tcp.urp = false: adjust urgent pointer if beyond segment length
• bool normalizer.tcp.ips = true: ensure consistency in retransmitted data
• select normalizer.tcp.ecn = off: clear ecn for all packets | sessions w/o ecn setup { off | packet | stream }
• bool normalizer.tcp.pad = false: clear any option padding bytes
• bool normalizer.tcp.trim_syn = false: remove data on SYN
• bool normalizer.tcp.trim_rst = false: remove any data from RST packet
• bool normalizer.tcp.trim_win = false: trim data to window
Snort 3 Reference Manual 67 / 245

• bool normalizer.tcp.trim_mss = false: trim data to MSS

• bool normalizer.tcp.opts = false: clear all options except mss, wscale, timestamp, and any explicitly allowed
• bool normalizer.tcp.req_urg = false: clear the urgent pointer if the urgent flag is not set
• bool normalizer.tcp.req_pay = false: clear the urgent pointer and the urgent flag if there is no payload
• bool normalizer.tcp.rsv = false: clear the reserved bits in the TCP header
• bool normalizer.tcp.req_urp = false: clear the urgent flag if the urgent pointer is not set
• multi normalizer.tcp.allow_names: don’t clear given option names { sack | echo | partial_order | conn_count | alt_checksum |
md5 }
• string normalizer.tcp.allow_codes: don’t clear given option codes
• bool normalizer.ip6 = false: clear reserved flag
• bool normalizer.icmp4 = false: clear reserved flag
• bool normalizer.icmp6 = false: clear reserved flag

Peg counts:

• normalizer.test_ip4_trim: test eth packets trimmed to datagram size (sum)

• normalizer.ip4_trim: eth packets trimmed to datagram size (sum)
• normalizer.test_ip4_tos: test type of service normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.ip4_tos: type of service normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.test_ip4_df: test don’t frag bit normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.ip4_df: don’t frag bit normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.test_ip4_rf: test reserved flag bit clears (sum)
• normalizer.ip4_rf: reserved flag bit clears (sum)
• normalizer.test_ip4_ttl: test time-to-live normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.ip4_ttl: time-to-live normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.test_ip4_opts: test ip4 options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.ip4_opts: ip4 options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_icmp4_echo: test icmp4 ping normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.icmp4_echo: icmp4 ping normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.test_ip6_hops: test ip6 hop limit normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.ip6_hops: ip6 hop limit normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.test_ip6_options: test ip6 options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.ip6_options: ip6 options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_icmp6_echo: test icmp6 echo normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.icmp6_echo: icmp6 echo normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_syn_options: test SYN only options cleared from non-SYN packets (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_syn_options: SYN only options cleared from non-SYN packets (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 68 / 245

• normalizer.test_tcp_options: test packets with options cleared (sum)

• normalizer.tcp_options: packets with options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_padding: test packets with padding cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_padding: packets with padding cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_reserved: test packets with reserved bits cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_reserved: packets with reserved bits cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_nonce: test packets with nonce bit cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_nonce: packets with nonce bit cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_urgent_ptr: test packets without data with urgent pointer cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_urgent_ptr: packets without data with urgent pointer cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_ecn_pkt: test packets with ECN bits cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_ecn_pkt: packets with ECN bits cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_ts_ecr: test timestamp cleared on non-ACKs (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_ts_ecr: timestamp cleared on non-ACKs (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_req_urg: test cleared urgent pointer when urgent flag is not set (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_req_urg: cleared urgent pointer when urgent flag is not set (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_req_pay: test cleared urgent pointer and urgent flag when there is no payload (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_req_pay: cleared urgent pointer and urgent flag when there is no payload (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_req_urp: test cleared the urgent flag if the urgent pointer is not set (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_req_urp: cleared the urgent flag if the urgent pointer is not set (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_trim_syn: test tcp segments trimmed on SYN (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_trim_syn: tcp segments trimmed on SYN (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_trim_rst: test RST packets with data trimmed (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_trim_rst: RST packets with data trimmed (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_trim_win: test data trimmed to window (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_trim_win: data trimmed to window (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_trim_mss: test data trimmed to MSS (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_trim_mss: data trimmed to MSS (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_ecn_session: test ECN bits cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_ecn_session: ECN bits cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_ts_nop: test timestamp options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_ts_nop: timestamp options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_ips_data: test normalized segments (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_ips_data: normalized segments (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_block: test blocked segments (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_block: blocked segments (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 69 / 245

5.32 null_trace_logger

Help: trace logger with a null printout

Type: inspector (passive)
Usage: global
Instance Type: global

5.33 packet_capture

Help: raw packet dumping facility

Type: inspector (probe)
Usage: global
Instance Type: global
Configuration:

• bool packet_capture.enable = false: initially enable packet dumping

• string packet_capture.filter: bpf filter to use for packet dump
• int packet_capture.group = -1: group filter to use for the packet dump { -1:32767 }

Commands:

• packet_capture.enable(filter, group): dump raw packets

• packet_capture.disable(): stop packet dump

Peg counts:

• packet_capture.processed: packets processed against filter (sum)

• packet_capture.captured: packets matching dumped after matching filter (sum)

5.34 perf_monitor

Help: performance monitoring and flow statistics collection

Type: inspector (probe)
Usage: global
Instance Type: global
Configuration:

• bool perf_monitor.base = true: enable base statistics

• bool perf_monitor.cpu = false: enable cpu statistics
• bool perf_monitor.flow = false: enable traffic statistics
• bool perf_monitor.flow_ip = false: enable statistics on host pairs
• int perf_monitor.packets = 10000: minimum packets to report { 0:max32 }
• int perf_monitor.seconds = 60: report interval { 0:max32 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 70 / 245

• int perf_monitor.flow_ip_memcap = 52428800: maximum memory in bytes for flow tracking { 236:maxSZ }
• int perf_monitor.max_file_size = 1073741824: files will be rolled over if they exceed this size { 4096:max53 }
• int perf_monitor.flow_ports = 1023: maximum ports to track { 0:65535 }
• enum perf_monitor.output = file: output location for stats { file | console }
• string perf_monitor.modules[].name: name of the module
• string perf_monitor.modules[].pegs: list of statistics to track or empty for all counters
• enum perf_monitor.format = csv: output format for stats { csv | text | json | flatbuffers }
• bool perf_monitor.summary = false: output summary at shutdown

Commands:

• perf_monitor.enable_flow_ip_profiling(seconds, packets): enable statistics on host pairs

• perf_monitor.disable_flow_ip_profiling(): disable statistics on host pairs
• perf_monitor.show_flow_ip_profiling(): show status of statistics on host pairs

Peg counts:

• perf_monitor.packets: total packets processed by performance monitor (sum)

• perf_monitor.flow_tracker_creates: total number of flow trackers created (sum)
• perf_monitor.flow_tracker_total_deletes: flow trackers deleted to stay below memcap limit (sum)
• perf_monitor.flow_tracker_reload_deletes: flow trackers deleted due to memcap change on config reload (sum)
• perf_monitor.flow_tracker_prunes: flow trackers pruned for reuse by new flows (sum)

5.35 pop

Help: pop inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• int pop.b64_decode_depth = -1: base64 decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }

• int pop.bitenc_decode_depth = -1: Non-Encoded MIME attachment extraction depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• bool pop.decompress_pdf = false: decompress pdf files in MIME attachments
• bool pop.decompress_swf = false: decompress swf files in MIME attachments
• bool pop.decompress_zip = false: decompress zip files in MIME attachments
• bool pop.decompress_vba = false: decompress MS Office Visual Basic for Applications macro files in MIME attachments
• int pop.qp_decode_depth = -1: Quoted Printable decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• int pop.uu_decode_depth = -1: Unix-to-Unix decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }

Rules:
Snort 3 Reference Manual 71 / 245

• 142:1 (pop) unknown POP3 command

• 142:2 (pop) unknown POP3 response
• 142:4 (pop) base64 decoding failed
• 142:5 (pop) quoted-printable decoding failed
• 142:7 (pop) Unix-to-Unix decoding failed
• 142:8 (pop) file decompression failed

Peg counts:

• pop.packets: total packets processed (sum)

• pop.total_bytes: total number of bytes processed (sum)
• pop.sessions: total pop sessions (sum)
• pop.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent pop sessions (now)
• pop.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent pop sessions (max)
• pop.start_tls: total STARTTLS events generated (sum)
• pop.ssl_search_abandoned: total SSL search abandoned (sum)
• pop.ssl_srch_abandoned_early: total SSL search abandoned too soon (sum)
• pop.b64_attachments: total base64 attachments decoded (sum)
• pop.b64_decoded_bytes: total base64 decoded bytes (sum)
• pop.qp_attachments: total quoted-printable attachments decoded (sum)
• pop.qp_decoded_bytes: total quoted-printable decoded bytes (sum)
• pop.uu_attachments: total uu attachments decoded (sum)
• pop.uu_decoded_bytes: total uu decoded bytes (sum)
• pop.non_encoded_attachments: total non-encoded attachments extracted (sum)
• pop.non_encoded_bytes: total non-encoded extracted bytes (sum)

5.36 port_scan

Help: detect various ip, icmp, tcp, and udp port or protocol scans
Type: inspector (probe)
Usage: global
Instance Type: global
Configuration:

• int port_scan.memcap = 10485760: maximum tracker memory in bytes { 1024:maxSZ }

• multi port_scan.protos = all: choose the protocols to monitor { tcp | udp | icmp | ip | all }
• multi port_scan.scan_types = all: choose type of scans to look for { portscan | portsweep | decoy_portscan | distributed_portscan
| all }
• string port_scan.watch_ip: list of CIDRs with optional ports to watch
Snort 3 Reference Manual 72 / 245

• string port_scan.ignore_scanners: list of CIDRs with optional ports to ignore if the source of scan alerts
• string port_scan.ignore_scanned: list of CIDRs with optional ports to ignore if the destination of scan alerts
• bool port_scan.alert_all = false: alert on all events over threshold within window if true; else alert on first only
• bool port_scan.include_midstream = false: list of CIDRs with optional ports
• int port_scan.tcp_ports.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_ports.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_ports.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_ports.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_decoy.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_decoy.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_decoy.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_decoy.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_sweep.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_sweep.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_sweep.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_sweep.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_dist.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_dist.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_dist.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_dist.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_ports.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_ports.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_ports.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_ports.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_decoy.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_decoy.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_decoy.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_decoy.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_sweep.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_sweep.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_sweep.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_sweep.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_dist.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_dist.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_dist.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 73 / 245

• int port_scan.udp_dist.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_proto.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_proto.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.ip_proto.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_proto.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_decoy.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.ip_decoy.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.ip_decoy.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_decoy.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_sweep.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.ip_sweep.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.ip_sweep.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_sweep.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.ip_dist.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.ip_dist.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_dist.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_dist.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.icmp_sweep.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.icmp_sweep.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.icmp_sweep.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.icmp_sweep.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.tcp_window = 0: detection interval for all TCP scans { 0:max32 }

• int port_scan.udp_window = 0: detection interval for all UDP scans { 0:max32 }
• int port_scan.ip_window = 0: detection interval for all IP scans { 0:max32 }

• int port_scan.icmp_window = 0: detection interval for all ICMP scans { 0:max32 }

Rules:

• 122:1 (port_scan) TCP portscan

• 122:2 (port_scan) TCP decoy portscan

• 122:3 (port_scan) TCP portsweep
• 122:4 (port_scan) TCP distributed portscan
• 122:5 (port_scan) TCP filtered portscan

• 122:6 (port_scan) TCP filtered decoy portscan

• 122:7 (port_scan) TCP filtered portsweep
• 122:8 (port_scan) TCP filtered distributed portscan
Snort 3 Reference Manual 74 / 245

• 122:9 (port_scan) IP protocol scan

• 122:10 (port_scan) IP decoy protocol scan
• 122:11 (port_scan) IP protocol sweep

• 122:12 (port_scan) IP distributed protocol scan

• 122:13 (port_scan) IP filtered protocol scan
• 122:14 (port_scan) IP filtered decoy protocol scan

• 122:15 (port_scan) IP filtered protocol sweep

• 122:16 (port_scan) IP filtered distributed protocol scan
• 122:17 (port_scan) UDP portscan
• 122:18 (port_scan) UDP decoy portscan

• 122:19 (port_scan) UDP portsweep

• 122:20 (port_scan) UDP distributed portscan
• 122:21 (port_scan) UDP filtered portscan

• 122:22 (port_scan) UDP filtered decoy portscan

• 122:23 (port_scan) UDP filtered portsweep
• 122:24 (port_scan) UDP filtered distributed portscan
• 122:25 (port_scan) ICMP sweep

• 122:26 (port_scan) ICMP filtered sweep

• 122:27 (port_scan) open port

Peg counts:

• port_scan.packets: number of packets processed by port scan (sum)

• port_scan.trackers: number of trackers allocated by port scan (sum)
• port_scan.alloc_prunes: number of trackers pruned on allocation of new tracking (sum)

• port_scan.reload_prunes: number of trackers pruned on reload due to reduced memcap (sum)

5.37 reputation

Help: reputation inspection

Type: inspector (first)
Usage: context
Instance Type: network
Configuration:

• string reputation.blocklist: blocklist file name with IP lists

• string reputation.list_dir: directory for IP lists and manifest file

• int reputation.memcap = 500: maximum total MB of memory allocated { 1:4095 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 75 / 245

• enum reputation.nested_ip = inner: IP to use when there is IP encapsulation { inner|outer|all }

• enum reputation.priority = allowlist: defines priority when there is a decision conflict during run-time { blocklist|allowlist }
• bool reputation.scan_local = false: inspect local address defined in RFC 1918

• enum reputation.allow = do_not_block: specify the meaning of allowlist { do_not_block|trust }

• string reputation.allowlist: allowlist file name with IP lists

Commands:

• reputation.reload(): reload reputation data

Rules:

• 136:1 (reputation) packets blocked based on source

• 136:2 (reputation) packets trusted based on source

• 136:3 (reputation) packets monitored based on source
• 136:4 (reputation) packets blocked based on destination

• 136:5 (reputation) packets trusted based on destination

• 136:6 (reputation) packets monitored based on destination

Peg counts:

• reputation.packets: total packets processed (sum)

• reputation.blocked: number of packets blocked (sum)
• reputation.trusted: number of packets trusted (sum)
• reputation.monitored: number of packets monitored (sum)

• reputation.memory_allocated: total memory allocated (sum)

• reputation.aux_ip_blocked: number of auxiliary ip packets blocked (sum)
• reputation.aux_ip_trusted: number of auxiliary ip packets trusted (sum)

• reputation.aux_ip_monitored: number of auxiliary ip packets monitored (sum)

5.38 rna

Help: Real-time network awareness and OS fingerprinting (experimental)

Type: inspector (control)
Usage: context
Instance Type: network
Configuration:

• string rna.rna_conf_path: path to rna configuration

• bool rna.enable_logger = true: enable or disable writing discovery events into logger
• bool rna.log_when_idle = false: enable host update logging when snort is idle
Snort 3 Reference Manual 76 / 245

• string rna.dump_file: file name to dump RNA mac cache on shutdown; won’t dump by default
• int rna.tcp_fingerprints[].fpid = 0: fingerprint id { 0:max32 }
• int rna.tcp_fingerprints[].type = 0: fingerprint type { 0:max32 }
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].uuid: fingerprint uuid
• int rna.tcp_fingerprints[].ttl = 0: fingerprint ttl { 0:256 }
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].tcp_window: fingerprint tcp window
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].mss = X: fingerprint mss
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].id = X: id
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].topts: fingerprint tcp options
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].ws = X: fingerprint window size
• bool rna.tcp_fingerprints[].df = false: fingerprint don’t fragment flag
• enum rna.tcp_fingerprints[].ua_type = os: type of user agent fingerprints { os | device | jail-broken | jail-broken-
host }
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].user_agent[].substring: a substring of user agent string
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].host_name: host name information
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].device: device information
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].dhcp55: dhcp option 55 values
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].dhcp60: dhcp option 60 values
• int rna.tcp_fingerprints[].major: smb major version { 0:max31 }
• int rna.tcp_fingerprints[].minor: smb minor version { 0:max31 }
• int rna.tcp_fingerprints[].flags: smb flags { 0:max32 }
• int rna.ua_fingerprints[].fpid = 0: fingerprint id { 0:max32 }
• int rna.ua_fingerprints[].type = 0: fingerprint type { 0:max32 }
• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].uuid: fingerprint uuid
• int rna.ua_fingerprints[].ttl = 0: fingerprint ttl { 0:256 }
• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].tcp_window: fingerprint tcp window
• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].mss = X: fingerprint mss
• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].id = X: id
• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].topts: fingerprint tcp options
• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].ws = X: fingerprint window size
• bool rna.ua_fingerprints[].df = false: fingerprint don’t fragment flag
• enum rna.ua_fingerprints[].ua_type = os: type of user agent fingerprints { os | device | jail-broken | jail-broken-
host }
• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].user_agent[].substring: a substring of user agent string
• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].host_name: host name information
• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].device: device information
Snort 3 Reference Manual 77 / 245

• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].dhcp55: dhcp option 55 values

• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].dhcp60: dhcp option 60 values
• int rna.ua_fingerprints[].major: smb major version { 0:max31 }

• int rna.ua_fingerprints[].minor: smb minor version { 0:max31 }

• int rna.ua_fingerprints[].flags: smb flags { 0:max32 }
• int rna.udp_fingerprints[].fpid = 0: fingerprint id { 0:max32 }

• int rna.udp_fingerprints[].type = 0: fingerprint type { 0:max32 }

• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].uuid: fingerprint uuid
• int rna.udp_fingerprints[].ttl = 0: fingerprint ttl { 0:256 }
• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].tcp_window: fingerprint tcp window

• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].mss = X: fingerprint mss

• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].id = X: id
• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].topts: fingerprint tcp options

• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].ws = X: fingerprint window size

• bool rna.udp_fingerprints[].df = false: fingerprint don’t fragment flag
• enum rna.udp_fingerprints[].ua_type = os: type of user agent fingerprints { os | device | jail-broken | jail-broken-
host }

• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].user_agent[].substring: a substring of user agent string

• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].host_name: host name information
• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].device: device information
• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].dhcp55: dhcp option 55 values

• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].dhcp60: dhcp option 60 values

• int rna.udp_fingerprints[].major: smb major version { 0:max31 }
• int rna.udp_fingerprints[].minor: smb minor version { 0:max31 }

• int rna.udp_fingerprints[].flags: smb flags { 0:max32 }

• int rna.smb_fingerprints[].fpid = 0: fingerprint id { 0:max32 }
• int rna.smb_fingerprints[].type = 0: fingerprint type { 0:max32 }
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].uuid: fingerprint uuid

• int rna.smb_fingerprints[].ttl = 0: fingerprint ttl { 0:256 }

• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].tcp_window: fingerprint tcp window
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].mss = X: fingerprint mss
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].id = X: id

• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].topts: fingerprint tcp options

• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].ws = X: fingerprint window size
• bool rna.smb_fingerprints[].df = false: fingerprint don’t fragment flag
Snort 3 Reference Manual 78 / 245

• enum rna.smb_fingerprints[].ua_type = os: type of user agent fingerprints { os | device | jail-broken | jail-broken-
host }
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].user_agent[].substring: a substring of user agent string

• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].host_name: host name information

• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].device: device information
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].dhcp55: dhcp option 55 values
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].dhcp60: dhcp option 60 values

• int rna.smb_fingerprints[].major: smb major version { 0:max31 }

• int rna.smb_fingerprints[].minor: smb minor version { 0:max31 }
• int rna.smb_fingerprints[].flags: smb flags { 0:max32 }

Commands:

• rna.dump_macs(): dump rna’s internal MAC trackers

• rna.delete_mac_host(mac): delete a MAC from rna’s MAC cache

• rna.delete_mac_host_proto(mac, proto): delete a protocol associated with a MAC host

• rna.purge_data(): purge all host cache and mac cache data

Peg counts:

• rna.appid_change: count of appid change events received (sum)

• rna.cpe_os: count of CPE OS events received (sum)
• rna.icmp_bidirectional: count of bidirectional ICMP flows received (sum)
• rna.icmp_new: count of new ICMP flows received (sum)

• rna.ip_bidirectional: count of bidirectional IP received (sum)

• rna.ip_new: count of new IP flows received (sum)
• rna.udp_bidirectional: count of bidirectional UDP flows received (sum)

• rna.udp_new: count of new UDP flows received (sum)

• rna.tcp_syn: count of TCP SYN packets received (sum)
• rna.tcp_syn_ack: count of TCP SYN-ACK packets received (sum)
• rna.tcp_midstream: count of TCP midstream packets received (sum)

• rna.other_packets: count of packets received without session tracking (sum)

• rna.change_host_update: count number of change host update events (sum)
• rna.dhcp_data: count of DHCP data events received (sum)

• rna.dhcp_info: count of new DHCP lease events received (sum)

• rna.smb: count of new SMB events received (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 79 / 245

5.39 rpc_decode

Help: RPC inspector

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Rules:

• 106:1 (rpc_decode) fragmented RPC records

• 106:2 (rpc_decode) multiple RPC records

• 106:3 (rpc_decode) large RPC record fragment

• 106:4 (rpc_decode) incomplete RPC segment
• 106:5 (rpc_decode) zero-length RPC fragment

Peg counts:

• rpc_decode.total_packets: total packets (sum)

• rpc_decode.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent rpc sessions (now)

• rpc_decode.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent rpc sessions (max)

5.40 s7commplus

Help: s7commplus inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Rules:

• 149:1 (s7commplus) length in S7commplus MBAP header does not match the length needed for the given S7commplus func-
tion
• 149:2 (s7commplus) S7commplus protocol ID is non-zero
• 149:3 (s7commplus) reserved S7commplus function code in use

Peg counts:

• s7commplus.sessions: total sessions processed (sum)

• s7commplus.frames: total S7commplus messages (sum)
• s7commplus.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent s7commplus sessions (now)

• s7commplus.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent s7commplus sessions (max)

Snort 3 Reference Manual 80 / 245

5.41 sip

Help: sip inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• bool sip.ignore_call_channel = false: enables the support for ignoring audio/video data channel
• int sip.max_call_id_len = 256: maximum call id field size { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_contact_len = 256: maximum contact field size { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_content_len = 1024: maximum content length of the message body { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_dialogs = 4: maximum number of dialogs within one stream session { 1:max32 }
• int sip.max_from_len = 256: maximum from field size { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_request_name_len = 20: maximum request name field size { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_requestName_len = 20: deprecated - use max_request_name_len instead { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_to_len = 256: maximum to field size { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_uri_len = 256: maximum request uri field size { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_via_len = 1024: maximum via field size { 0:65535 }
• string sip.methods = invite cancel ack bye register options: list of methods to check in SIP messages

Rules:

• 140:2 (sip) empty request URI

• 140:3 (sip) URI is too long
• 140:4 (sip) empty call-Id
• 140:5 (sip) Call-Id is too long
• 140:6 (sip) CSeq number is too large or negative
• 140:7 (sip) request name in CSeq is too long
• 140:8 (sip) empty From header
• 140:9 (sip) From header is too long
• 140:10 (sip) empty To header
• 140:11 (sip) To header is too long
• 140:12 (sip) empty Via header
• 140:13 (sip) Via header is too long
• 140:14 (sip) empty Contact
• 140:15 (sip) contact is too long
• 140:16 (sip) content length is too large or negative
Snort 3 Reference Manual 81 / 245

• 140:17 (sip) multiple SIP messages in a packet

• 140:18 (sip) content length mismatch
• 140:19 (sip) request name is invalid

• 140:20 (sip) Invite replay attack

• 140:21 (sip) illegal session information modification
• 140:22 (sip) response status code is not a 3 digit number

• 140:23 (sip) empty Content-type header

• 140:24 (sip) SIP version is invalid
• 140:25 (sip) mismatch in METHOD of request and the CSEQ header
• 140:26 (sip) method is unknown

• 140:27 (sip) maximum dialogs within a session reached

Peg counts:

• sip.packets: total packets (sum)

• sip.sessions: total sessions (sum)

• sip.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent SIP sessions (now)
• sip.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent SIP sessions (max)

• sip.events: events generated (sum)

• sip.dialogs: total dialogs (sum)
• sip.ignored_channels: total channels ignored (sum)
• sip.ignored_sessions: total sessions ignored (sum)

• sip.total_requests: total requests (sum)

• sip.invite: invite (sum)
• sip.cancel: cancel (sum)

• sip.ack: ack (sum)

• sip.bye: bye (sum)
• sip.register: register (sum)
• sip.options: options (sum)

• sip.refer: refer (sum)

• sip.subscribe: subscribe (sum)
• sip.update: update (sum)
• sip.join: join (sum)

• sip.info: info (sum)

• sip.message: message (sum)
• sip.notify: notify (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 82 / 245

• sip.prack: prack (sum)

• sip.total_responses: total responses (sum)
• sip.code_1xx: 1xx (sum)

• sip.code_2xx: 2xx (sum)

• sip.code_3xx: 3xx (sum)
• sip.code_4xx: 4xx (sum)

• sip.code_5xx: 5xx (sum)

• sip.code_6xx: 6xx (sum)
• sip.code_7xx: 7xx (sum)
• sip.code_8xx: 8xx (sum)

• sip.code_9xx: 9xx (sum)

5.42 smtp

Help: smtp inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• string smtp.alt_max_command_line_len[].command: command string

• int smtp.alt_max_command_line_len[].length = 0: specify non-default maximum for command { 0:max32 }
• string smtp.auth_cmds: commands that initiate an authentication exchange
• int smtp.b64_decode_depth = -1: depth used to decode the base64 encoded MIME attachments (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }

• string smtp.binary_data_cmds: commands that initiate sending of data and use a length value after the command
• int smtp.bitenc_decode_depth = -1: depth used to extract the non-encoded MIME attachments (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• string smtp.data_cmds: commands that initiate sending of data with an end of data delimiter

• bool smtp.decompress_pdf = false: decompress pdf files in MIME attachments

• bool smtp.decompress_swf = false: decompress swf files in MIME attachments
• bool smtp.decompress_zip = false: decompress zip files in MIME attachments
• bool smtp.decompress_vba = false: decompress MS Office Visual Basic for Applications macro files in MIME attachments

• int smtp.email_hdrs_log_depth = 1464: depth for logging email headers { 0:20480 }

• bool smtp.ignore_data = false: ignore data section of mail
• bool smtp.ignore_tls_data = false: ignore TLS-encrypted data when processing rules

• string smtp.invalid_cmds: alert if this command is sent from client side

• bool smtp.log_email_hdrs = false: log the SMTP email headers extracted from SMTP data
Snort 3 Reference Manual 83 / 245

• bool smtp.log_filename = false: log the MIME attachment filenames extracted from the Content-Disposition header within
the MIME body
• bool smtp.log_mailfrom = false: log the sender’s email address extracted from the MAIL FROM command
• bool smtp.log_rcptto = false: log the recipient’s email address extracted from the RCPT TO command
• int smtp.max_auth_command_line_len = 1000: max auth command Line Length { 0:65535 }
• int smtp.max_command_line_len = 512: max Command Line Length { 0:65535 }
• int smtp.max_header_line_len = 1000: max SMTP DATA header line { 0:65535 }
• int smtp.max_response_line_len = 512: max SMTP response line { 0:65535 }
• enum smtp.normalize = none: turns on/off normalization { none | cmds | all }
• string smtp.normalize_cmds: list of commands to normalize
• int smtp.qp_decode_depth = -1: quoted-Printable decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• int smtp.uu_decode_depth = -1: Unix-to-Unix decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• string smtp.valid_cmds: list of valid commands
• enum smtp.xlink2state = alert: enable/disable xlink2state alert { disable | alert | drop }

Rules:

• 124:1 (smtp) attempted command buffer overflow

• 124:2 (smtp) attempted data header buffer overflow
• 124:3 (smtp) attempted response buffer overflow
• 124:4 (smtp) attempted specific command buffer overflow
• 124:5 (smtp) unknown command
• 124:6 (smtp) illegal command
• 124:7 (smtp) attempted header name buffer overflow
• 124:8 (smtp) attempted X-Link2State command buffer overflow
• 124:10 (smtp) base64 decoding failed
• 124:11 (smtp) quoted-printable decoding failed
• 124:13 (smtp) Unix-to-Unix decoding failed
• 124:14 (smtp) Cyrus SASL authentication attack
• 124:15 (smtp) attempted authentication command buffer overflow
• 124:16 (smtp) file decompression failed

Peg counts:

• smtp.packets: total packets processed (sum)

• smtp.total_bytes: total number of bytes processed (sum)
• smtp.sessions: total smtp sessions (sum)
• smtp.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent smtp sessions (now)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 84 / 245

• smtp.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent smtp sessions (max)

• smtp.start_tls: total STARTTLS events generated (sum)
• smtp.ssl_search_abandoned: total SSL search abandoned (sum)
• smtp.ssl_srch_abandoned_early: total SSL search abandoned too soon (sum)
• smtp.b64_attachments: total base64 attachments decoded (sum)
• smtp.b64_decoded_bytes: total base64 decoded bytes (sum)
• smtp.qp_attachments: total quoted-printable attachments decoded (sum)
• smtp.qp_decoded_bytes: total quoted-printable decoded bytes (sum)
• smtp.uu_attachments: total uu attachments decoded (sum)
• smtp.uu_decoded_bytes: total uu decoded bytes (sum)
• smtp.non_encoded_attachments: total non-encoded attachments extracted (sum)
• smtp.non_encoded_bytes: total non-encoded extracted bytes (sum)

5.43 so_proxy

Help: a proxy inspector to track flow data from SO rules (internal use only)
Type: inspector (passive)
Usage: global
Instance Type: global

5.44 ssh

Help: ssh inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• int ssh.max_encrypted_packets = 25: ignore session after this many encrypted packets { 0:65535 }
• int ssh.max_client_bytes = 19600: number of unanswered bytes before alerting on challenge-response overflow or CRC32 {
0:65535 }
• int ssh.max_server_version_len = 80: limit before alerting on secure CRT server version string overflow { 0:255 }

Rules:

• 128:1 (ssh) challenge-response overflow exploit

• 128:2 (ssh) SSH1 CRC32 exploit
• 128:3 (ssh) server version string overflow
• 128:5 (ssh) bad message direction
• 128:6 (ssh) payload size incorrect for the given payload
Snort 3 Reference Manual 85 / 245

• 128:7 (ssh) failed to detect SSH version string

Peg counts:

• ssh.packets: total packets (sum)

• ssh.total_bytes: total number of bytes processed (sum)
• ssh.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent ssh sessions (now)
• ssh.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent ssh sessions (max)

5.45 ssl

Help: ssl inspection

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• bool ssl.trust_servers = false: disables requirement that application (encrypted) data must be observed on both sides

• int ssl.max_heartbeat_length = 0: maximum length of heartbeat record allowed { 0:65535 }

Rules:

• 137:1 (ssl) invalid client HELLO after server HELLO detected

• 137:2 (ssl) invalid server HELLO without client HELLO detected

• 137:3 (ssl) heartbeat read overrun attempt detected
• 137:4 (ssl) large heartbeat response detected

Peg counts:

• ssl.packets: total packets processed (sum)

• ssl.decoded: ssl packets decoded (sum)

• ssl.client_hello: total client hellos (sum)

• ssl.server_hello: total server hellos (sum)
• ssl.certificate: total ssl certificates (sum)
• ssl.server_done: total server done (sum)

• ssl.client_key_exchange: total client key exchanges (sum)

• ssl.server_key_exchange: total server key exchanges (sum)
• ssl.change_cipher: total change cipher records (sum)

• ssl.finished: total handshakes finished (sum)

• ssl.client_application: total client application records (sum)
• ssl.server_application: total server application records (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 86 / 245

• ssl.alert: total ssl alert records (sum)

• ssl.unrecognized_records: total unrecognized records (sum)
• ssl.handshakes_completed: total completed ssl handshakes (sum)

• ssl.bad_handshakes: total bad handshakes (sum)

• ssl.sessions_ignored: total sessions ignore (sum)
• ssl.detection_disabled: total detection disabled (sum)

• ssl.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent ssl sessions (now)

• ssl.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent ssl sessions (max)

5.46 stream

Help: common flow tracking

Type: inspector (stream)
Usage: global
Instance Type: global
Configuration:

• bool stream.ip_frags_only = false: don’t process non-frag flows

• int stream.max_flows = 476288: maximum simultaneous flows tracked before pruning { 2:max32 }
• int stream.pruning_timeout = 30: minimum inactive time before being eligible for pruning { 1:max32 }

• int stream.held_packet_timeout = 1000: timeout in milliseconds for held packets { 1:max32 }

• int stream.ip_cache.idle_timeout = 180: maximum inactive time before retiring session tracker { 1:max32 }
• int stream.ip_cache.cap_weight = 0: additional bytes to track per flow for better estimation against cap { 0:65535 }
• int stream.icmp_cache.idle_timeout = 180: maximum inactive time before retiring session tracker { 1:max32 }

• int stream.icmp_cache.cap_weight = 0: additional bytes to track per flow for better estimation against cap { 0:65535 }
• int stream.tcp_cache.idle_timeout = 3600: maximum inactive time before retiring session tracker { 1:max32 }
• int stream.tcp_cache.cap_weight = 11000: additional bytes to track per flow for better estimation against cap { 0:65535 }

• int stream.udp_cache.idle_timeout = 180: maximum inactive time before retiring session tracker { 1:max32 }
• int stream.udp_cache.cap_weight = 0: additional bytes to track per flow for better estimation against cap { 0:65535 }
• int stream.user_cache.idle_timeout = 180: maximum inactive time before retiring session tracker { 1:max32 }
• int stream.user_cache.cap_weight = 0: additional bytes to track per flow for better estimation against cap { 0:65535 }

• int stream.file_cache.idle_timeout = 180: maximum inactive time before retiring session tracker { 1:max32 }
• int stream.file_cache.cap_weight = 32: additional bytes to track per flow for better estimation against cap { 0:65535 }

Rules:

• 135:1 (stream) TCP SYN received

• 135:2 (stream) TCP session established
Snort 3 Reference Manual 87 / 245

• 135:3 (stream) TCP session cleared

Peg counts:

• stream.flows: total sessions (sum)

• stream.total_prunes: total sessions pruned (sum)
• stream.idle_prunes: sessions pruned due to timeout (sum)
• stream.excess_prunes: sessions pruned due to excess (sum)

• stream.uni_prunes: uni sessions pruned (sum)

• stream.memcap_prunes: sessions pruned due to memcap (sum)
• stream.ha_prunes: sessions pruned by high availability sync (sum)

• stream.stale_prunes: sessions pruned due to stale connection (sum)

• stream.expected_flows: total expected flows created within snort (sum)
• stream.expected_realized: number of expected flows realized (sum)
• stream.expected_pruned: number of expected flows pruned (sum)

• stream.expected_overflows: number of expected cache overflows (sum)

• stream.reload_tuning_idle: number of times stream resource tuner called while idle (sum)
• stream.reload_tuning_packets: number of times stream resource tuner called while processing packets (sum)

• stream.reload_total_adds: number of flows added by config reloads (sum)

• stream.reload_total_deletes: number of flows deleted by config reloads (sum)
• stream.reload_freelist_deletes: number of flows deleted from the free list by config reloads (sum)
• stream.reload_allowed_deletes: number of allowed flows deleted by config reloads (sum)

• stream.reload_blocked_deletes: number of blocked flows deleted by config reloads (sum)

• stream.reload_offloaded_deletes: number of offloaded flows deleted by config reloads (sum)

5.47 stream_file

Help: stream inspector for file flow tracking and processing

Type: inspector (stream)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• bool stream_file.upload = false: indicate file transfer direction

Snort 3 Reference Manual 88 / 245

5.48 stream_icmp

Help: stream inspector for ICMP flow tracking

Type: inspector (stream)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• int stream_icmp.session_timeout = 60: session tracking timeout { 1:max31 }

Peg counts:

• stream_icmp.sessions: total icmp sessions (sum)

• stream_icmp.max: max icmp sessions (max)
• stream_icmp.created: icmp session trackers created (sum)
• stream_icmp.released: icmp session trackers released (sum)
• stream_icmp.timeouts: icmp session timeouts (sum)
• stream_icmp.prunes: icmp session prunes (sum)

5.49 stream_ip

Help: stream inspector for IP flow tracking and defragmentation

Type: inspector (stream)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• int stream_ip.max_frags = 8192: maximum number of simultaneous fragments being tracked { 1:max32 }
• int stream_ip.max_overlaps = 0: maximum allowed overlaps per datagram; 0 is unlimited { 0:max32 }
• int stream_ip.min_frag_length = 0: alert if fragment length is below this limit before or after trimming { 0:65535 }
• int stream_ip.min_ttl = 1: discard fragments with TTL below the minimum { 1:255 }
• enum stream_ip.policy = linux: fragment reassembly policy { first | linux | bsd | bsd_right | last | windows | solaris }
• int stream_ip.session_timeout = 60: session tracking timeout { 1:max31 }

Rules:

• 123:1 (stream_ip) inconsistent IP options on fragmented packets

• 123:2 (stream_ip) teardrop attack
• 123:3 (stream_ip) short fragment, possible DOS attempt
• 123:4 (stream_ip) fragment packet ends after defragmented packet
• 123:5 (stream_ip) zero-byte fragment packet
• 123:6 (stream_ip) bad fragment size, packet size is negative
Snort 3 Reference Manual 89 / 245

• 123:7 (stream_ip) bad fragment size, packet size is greater than 65536
• 123:8 (stream_ip) fragmentation overlap
• 123:11 (stream_ip) TTL value less than configured minimum, not using for reassembly

• 123:12 (stream_ip) excessive fragment overlap

• 123:13 (stream_ip) tiny fragment

Peg counts:

• stream_ip.sessions: total ip sessions (sum)

• stream_ip.max: max ip sessions (max)
• stream_ip.created: ip session trackers created (sum)

• stream_ip.released: ip session trackers released (sum)

• stream_ip.timeouts: ip session timeouts (sum)
• stream_ip.prunes: ip session prunes (sum)
• stream_ip.total_bytes: total number of bytes processed (sum)

• stream_ip.total_frags: total fragments (sum)

• stream_ip.current_frags: current fragments (now)
• stream_ip.max_frags: max fragments (sum)

• stream_ip.reassembled: reassembled datagrams (sum)

• stream_ip.discards: fragments discarded (sum)
• stream_ip.frag_timeouts: datagrams abandoned (sum)
• stream_ip.overlaps: overlapping fragments (sum)

• stream_ip.anomalies: anomalies detected (sum)

• stream_ip.alerts: alerts generated (sum)
• stream_ip.drops: fragments dropped (sum)

• stream_ip.trackers_added: datagram trackers created (sum)

• stream_ip.trackers_freed: datagram trackers released (sum)
• stream_ip.trackers_cleared: datagram trackers cleared (sum)
• stream_ip.trackers_completed: datagram trackers completed (sum)

• stream_ip.nodes_inserted: fragments added to tracker (sum)

• stream_ip.nodes_deleted: fragments deleted from tracker (sum)
• stream_ip.reassembled_bytes: total reassembled bytes (sum)
• stream_ip.fragmented_bytes: total fragmented bytes (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 90 / 245

5.50 stream_tcp

Help: stream inspector for TCP flow tracking and stream normalization and reassembly
Type: inspector (stream)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• int stream_tcp.flush_factor = 0: flush upon seeing a drop in segment size after given number of non-decreasing segments {
0:65535 }
• int stream_tcp.max_window = 0: maximum allowed TCP window { 0:1073725440 }
• int stream_tcp.overlap_limit = 0: maximum number of allowed overlapping segments per session { 0:max32 }
• int stream_tcp.max_pdu = 16384: maximum reassembled PDU size { 1460:32768 }
• bool stream_tcp.no_ack = false: received data is implicitly acked immediately
• enum stream_tcp.policy = bsd: determines operating system characteristics like reassembly { first | last | linux | old_linux |
bsd | macos | solaris | irix | hpux11 | hpux10 | windows | win_2003 | vista | proxy }
• bool stream_tcp.reassemble_async = true: queue data for reassembly before traffic is seen in both directions
• int stream_tcp.require_3whs = -1: don’t track midstream sessions after given seconds from start up; -1 tracks all { -1:max31
}
• bool stream_tcp.show_rebuilt_packets = false: enable cmg like output of reassembled packets
• int stream_tcp.queue_limit.max_bytes = 4194304: don’t queue more than given bytes per session and direction, 0 = unlimited
{ 0:max32 }
• int stream_tcp.queue_limit.max_segments = 3072: don’t queue more than given segments per session and direction, 0 =
unlimited { 0:max32 }
• int stream_tcp.small_segments.count = 0: number of consecutive (in the received order) TCP small segments considered to
be excessive (129:12) { 0:2048 }
• int stream_tcp.small_segments.maximum_size = 0: minimum bytes for a TCP segment not to be considered small (129:12)
{ 0:2048 }
• int stream_tcp.session_timeout = 180: session tracking timeout { 1:max31 }
• bool stream_tcp.track_only = false: disable reassembly if true

Rules:

• 129:1 (stream_tcp) SYN on established session

• 129:2 (stream_tcp) data on SYN packet
• 129:3 (stream_tcp) data sent on stream not accepting data
• 129:4 (stream_tcp) TCP timestamp is outside of PAWS window
• 129:5 (stream_tcp) bad segment, adjusted size ⇐ 0 (deprecated)
• 129:6 (stream_tcp) window size (after scaling) larger than policy allows
• 129:7 (stream_tcp) limit on number of overlapping TCP packets reached
• 129:8 (stream_tcp) data sent on stream after TCP reset sent
Snort 3 Reference Manual 91 / 245

• 129:9 (stream_tcp) TCP client possibly hijacked, different ethernet address

• 129:10 (stream_tcp) TCP server possibly hijacked, different ethernet address
• 129:11 (stream_tcp) TCP data with no TCP flags set

• 129:12 (stream_tcp) consecutive TCP small segments exceeding threshold

• 129:13 (stream_tcp) 4-way handshake detected
• 129:14 (stream_tcp) TCP timestamp is missing

• 129:15 (stream_tcp) reset outside window

• 129:16 (stream_tcp) FIN number is greater than prior FIN
• 129:17 (stream_tcp) ACK number is greater than prior FIN
• 129:18 (stream_tcp) data sent on stream after TCP reset received

• 129:19 (stream_tcp) TCP window closed before receiving data

• 129:20 (stream_tcp) TCP session without 3-way handshake

Peg counts:

• stream_tcp.sessions: total tcp sessions (sum)

• stream_tcp.max: max tcp sessions (max)
• stream_tcp.created: tcp session trackers created (sum)

• stream_tcp.released: tcp session trackers released (sum)

• stream_tcp.timeouts: tcp session timeouts (sum)
• stream_tcp.prunes: tcp session prunes (sum)
• stream_tcp.instantiated: new sessions instantiated (sum)

• stream_tcp.setups: session initializations (sum)

• stream_tcp.restarts: sessions restarted (sum)
• stream_tcp.resyns: SYN received on established session (sum)

• stream_tcp.discards: tcp packets discarded (sum)

• stream_tcp.discards_skipped: tcp packet discards skipped due to normalization disabled (sum)
• stream_tcp.invalid_seq_num: tcp packets received with an invalid sequence number (sum)
• stream_tcp.invalid_ack: tcp packets received with an invalid ack number (sum)

• stream_tcp.no_flags_set: tcp packets received with no TCP flags set (sum)

• stream_tcp.events: events generated (sum)
• stream_tcp.ignored: tcp packets ignored (sum)
• stream_tcp.untracked: tcp packets not tracked (sum)

• stream_tcp.syn_trackers: tcp session tracking started on syn (sum)

• stream_tcp.syn_ack_trackers: tcp session tracking started on syn-ack (sum)
• stream_tcp.three_way_trackers: tcp session tracking started on ack (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 92 / 245

• stream_tcp.data_trackers: tcp session tracking started on data (sum)

• stream_tcp.segs_queued: total segments queued (sum)
• stream_tcp.segs_released: total segments released (sum)
• stream_tcp.segs_split: tcp segments split when reassembling PDUs (sum)
• stream_tcp.segs_used: queued tcp segments applied to reassembled PDUs (sum)
• stream_tcp.rebuilt_packets: total reassembled PDUs (sum)
• stream_tcp.rebuilt_buffers: rebuilt PDU sections (sum)
• stream_tcp.rebuilt_bytes: total rebuilt bytes (sum)
• stream_tcp.overlaps: overlapping segments queued (sum)
• stream_tcp.gaps: missing data between PDUs (sum)
• stream_tcp.exceeded_max_segs: number of times the maximum queued segment limit was reached (sum)
• stream_tcp.exceeded_max_bytes: number of times the maximum queued byte limit was reached (sum)
• stream_tcp.payload_fully_trimmed: segments with no data after trimming (sum)
• stream_tcp.internal_events: 135:X events generated (sum)
• stream_tcp.client_cleanups: number of times data from server was flushed when session released (sum)
• stream_tcp.server_cleanups: number of times data from client was flushed when session released (sum)
• stream_tcp.memory: current memory in use (now)
• stream_tcp.initializing: number of sessions currently initializing (now)
• stream_tcp.established: number of sessions currently established (now)
• stream_tcp.closing: number of sessions currently closing (now)
• stream_tcp.syns: number of syn packets (sum)
• stream_tcp.syn_acks: number of syn-ack packets (sum)
• stream_tcp.resets: number of reset packets (sum)
• stream_tcp.fins: number of fin packets (sum)
• stream_tcp.meta_acks: number of meta acks processed (sum)
• stream_tcp.packets_held: number of packets held (sum)
• stream_tcp.held_packet_rexmits: number of retransmits of held packets (sum)
• stream_tcp.held_packets_dropped: number of held packets dropped (sum)
• stream_tcp.held_packets_passed: number of held packets passed (sum)
• stream_tcp.held_packet_timeouts: number of held packets that timed out (sum)
• stream_tcp.held_packet_purges: number of held packets that were purged without flushing (sum)
• stream_tcp.held_packet_retries: number of held packets that were added to the retry queue (sum)
• stream_tcp.cur_packets_held: number of packets currently held (now)
• stream_tcp.max_packets_held: maximum number of packets held simultaneously (max)
• stream_tcp.partial_flushes: number of partial flushes initiated (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 93 / 245

• stream_tcp.partial_flush_bytes: partial flush total bytes (sum)

• stream_tcp.inspector_fallbacks: count of fallbacks from assigned service inspector (sum)
• stream_tcp.partial_fallbacks: count of fallbacks from assigned service stream splitter (sum)

• stream_tcp.max_segs: maximum number of segments queued in any flow (max)

• stream_tcp.max_bytes: maximum number of bytes queued in any flow (max)
• stream_tcp.zero_len_tcp_opt: number of zero length tcp options (sum)

5.51 stream_udp

Help: stream inspector for UDP flow tracking

Type: inspector (stream)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• int stream_udp.session_timeout = 30: session tracking timeout { 1:max31 }

Peg counts:

• stream_udp.sessions: total udp sessions (sum)

• stream_udp.max: max udp sessions (max)
• stream_udp.created: udp session trackers created (sum)

• stream_udp.released: udp session trackers released (sum)

• stream_udp.timeouts: udp session timeouts (sum)
• stream_udp.prunes: udp session prunes (sum)

• stream_udp.total_bytes: total number of bytes processed (sum)

• stream_udp.ignored: udp packets ignored (sum)

5.52 stream_user

Help: stream inspector for user flow tracking and reassembly

Type: inspector (stream)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• int stream_user.session_timeout = 60: session tracking timeout { 1:max31 }

Snort 3 Reference Manual 94 / 245

5.53 telnet

Help: telnet inspection and normalization

Type: inspector (service)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• int telnet.ayt_attack_thresh = -1: alert beyond this number of consecutive Telnet AYT commands (-1 is disabled) { -1:max31
}
• bool telnet.check_encrypted = false: check for end of encryption
• bool telnet.encrypted_traffic = false: check for encrypted Telnet
• bool telnet.normalize = false: eliminate escape sequences

Rules:

• 126:1 (telnet) consecutive Telnet AYT commands beyond threshold

• 126:2 (telnet) Telnet traffic encrypted
• 126:3 (telnet) Telnet subnegotiation begin command without subnegotiation end

Peg counts:

• telnet.total_packets: total packets (sum)

• telnet.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent Telnet sessions (now)
• telnet.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent Telnet sessions (max)

5.54 wizard

Help: inspector that implements port-independent protocol identification

Type: inspector (wizard)
Usage: inspect
Instance Type: multiton
Configuration:

• string wizard.hexes[].service: name of service

• select wizard.hexes[].proto = tcp: protocol to scan { tcp | udp }
• bool wizard.hexes[].client_first = true: which end initiates data transfer
• string wizard.hexes[].to_server[].hex: sequence of data with wild chars (?)
• string wizard.hexes[].to_client[].hex: sequence of data with wild chars (?)
• string wizard.spells[].service: name of service
• select wizard.spells[].proto = tcp: protocol to scan { tcp | udp }
• bool wizard.spells[].client_first = true: which end initiates data transfer
Snort 3 Reference Manual 95 / 245

• string wizard.spells[].to_server[].spell: sequence of data with wild cards (*)

• string wizard.spells[].to_client[].spell: sequence of data with wild cards (*)
• multi wizard.curses: enable service identification based on internal algorithm { dce_smb | dce_udp | dce_tcp | sslv2 }
• int wizard.max_search_depth = 8192: maximum scan depth per flow { 0:65535 }

Peg counts:

• wizard.tcp_scans: tcp payload scans (sum)

• wizard.tcp_hits: tcp identifications (sum)
• wizard.tcp_misses: tcp searches abandoned (sum)
• wizard.udp_scans: udp payload scans (sum)
• wizard.udp_hits: udp identifications (sum)
• wizard.udp_misses: udp searches abandoned (sum)
• wizard.user_scans: user payload scans (sum)
• wizard.user_hits: user identifications (sum)
• wizard.user_misses: user searches abandoned (sum)

6 IPS Action Modules

IPS actions allow you to perform custom actions when events are generated. Unlike loggers, these are invoked before thresholding
and can be used to control external agents.
Externally defined actions must be configured to become available to the parser. For the reject rule, you can set reject = { } to
get the rule to parse.

6.1 react

Help: send response to client and terminate session

Type: ips_action
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string react.page: file containing HTTP response body

6.2 reject

Help: terminate session with TCP reset or ICMP unreachable

Type: ips_action
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• enum reject.reset = both: send TCP reset to one or both ends { none|source|dest|both }
• enum reject.control = none: send ICMP unreachable(s) { none|network|host|port|forward|all }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 96 / 245

7 IPS Option Modules

IPS options are the building blocks of IPS rules.

7.1 ack

Help: rule option to match on TCP ack numbers

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval ack.~range: check if TCP ack value is value | min<>max | <max | >min { 0: }

7.2 appids

Help: detection option for application ids

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string appids.~: comma separated list of application names

7.3 asn1

Help: rule option for asn1 detection

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied asn1.bitstring_overflow: detects invalid bitstring encodings that are known to be remotely exploitable
• implied asn1.double_overflow: detects a double ASCII encoding that is larger than a standard buffer
• implied asn1.print: dump decode data to console; always true
• int asn1.oversize_length: compares ASN.1 type lengths with the supplied argument { 0:max32 }
• int asn1.absolute_offset: absolute offset from the beginning of the packet { 0:65535 }
• int asn1.relative_offset: relative offset from the cursor { -65535:65535 }

7.4 base64_decode

Help: rule option to decode base64 data - must be used with base64_data option
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int base64_decode.bytes: number of base64 encoded bytes to decode { 1:max32 }

• int base64_decode.offset = 0: bytes past start of buffer to start decoding { 0:max32 }
• implied base64_decode.relative: apply offset to cursor instead of start of buffer
Snort 3 Reference Manual 97 / 245

7.5 ber_data

Help: rule option to move to the data for a specified BER element
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int ber_data.~type: move to the data for the specified BER element type { 0:255 }

7.6 ber_skip

Help: rule option to skip BER element

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int ber_skip.~type: BER element type to skip { 0:255 }

• implied ber_skip.optional: match even if the specified BER type is not found

7.7 bufferlen

Help: rule option to check length of current buffer

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval bufferlen.~range: check that total length of current buffer is in given range { 0:65535 }
• implied bufferlen.relative: use remaining length (from current position) instead of total length

7.8 byte_extract

Help: rule option to convert data to an integer variable

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int byte_extract.~count: number of bytes to pick up from the buffer { 1:10 }

• int byte_extract.~offset: number of bytes into the buffer to start processing { -65535:65535 }
• string byte_extract.~name: name of the variable that will be used in other rule options
• implied byte_extract.relative: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer
• int byte_extract.multiplier = 1: scale extracted value by given amount { 1:65535 }
• int byte_extract.align = 0: round the number of converted bytes up to the next 2- or 4-byte boundary { 0:4 }
• implied byte_extract.big: big endian
Snort 3 Reference Manual 98 / 245

• implied byte_extract.little: little endian

• implied byte_extract.dce: dcerpc2 determines endianness
• implied byte_extract.string: convert from string

• implied byte_extract.hex: convert from hex string

• implied byte_extract.oct: convert from octal string
• implied byte_extract.dec: convert from decimal string

• int byte_extract.bitmask: applies as an AND to the extracted value before storage in name { 0x1:0xFFFFFFFF }

7.9 byte_jump

Help: rule option to move the detection cursor

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int byte_jump.~count: number of bytes to pick up from the buffer { 0:10 }

• string byte_jump.~offset: variable name or number of bytes into the buffer to start processing
• implied byte_jump.relative: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer

• implied byte_jump.from_beginning: jump from start of buffer instead of cursor

• implied byte_jump.from_end: jump backward from end of buffer
• int byte_jump.multiplier = 1: scale extracted value by given amount { 1:65535 }
• int byte_jump.align = 0: round the number of converted bytes up to the next 2- or 4-byte boundary { 0:4 }

• string byte_jump.post_offset: skip forward or backward (positive or negative value) by variable name or number of bytes
after the other jump options have been applied
• implied byte_jump.big: big endian
• implied byte_jump.little: little endian

• implied byte_jump.dce: dcerpc2 determines endianness

• implied byte_jump.string: convert from string
• implied byte_jump.hex: convert from hex string

• implied byte_jump.oct: convert from octal string

• implied byte_jump.dec: convert from decimal string
• int byte_jump.bitmask: applies as an AND prior to evaluation { 0x1:0xFFFFFFFF }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 99 / 245

7.10 byte_math

Help: rule option to perform mathematical operations on extracted value and a specified value or existing variable
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int byte_math.bytes: number of bytes to pick up from the buffer { 1:10 }

• string byte_math.offset: number of bytes into the buffer to start processing

• enum byte_math.oper: mathematical operation to perform { +|-|*|/|<<|>> }
• string byte_math.rvalue: value to use mathematical operation against

• string byte_math.result: name of the variable to store the result

• implied byte_math.relative: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer
• enum byte_math.endian: specify big/little endian { big|little }
• implied byte_math.dce: dcerpc2 determines endianness

• enum byte_math.string: convert extracted string to dec/hex/oct { hex|dec|oct }

• int byte_math.bitmask: applies as bitwise AND to the extracted value before storage in name { 0x1:0xFFFFFFFF }

7.11 byte_test

Help: rule option to convert data to integer and compare

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int byte_test.~count: number of bytes to pick up from the buffer { 1:10 }

• string byte_test.~operator: operation to perform to test the value

• string byte_test.~compare: variable name or value to test the converted result against
• string byte_test.~offset: variable name or number of bytes into the payload to start processing
• implied byte_test.relative: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer
• implied byte_test.big: big endian

• implied byte_test.little: little endian

• implied byte_test.dce: dcerpc2 determines endianness
• implied byte_test.string: convert from string

• implied byte_test.hex: convert from hex string

• implied byte_test.oct: convert from octal string
• implied byte_test.dec: convert from decimal string
• int byte_test.bitmask: applies as an AND prior to evaluation { 0x1:0xFFFFFFFF }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 100 / 245

7.12 cip_attribute

Help: detection option to match CIP attribute

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval cip_attribute.~range: match CIP attribute { 0:65535 }

7.13 cip_class

Help: detection option to match CIP class

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval cip_class.~range: match CIP class { 0:65535 }

7.14 cip_conn_path_class

Help: detection option to match CIP Connection Path Class

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval cip_conn_path_class.~range: match CIP Connection Path Class { 0:65535 }

7.15 cip_instance

Help: detection option to match CIP instance

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval cip_instance.~range: match CIP instance { 0:4294967295 }

7.16 cip_req

Help: detection option to match CIP request

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.17 cip_rsp

Help: detection option to match CIP response

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Snort 3 Reference Manual 101 / 245

7.18 cip_service

Help: detection option to match CIP service

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval cip_service.~range: match CIP service { 0:127 }

7.19 cip_status

Help: detection option to match CIP response status

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval cip_status.~range: match CIP response status { 0:255 }

7.20 classtype

Help: general rule option for rule classification

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string classtype.~: classification for this rule

7.21 content

Help: payload rule option for basic pattern matching

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string content.~data: data to match

• implied content.nocase: case insensitive match
• implied content.fast_pattern: use this content in the fast pattern matcher instead of the content selected by default
• int content.fast_pattern_offset = 0: number of leading characters of this content the fast pattern matcher should exclude {
0:65535 }
• int content.fast_pattern_length: maximum number of characters from this content the fast pattern matcher should use {
1:65535 }
• string content.offset: var or number of bytes from start of buffer to start search
• string content.depth: var or maximum number of bytes to search from beginning of buffer
• string content.distance: var or number of bytes from cursor to start search
• string content.within: var or maximum number of bytes to search from cursor
Snort 3 Reference Manual 102 / 245

7.22 cvs

Help: payload rule option for detecting specific attacks

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied cvs.invalid-entry: looks for an invalid Entry string

7.23 dce_iface

Help: detection option to check dcerpc interface

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string dce_iface.uuid: match given dcerpc uuid

• interval dce_iface.version: interface version { 0: }
• implied dce_iface.any_frag: match on any fragment

7.24 dce_opnum

Help: detection option to check dcerpc operation number

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string dce_opnum.~: match given dcerpc operation number, range or list

7.25 dce_stub_data

Help: sets the cursor to dcerpc stub data

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.26 detection_filter

Help: rule option to require multiple hits before a rule generates an event
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• enum detection_filter.track: track hits by source or destination IP address { by_src | by_dst }

• int detection_filter.count: hits in interval before allowing the rule to fire { 1:max32 }
• int detection_filter.seconds: length of interval to count hits { 1:max32 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 103 / 245

7.27 dnp3_data

Help: sets the cursor to dnp3 data

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.28 dnp3_func

Help: detection option to check DNP3 function code

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string dnp3_func.~: match DNP3 function code or name

7.29 dnp3_ind

Help: detection option to check DNP3 indicator flags

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string dnp3_ind.~: match given DNP3 indicator flags

7.30 dnp3_obj

Help: detection option to check DNP3 object headers

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int dnp3_obj.group = 0: match given DNP3 object header group { 0:255 }

• int dnp3_obj.var = 0: match given DNP3 object header var { 0:255 }

7.31 dsize

Help: rule option to test payload size

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval dsize.~range: check if packet payload size is in the given range { 0:65535 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 104 / 245

7.32 enable

Help: stub rule option to enable or disable full rule

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• enum enable.~enable = yes: enable or disable rule in current ips policy or use default defined by ips policy { no | yes | inherit
}

7.33 enip_command

Help: detection option to match CIP Enip Command

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval enip_command.~range: match CIP Enip Command { 0:65535 }

7.34 enip_req

Help: detection option to match ENIP Request

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.35 enip_rsp

Help: detection option to match ENIP response

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.36 file_data

Help: rule option to set detection cursor to file data

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.37 file_type

Help: rule option to check file type

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string file_type.~: list of file type IDs to match

Snort 3 Reference Manual 105 / 245

7.38 flags

Help: rule option to test TCP control flags

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string flags.~test_flags: these flags are tested

• string flags.~mask_flags: these flags are don’t cares

7.39 flow

Help: rule option to check session properties

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied flow.to_client: match on server responses

• implied flow.to_server: match on client requests
• implied flow.from_client: same as to_server

• implied flow.from_server: same as to_client

• implied flow.established: match only during data transfer phase
• implied flow.not_established: match only outside data transfer phase

• implied flow.stateless: match regardless of stream state

• implied flow.no_stream: match on raw packets only
• implied flow.only_stream: match on reassembled packets only
• implied flow.no_frag: match on raw packets only

• implied flow.only_frag: match on defragmented packets only

7.40 flowbits

Help: rule option to set and test arbitrary boolean flags

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• enum flowbits.~op: bit operation or noalert (no bits) { set | unset | isset | isnotset | noalert }
• string flowbits.~bits: bit [|bit]* or bit [&bit]*
Snort 3 Reference Manual 106 / 245

7.41 fragbits

Help: rule option to test IP frag flags

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string fragbits.~flags: these flags are tested

7.42 fragoffset

Help: rule option to test IP frag offset

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval fragoffset.~range: check if ip fragment offset is in given range { 0:8192 }

7.43 gid

Help: rule option specifying rule generator

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int gid.~: generator id { 1:max32 }

7.44 gtp_info

Help: rule option to check gtp info element

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string gtp_info.~: info element to match

7.45 gtp_type

Help: rule option to check gtp types

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string gtp_type.~: list of types to match

Snort 3 Reference Manual 107 / 245

7.46 gtp_version

Help: rule option to check GTP version

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int gtp_version.~: version to match { 0:2 }

7.47 http_client_body

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the request body
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.48 http_cookie

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the HTTP cookie
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied http_cookie.request: match against the cookie from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_cookie.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers

• implied http_cookie.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• implied http_cookie.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

7.49 http_header

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the normalized headers
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string http_header.field: restrict to given header. Header name is case insensitive.

• implied http_header.request: match against the headers from the request message even when examining the response

• implied http_header.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers

• implied http_header.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_header.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
Snort 3 Reference Manual 108 / 245

7.50 http_header_test

Help: rule option to perform range check on specified header field, check whether it is a number, or check if the field is absent
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string http_header_test.field: Header to perform check on. Header name is case insensitive.

• implied http_header_test.request: match against the headers from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_header_test.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_header_test.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• implied http_header_test.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

• interval http_header_test.check: range check to perform on header value { 0:999999999999999999 }
• bool http_header_test.numeric: header value is a number
• implied http_header_test.absent: header is absent

7.51 http_method

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the HTTP request method
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied http_method.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers

• implied http_method.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• implied http_method.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

7.52 http_num_headers

Help: rule option to perform range check on number of headers

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval http_num_headers.~range: check that number of headers of current buffer are in given range { 0:200 }
• implied http_num_headers.request: match against the version from the request message even when examining the response

• implied http_num_headers.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers

• implied http_num_headers.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_num_headers.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
Snort 3 Reference Manual 109 / 245

7.53 http_num_trailers

Help: rule option to perform range check on number of trailers

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval http_num_trailers.~range: check that number of headers of current buffer are in given range { 0:200 }

• implied http_num_trailers.request: match against the version from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_num_trailers.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_num_trailers.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• implied http_num_trailers.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

7.54 http_param

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the value of the specified HTTP parameter key which may be in the query or body
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string http_param.~param: parameter to match

• implied http_param.nocase: case insensitive match

7.55 http_raw_body

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized message body
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.56 http_raw_cookie

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized cookie
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied http_raw_cookie.request: match against the cookie from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_raw_cookie.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_raw_cookie.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• implied http_raw_cookie.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

Snort 3 Reference Manual 110 / 245

7.57 http_raw_header

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized headers
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string http_raw_header.field: restrict to given header. Header name is case insensitive.

• implied http_raw_header.request: match against the headers from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_raw_header.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_raw_header.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_raw_header.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

7.58 http_raw_request

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized request line
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied http_raw_request.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers

• implied http_raw_request.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_raw_request.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

7.59 http_raw_status

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized status line
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied http_raw_status.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• implied http_raw_status.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

7.60 http_raw_trailer

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized trailers
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string http_raw_trailer.field: restrict to given trailer. Trailer name is case insensitive.

• implied http_raw_trailer.request: match against the trailers from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_raw_trailer.with_header: parts of this rule examine HTTP response message headers (must be combined with
request)
• implied http_raw_trailer.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP response message body (must be combined with
request)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 111 / 245

7.61 http_raw_uri

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized URI
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied http_raw_uri.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers

• implied http_raw_uri.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• implied http_raw_uri.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• implied http_raw_uri.scheme: match against scheme section of URI only

• implied http_raw_uri.host: match against host section of URI only

• implied http_raw_uri.port: match against port section of URI only
• implied http_raw_uri.path: match against path section of URI only
• implied http_raw_uri.query: match against query section of URI only

• implied http_raw_uri.fragment: match against fragment section of URI only

7.62 http_stat_code

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the HTTP status code
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied http_stat_code.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• implied http_stat_code.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

7.63 http_stat_msg

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the HTTP status message
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied http_stat_msg.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• implied http_stat_msg.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

Snort 3 Reference Manual 112 / 245

7.64 http_trailer

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the normalized trailers
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string http_trailer.field: restrict to given trailer

• implied http_trailer.request: match against the trailers from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_trailer.with_header: parts of this rule examine HTTP response message headers (must be combined with re-
quest)
• implied http_trailer.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body (must be combined with request)

7.65 http_trailer_test

Help: rule option to perform range check on specified trailer field, check whether it is a number, or check if the field is absent
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string http_trailer_test.field: Trailer to perform check on. Trailer name is case insensitive.
• implied http_trailer_test.request: match against the trailers from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_trailer_test.with_header: parts of this rule examine HTTP headers
• implied http_trailer_test.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• interval http_trailer_test.check: range check to perform on trailer value { 0:999999999999999999 }

• bool http_trailer_test.numeric: trailer value is a number
• implied http_trailer_test.absent: trailer is absent

7.66 http_true_ip

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the final client IP address
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied http_true_ip.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers

• implied http_true_ip.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• implied http_true_ip.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
Snort 3 Reference Manual 113 / 245

7.67 http_uri

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the normalized URI buffer
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied http_uri.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers

• implied http_uri.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_uri.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• implied http_uri.scheme: match against scheme section of URI only
• implied http_uri.host: match against host section of URI only
• implied http_uri.port: match against port section of URI only
• implied http_uri.path: match against path section of URI only
• implied http_uri.query: match against query section of URI only
• implied http_uri.fragment: match against fragment section of URI only

7.68 http_version

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the version buffer
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied http_version.request: match against the version from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_version.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_version.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_version.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

7.69 http_version_match

Help: rule option to match version to listed values

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string http_version_match.~version_list: space-separated list of versions to match

• implied http_version_match.request: match against the version from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_version_match.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_version_match.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_version_match.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
Snort 3 Reference Manual 114 / 245

7.70 icmp_id

Help: rule option to check ICMP ID

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval icmp_id.~range: check if ICMP ID is in given range { 0:65535 }

7.71 icmp_seq

Help: rule option to check ICMP sequence number

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval icmp_seq.~range: check if ICMP sequence number is in given range { 0:65535 }

7.72 icode

Help: rule option to check ICMP code

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval icode.~range: check if ICMP code is in given range is { 0:255 }

7.73 id

Help: rule option to check the IP ID field

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval id.~range: check if the IP ID is in the given range { 0: }

7.74 iec104_apci_type

Help: rule option to check iec104 apci type

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string iec104_apci_type.~: APCI type to match

Snort 3 Reference Manual 115 / 245

7.75 iec104_asdu_func

Help: rule option to check iec104 function code

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string iec104_asdu_func.~: function code to match

7.76 ip_proto

Help: rule option to check the IP protocol number

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string ip_proto.~proto: [!|>|<] name or number

7.77 ipopts

Help: rule option to check for IP options

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• select ipopts.~opt: output format { rr|eol|nop|ts|sec|esec|lsrr|lsrre|ssrr|satid|any }

7.78 isdataat

Help: rule option to check for the presence of payload data

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string isdataat.~length: num | !num

• implied isdataat.relative: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer

7.79 itype

Help: rule option to check ICMP type

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval itype.~range: check if ICMP type is in given range { 0:255 }

Snort 3 Reference Manual 116 / 245

7.80 js_data

Help: rule option to set detection cursor to normalized JavaScript data

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.81 md5

Help: payload rule option for hash matching

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string md5.~hash: data to match

• int md5.length: number of octets in plain text { 1:65535 }
• string md5.offset: var or number of bytes from start of buffer to start search

• implied md5.relative = false: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer

7.82 metadata

Help: rule option for conveying arbitrary comma-separated name, value data within the rule text
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string metadata.*: comma-separated list of arbitrary name value pairs

7.83 modbus_data

Help: rule option to set cursor to modbus data

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.84 modbus_func

Help: rule option to check modbus function code

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string modbus_func.~: function code to match

Snort 3 Reference Manual 117 / 245

7.85 modbus_unit

Help: rule option to check Modbus unit ID

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int modbus_unit.~: Modbus unit ID { 0:255 }

7.86 msg

Help: rule option summarizing rule purpose output with events

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string msg.~: message describing rule

7.87 mss

Help: detection for TCP maximum segment size

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval mss.~range: check if TCP MSS is in given range { 0:65535 }

7.88 pcre

Help: rule option for matching payload data with pcre

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string pcre.~re: Snort regular expression

Peg counts:

• pcre.pcre_rules: total rules processed with pcre option (sum)

• pcre.pcre_to_hyper: total pcre rules by hyperscan engine (sum)
• pcre.pcre_native: total pcre rules compiled by pcre engine (sum)
• pcre.pcre_negated: total pcre rules using negation syntax (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 118 / 245

7.89 pkt_data

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the normalized packet data
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.90 pkt_num

Help: alert on raw packet number

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval pkt_num.~range: check if packet number is in given range { 1: }

7.91 priority

Help: rule option for prioritizing events

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int priority.~: relative severity level; 1 is highest priority { 1:max31 }

7.92 raw_data

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the raw packet data
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.93 reference

Help: rule option to indicate relevant attack identification system

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string reference.~ref: reference: <scheme>,<id>

Snort 3 Reference Manual 119 / 245

7.94 regex

Help: rule option for matching payload data with hyperscan regex; uses pcre syntax
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string regex.~re: hyperscan regular expression

• implied regex.dotall: matching a . will not exclude newlines

• implied regex.fast_pattern: use this content in the fast pattern matcher instead of the content selected by default
• implied regex.multiline: ˆ and $ anchors match any newlines in data

• implied regex.nocase: case insensitive match

• implied regex.relative: start search from end of last match instead of start of buffer

7.95 rem

Help: rule option to convey an arbitrary comment in the rule body

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string rem.~: comment

7.96 replace

Help: rule option to overwrite payload data; use with "rewrite" action; works for raw packets only
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string replace.~: byte code to replace with

7.97 rev

Help: rule option to indicate current revision of signature

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int rev.~: revision { 1:max32 }

Snort 3 Reference Manual 120 / 245

7.98 rpc

Help: rule option to check SUNRPC CALL parameters

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int rpc.~app: application number { 0:max32 }

• string rpc.~ver: version number or * for any
• string rpc.~proc: procedure number or * for any

7.99 s7commplus_content

Help: rule option to set cursor to s7commplus content

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.100 s7commplus_func

Help: rule option to check s7commplus function code

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string s7commplus_func.~: function code to match

7.101 s7commplus_opcode

Help: rule option to check s7commplus opcode code

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string s7commplus_opcode.~: opcode code to match

7.102 sd_pattern

Help: rule option for detecting sensitive data

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string sd_pattern.~pattern: The pattern to search for

• int sd_pattern.threshold = 1: number of matches before alerting { 1:max32 }

Peg counts:

• sd_pattern.below_threshold: sd_pattern matched but missed threshold (sum)

• sd_pattern.pattern_not_found: sd_pattern did not not match (sum)
• sd_pattern.terminated: hyperscan terminated (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 121 / 245

7.103 seq

Help: rule option to check TCP sequence number

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval seq.~range: check if TCP sequence number is in given range { 0: }

7.104 service

Help: rule option to specify list of services for grouping rules

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string service.*: one or more comma-separated service names

7.105 sha256

Help: payload rule option for hash matching

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string sha256.~hash: data to match

• int sha256.length: number of octets in plain text { 1:65535 }
• string sha256.offset: var or number of bytes from start of buffer to start search

• implied sha256.relative = false: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer

7.106 sha512

Help: payload rule option for hash matching

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string sha512.~hash: data to match

• int sha512.length: number of octets in plain text { 1:65535 }
• string sha512.offset: var or number of bytes from start of buffer to start search

• implied sha512.relative = false: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer

Snort 3 Reference Manual 122 / 245

7.107 sid

Help: rule option to indicate signature number

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int sid.~: signature id { 1:max32 }

7.108 sip_body

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the request body
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.109 sip_header

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the SIP header buffer
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.110 sip_method

Help: detection option for sip stat code

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string sip_method.*method: sip method

7.111 sip_stat_code

Help: detection option for sip stat code

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• int sip_stat_code.*code: status code { 1:999 }

7.112 so

Help: rule option to call custom eval function

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string so.~func: name of eval function

• implied so.relative: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer
Snort 3 Reference Manual 123 / 245

7.113 soid

Help: rule option to specify a shared object rule ID

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• string soid.~: SO rule ID is unique key, eg <gid>_<sid>_<rev> like 3_45678_9

7.114 ssl_state

Help: detection option for ssl state

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied ssl_state.client_hello: check for client hello

• implied ssl_state.server_hello: check for server hello
• implied ssl_state.client_keyx: check for client keyx
• implied ssl_state.server_keyx: check for server keyx
• implied ssl_state.unknown: check for unknown record
• implied ssl_state.!client_hello: check for records that are not client hello
• implied ssl_state.!server_hello: check for records that are not server hello
• implied ssl_state.!client_keyx: check for records that are not client keyx
• implied ssl_state.!server_keyx: check for records that are not server keyx
• implied ssl_state.!unknown: check for records that are not unknown

7.115 ssl_version

Help: detection option for ssl version

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• implied ssl_version.sslv2: check for sslv2

• implied ssl_version.sslv3: check for sslv3
• implied ssl_version.tls1.0: check for tls1.0
• implied ssl_version.tls1.1: check for tls1.1
• implied ssl_version.tls1.2: check for tls1.2
• implied ssl_version.!sslv2: check for records that are not sslv2
• implied ssl_version.!sslv3: check for records that are not sslv3
• implied ssl_version.!tls1.0: check for records that are not tls1.0
• implied ssl_version.!tls1.1: check for records that are not tls1.1
• implied ssl_version.!tls1.2: check for records that are not tls1.2
Snort 3 Reference Manual 124 / 245

7.116 stream_reassemble

Help: detection option for stream reassembly control

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• enum stream_reassemble.action: stop or start stream reassembly { disable|enable }

• enum stream_reassemble.direction: action applies to the given direction(s) { client|server|both }

• implied stream_reassemble.noalert: don’t alert when rule matches
• implied stream_reassemble.fastpath: optionally trust the remainder of the session

7.117 stream_size

Help: detection option for stream size checking

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval stream_size.~range: check if the stream size is in the given range { 0: }

• enum stream_size.~direction: compare applies to the given direction(s) { either|to_server|to_client|both }

7.118 tag

Help: rule option to log additional packets

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• enum tag.~: log all packets in session or all packets to or from host { session|host_src|host_dst }
• int tag.packets: tag this many packets { 1:max32 }
• int tag.seconds: tag for this many seconds { 1:max32 }

• int tag.bytes: tag for this many bytes { 1:max32 }

7.119 target

Help: rule option to indicate target of attack

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• enum target.~: indicate the target of the attack { src_ip | dst_ip }

Snort 3 Reference Manual 125 / 245

7.120 tos

Help: rule option to check type of service field

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval tos.~range: check if IP TOS is in given range { 0:255 }

7.121 ttl

Help: rule option to check time to live field

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval ttl.~range: check if IP TTL is in the given range { 0:255 }

7.122 urg

Help: detection for TCP urgent pointer

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval urg.~range: check if tcp urgent offset is in given range { 0:65535 }

7.123 vba_data

Help: rule option to set the detection cursor to the MS Office Visual Basic for Applications macros buffer
Type: ips_option
Usage: detect

7.124 window

Help: rule option to check TCP window field

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval window.~range: check if TCP window size is in given range { 0:65535 }

Snort 3 Reference Manual 126 / 245

7.125 wscale

Help: detection for TCP window scale

Type: ips_option
Usage: detect
Configuration:

• interval wscale.~range: check if TCP window scale is in given range { 0:65535 }

8 Search Engine Modules

Search engines perform multipattern searching of packets and payload to find rules that should be evaluated. There are currently
no specific modules, although there are several search engine plugins. Related configuration is done with the basic detection
module.

9 SO Rule Modules

SO rules are dynamic rules that require custom coding to perform detection not possible with the existing rule options. These
rules typically do not have associated modules.

10 Logger Modules

All output of events and packets is done by Loggers.

10.1 alert_csv

Help: output event in csv format

Type: logger
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool alert_csv.file = false: output to alert_csv.txt instead of stdout

• multi alert_csv.fields = timestamp pkt_num proto pkt_gen pkt_len dir src_ap dst_ap rule action: selected fields will be output
in given order left to right { action | class | b64_data | client_bytes | client_pkts | dir | dst_addr | dst_ap | dst_port | eth_dst |
eth_len | eth_src | eth_type | flowstart_time | geneve_vni | gid | icmp_code | icmp_id | icmp_seq | icmp_type | iface | ip_id |
ip_len | msg | mpls | pkt_gen | pkt_len | pkt_num | priority | proto | rev | rule | seconds | server_bytes | server_pkts | service | sgt|
sid | src_addr | src_ap | src_port | target | tcp_ack | tcp_flags | tcp_len | tcp_seq | tcp_win | timestamp | tos | ttl | udp_len | vlan }
• int alert_csv.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }
• string alert_csv.separator = , : separate fields with this character sequence

10.2 alert_ex

Help: output gid:sid:rev for alerts

Type: logger
Usage: context
Configuration:

• bool alert_ex.upper = false: true/false → convert to upper/lower case

Snort 3 Reference Manual 127 / 245

10.3 alert_fast

Help: output event with brief text format

Type: logger
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool alert_fast.file = false: output to alert_fast.txt instead of stdout

• bool alert_fast.packet = false: output packet dump with alert
• int alert_fast.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }

10.4 alert_full

Help: output event with full packet dump

Type: logger
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool alert_full.file = false: output to alert_full.txt instead of stdout

• int alert_full.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }

10.5 alert_json

Help: output event in json format

Type: logger
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool alert_json.file = false: output to alert_json.txt instead of stdout

• multi alert_json.fields = timestamp pkt_num proto pkt_gen pkt_len dir src_ap dst_ap rule action: selected fields will be output
in given order left to right { action | class | b64_data | client_bytes | client_pkts | dir | dst_addr | dst_ap | dst_port | eth_dst |
eth_len | eth_src | eth_type | flowstart_time | geneve_vni | gid | icmp_code | icmp_id | icmp_seq | icmp_type | iface | ip_id |
ip_len | msg | mpls | pkt_gen | pkt_len | pkt_num | priority | proto | rev | rule | seconds | server_bytes | server_pkts | service | sgt|
sid | src_addr | src_ap | src_port | target | tcp_ack | tcp_flags | tcp_len | tcp_seq | tcp_win | timestamp | tos | ttl | udp_len | vlan }
• int alert_json.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }
• string alert_json.separator = , : separate fields with this character sequence

10.6 alert_syslog

Help: output event to syslog

Type: logger
Usage: global
Configuration:

• enum alert_syslog.facility = auth: part of priority applied to each message { auth | authpriv | daemon | user | local0 | local1 |
local2 | local3 | local4 | local5 | local6 | local7 }
• enum alert_syslog.level = info: part of priority applied to each message { emerg | alert | crit | err | warning | notice | info | debug
}
• multi alert_syslog.options: used to open the syslog connection { cons | ndelay | perror | pid }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 128 / 245

10.7 alert_talos

Help: output event in Talos alert format

Type: logger
Usage: global

10.8 alert_unixsock

Help: output event over unix socket

Type: logger
Usage: global

10.9 log_codecs

Help: log protocols in packet by layer

Type: logger
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool log_codecs.file = false: output to log_codecs.txt instead of stdout

• bool log_codecs.msg = false: include alert msg

10.10 log_hext

Help: output payload suitable for daq hext

Type: logger
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool log_hext.file = false: output to log_hext.txt instead of stdout

• bool log_hext.raw = false: output all full packets if true, else just TCP payload
• int log_hext.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }

• int log_hext.width = 20: set line width (0 is unlimited) { 0:max32 }

10.11 log_pcap

Help: log packet in pcap format

Type: logger
Usage: global
Configuration:

• int log_pcap.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }

Snort 3 Reference Manual 129 / 245

10.12 unified2

Help: output event and packet in unified2 format file

Type: logger
Usage: global
Configuration:

• bool unified2.legacy_events = false: generate Snort 2.X style events for barnyard2 compatibility
• int unified2.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }
• bool unified2.nostamp = true: append file creation time to name (in Unix Epoch format)

11 Appendix

11.1 Build Options

The options listed below must be explicitly enabled so they are built into the Snort binary. For a full list of build options, run
./configure --help.

• --enable-shell: enable building local and remote command line shell support.
• --enable-tsc-clock: use the TSC register on x86 systems for improved performance of latency and profiler features.

These options are built only if the required libraries and headers are present. There is no need to explicitly enable.

• flatbuffers: for an alternative perf_monitor logging format.

• hyperscan >= 4.4.0: for the regex and sd_pattern rule options and the hyperscan search engine.
• iconv: for converting UTF16-LE filenames to UTF8 (usually included in glibc)
• libunwind: for printing a backtrace when a fatal signal is received.
• lzma: for decompression of SWF and PDF files.
• safec: for additional runtime error checking of some memory copy operations.

If you need to use headers and/or libraries in non-standard locations, you can use these options:

• --with-pkg-includes: specify the directory containing the package headers.

• --with-pkg-libraries: specify the directory containing the package libraries.

These can be used for pcap, luajit, pcre, dnet, daq, lzma, openssl, flatbuffers, iconv, and hyperscan packages. For more informa-
tion on these libraries see the Getting Started section of the manual.

11.2 Environment Variables

• HOSTTYPE: optional string that is output with the version at end of line.
• SNORT_IGNORE: the list of symbols Snort should ignore when parsing the Lua conf. Unknown symbols not in SNORT_IGNORE
will cause warnings with --warn-unknown or fatals with --warn-unknown --pedantic.
• SNORT_PROMPT: the character sequence that is printed at startup, shutdown, and in the shell. The default is the mini-pig:
o")~ .
• SNORT_PLUGIN_PATH: an optional path where Snort can find supplemental shared libraries. This is only used when Snort
is building manuals. Modules in supplemental shared libraries will be added to the manuals.
Snort 3 Reference Manual 130 / 245

11.3 Command Line Options

• -? <option prefix> output matching command line option quick help (same as --help-options) (optional)
• -A <mode> set alert mode: none, cmg, or alert_*
• -B <mask> obfuscated IP addresses in alerts and packet dumps using CIDR mask
• -C print out payloads with character data only (no hex)
• -c <conf> use this configuration
• -D run Snort in background (daemon) mode
• -d dump the Application Layer
• -e display the second layer header info
• -f turn off fflush() calls after binary log writes
• -G <0xid> (same as --logid) (0:65535)
• -g <gname> run snort gid as <gname> group (or gid) after initialization
• -H make hash tables deterministic
• -h show help overview (same as --help)
• -i <iface>. . . list of interfaces
• -j <port> to listen for Telnet connections
• -k <mode> checksum mode; default is all (all|noip|notcp|noudp|noicmp|none)
• -L <mode> logging mode (none, dump, pcap, or log_*)
• -l <logdir> log to this directory instead of current directory
• -M log messages to syslog (not alerts)
• -m <umask> set the process file mode creation mask (0x000:0x1FF)
• -n <count> stop after count packets (0:max53)
• -O obfuscate the logged IP addresses
• -Q enable inline mode operation
• -q quiet mode - suppress normal logging on stdout
• -R <rules> include this rules file in the default policy
• -r <pcap>. . . (same as --pcap-list)
• -s <snap> (same as --snaplen); default is 1518 (0:65535)
• -T test and report on the current Snort configuration
• -t <dir> chroots process to <dir> after initialization
• -U use UTC for timestamps
• -u <uname> run snort as <uname> or <uid> after initialization
• -V (same as --version)
• -v be verbose
• -X dump the raw packet data starting at the link layer
Snort 3 Reference Manual 131 / 245

• -x same as --pedantic
• -y include year in timestamp in the alert and log files
• -z <count> maximum number of packet threads (same as --max-packet-threads); 0 gets the number of CPU cores reported by
the system; default is 1 (0:max32)
• --alert-before-pass evaluate alert rules before pass rules; default is pass rules first
• --bpf <filter options> are standard BPF options, as seen in TCPDump
• --c2x output hex for given char (see also --x2c)

• --control-socket <file> to create unix socket

• --create-pidfile create PID file, even when not in Daemon mode
• --daq <type> select packet acquisition module (default is pcap)

• --daq-batch-size <size> set the DAQ receive batch size; default is 64 (1:)
• --daq-dir <dir> tell snort where to find desired DAQ
• --daq-list list packet acquisition modules available in optional dir, default is static modules only
• --daq-mode <mode> select DAQ module operating mode (overrides automatic selection) (passive | inline | read-file)

• --daq-var <name=value> specify extra DAQ configuration variable

• --dirty-pig don’t flush packets on shutdown
• --dump-builtin-options additional options to include with --dump-builtin-rules stubs

• --dump-builtin-rules [<module prefix>] output stub rules for selected modules (optional)
• --dump-config dump config in json format (all | top)
• --dump-config-text dump config in text format
• --dump-dynamic-rules output stub rules for all loaded rules libraries

• --dump-defaults [<module prefix>] output module defaults in Lua format (optional)

• --dump-rule-databases dump rule databases to given directory (hyperscan only)
• --dump-rule-deps dump rule dependencies in json format for use by other tools

• --dump-rule-meta dump configured rule info in json format for use by other tools
• --dump-rule-state dump configured rule state in json format for use by other tools
• --dump-version output the version, the whole version, and only the version
• --enable-inline-test enable Inline-Test Mode Operation

• --enable-test-features enable features used in testing

• --gen-msg-map dump configured rules in gen-msg.map format for use by other tools
• --help show help overview
• --help-commands [<module prefix>] output matching commands (optional)

• --help-config [<module prefix>] output matching config options (optional)

• --help-counts [<module prefix>] output matching peg counts (optional)
• --help-limits print the int upper bounds denoted by max*
Snort 3 Reference Manual 132 / 245

• --help-module <module> output description of given module

• --help-modules list all available modules with brief help
• --help-modules-json dump description of all available modules in JSON format
• --help-options [<option prefix>] output matching command line option quick help (same as -?) (optional)
• --help-plugins list all available plugins with brief help
• --help-signals dump available control signals
• --id-offset offset to add to instance IDs when logging to files (0:65535)
• --id-subdir create/use instance subdirectories in logdir instead of instance filename prefix
• --id-zero use id prefix / subdirectory even with one packet thread
• --include-path <path> where to find Lua and rule included files; searched before current or config directories
• --list-buffers output available inspection buffers
• --list-builtin [<module prefix>] output matching builtin rules (optional)
• --list-gids [<module prefix>] output matching generators (optional)
• --list-modules [<module type>] list all known modules of given type (optional)
• --list-plugins list all known plugins
• --lua <chunk> extend/override conf with chunk; may be repeated
• --lua-sandbox <file> file that contains the lua sandbox environment in which config will be loaded
• --logid <0xid> log Identifier to uniquely id events for multiple snorts (same as -G) (0:65535)
• --markup output help in asciidoc compatible format
• --max-packet-threads <count> configure maximum number of packet threads (same as -z) (0:max32)
• --mem-check like -T but also compile search engines
• --metadata-filter <filter> load only rules containing filter string in metadata if set
• --nostamps don’t include timestamps in log file names
• --nolock-pidfile do not try to lock Snort PID file
• --no-warn-flowbits ignore warnings about flowbits that are checked but not set and vice-versa
• --no-warn-rules ignore warnings about duplicate rules and rule parsing issues
• --pause wait for resume/quit command before processing packets/terminating
• --pcap-file <file> file that contains a list of pcaps to read - read mode is implied
• --pcap-list <list> a space separated list of pcaps to read - read mode is implied
• --pcap-dir <dir> a directory to recurse to look for pcaps - read mode is implied
• --pcap-filter <filter> filter to apply when getting pcaps from file or directory
• --pcap-loop <count> read all pcaps <count> times; 0 will read until Snort is terminated (0:max32)
• --pcap-no-filter reset to use no filter when getting pcaps from file or directory
• --pcap-show print a line saying what pcap is currently being read
• --pedantic warnings are fatal
Snort 3 Reference Manual 133 / 245

• --plugin-path <path> a colon separated list of directories or plugin libraries

• --process-all-events process all action groups
• --rule <rules> to be added to configuration; may be repeated

• --rule-path <path> where to find rules files

• --rule-to-hex output so rule header to stdout for text rule on stdin
• --rule-to-text output plain so rule header to stdout for text rule on stdin (specify delimiter or [Snort_SO_Rule] will be used)
(16)

• --run-prefix <pfx> prepend this to each output file

• --script-path <path> to a luajit script or directory containing luajit scripts
• --shell enable the interactive command line

• --show-file-codes indicate how files are located: A=absolute and W, F, C which are relative to the working directory, including
file, and config file respectively
• --show-plugins list module and plugin versions
• --skip <n> skip 1st n packets (0:max53)

• --snaplen <snap> set snaplen of packet (same as -s) (0:65535)

• --stdin-rules read rules from stdin until EOF or a line starting with END is read
• --talos enable Talos tweak (same as --tweaks talos)
• --tweaks tune configuration

• --version show version number (same as -V)

• --warn-all enable all warnings
• --warn-conf warn about configuration issues

• --warn-conf-strict warn about unrecognized elements in configuration files

• --warn-daq warn about DAQ issues, usually related to mode
• --warn-flowbits warn about flowbits that are checked but not set and vice-versa
• --warn-hosts warn about host table issues

• --warn-plugins warn about issues that prevent plugins from loading

• --warn-rules warn about duplicate rules and rule parsing issues
• --warn-scripts warn about issues discovered while processing Lua scripts

• --warn-symbols warn about unknown symbols in your Lua config

• --warn-vars warn about variable definition and usage issues
• --x2c output ASCII char for given hex (see also --c2x) (0x00:0xFF)
• --x2s output ASCII string for given byte code (see also --x2c)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 134 / 245

11.4 Configuration

• interval ack.~range: check if TCP ack value is value | min<>max | <max | >min { 0: }
• int active.attempts = 0: number of TCP packets sent per response (with varying sequence numbers) { 0:255 }
• string active.device: use ip for network layer responses or eth0 etc for link layer
• string active.dst_mac: use format 01:23:45:67:89:ab
• int active.max_responses = 0: maximum number of responses { 0:255 }
• int active.min_interval = 255: minimum number of seconds between responses { 1:255 }
• string address_space_selector[].addr_spaces: list of address space IDs to match
• string address_space_selector[].file: use configuration in given file
• multi alert_csv.fields = timestamp pkt_num proto pkt_gen pkt_len dir src_ap dst_ap rule action: selected fields will be output
in given order left to right { action | class | b64_data | client_bytes | client_pkts | dir | dst_addr | dst_ap | dst_port | eth_dst |
eth_len | eth_src | eth_type | flowstart_time | geneve_vni | gid | icmp_code | icmp_id | icmp_seq | icmp_type | iface | ip_id |
ip_len | msg | mpls | pkt_gen | pkt_len | pkt_num | priority | proto | rev | rule | seconds | server_bytes | server_pkts | service | sgt|
sid | src_addr | src_ap | src_port | target | tcp_ack | tcp_flags | tcp_len | tcp_seq | tcp_win | timestamp | tos | ttl | udp_len | vlan }
• bool alert_csv.file = false: output to alert_csv.txt instead of stdout
• int alert_csv.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }
• string alert_csv.separator = , : separate fields with this character sequence
• bool alert_ex.upper = false: true/false → convert to upper/lower case
• bool alert_fast.file = false: output to alert_fast.txt instead of stdout
• int alert_fast.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }
• bool alert_fast.packet = false: output packet dump with alert
• bool alert_full.file = false: output to alert_full.txt instead of stdout
• int alert_full.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }
• multi alert_json.fields = timestamp pkt_num proto pkt_gen pkt_len dir src_ap dst_ap rule action: selected fields will be output
in given order left to right { action | class | b64_data | client_bytes | client_pkts | dir | dst_addr | dst_ap | dst_port | eth_dst |
eth_len | eth_src | eth_type | flowstart_time | geneve_vni | gid | icmp_code | icmp_id | icmp_seq | icmp_type | iface | ip_id |
ip_len | msg | mpls | pkt_gen | pkt_len | pkt_num | priority | proto | rev | rule | seconds | server_bytes | server_pkts | service | sgt|
sid | src_addr | src_ap | src_port | target | tcp_ack | tcp_flags | tcp_len | tcp_seq | tcp_win | timestamp | tos | ttl | udp_len | vlan }
• bool alert_json.file = false: output to alert_json.txt instead of stdout
• int alert_json.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }
• string alert_json.separator = , : separate fields with this character sequence
• bool alerts.alert_with_interface_name = false: include interface in alert info (fast, full, or syslog only)
• int alerts.detection_filter_memcap = 1048576: set available MB of memory for detection_filters { 0:max32 }
• int alerts.event_filter_memcap = 1048576: set available MB of memory for event_filters { 0:max32 }
• bool alerts.log_references = false: include rule references in alert info (full only)
• string alerts.order: change the order of rule action application
• int alerts.rate_filter_memcap = 1048576: set available MB of memory for rate_filters { 0:max32 }
• string alerts.reference_net: set the CIDR for homenet (for use with -l or -B, does NOT change $HOME_NET in IDS mode)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 135 / 245

• string alerts.tunnel_verdicts: let DAQ handle non-allow verdicts for gtp|teredo|6in4|4in6|4in4|6in6|gre|mpls|vxlan traffic
• enum alert_syslog.facility = auth: part of priority applied to each message { auth | authpriv | daemon | user | local0 | local1 |
local2 | local3 | local4 | local5 | local6 | local7 }
• enum alert_syslog.level = info: part of priority applied to each message { emerg | alert | crit | err | warning | notice | info | debug
}
• multi alert_syslog.options: used to open the syslog connection { cons | ndelay | perror | pid }
• string appid.app_detector_dir: directory to load appid detectors from
• int appid.app_stats_period = 300: time period for collecting and logging appid statistics { 1:max32 }
• int appid.app_stats_rollover_size = 20971520: max file size for appid stats before rolling over the log file { 0:max32 }
• bool appid.enable_rna_filter = false: monitor only the networks specified in rna configuration
• string appid_listener.file: output data to given file
• bool appid_listener.json_logging = false: log appid data in json format
• bool appid.list_odp_detectors = false: enable logging of odp detectors statistics
• bool appid.log_all_sessions = false: enable logging of all appid sessions
• bool appid.log_stats = false: enable logging of appid statistics
• int appid.memcap = 1048576: max size of the service cache before we start pruning the cache { 1024:maxSZ }
• string appid.rna_conf_path: path to rna configuration file
• string appids.~: comma separated list of application names
• bool appid.tp_appid_config_dump: print third party configuration on startup
• string appid.tp_appid_config: path to third party appid configuration file
• string appid.tp_appid_path: path to third party appid dynamic library
• bool appid.tp_appid_stats_enable: enable collection of stats and print stats on exit in third party module
• ip4 arp_spoof.hosts[].ip: host ip address
• mac arp_spoof.hosts[].mac: host mac address
• int asn1.absolute_offset: absolute offset from the beginning of the packet { 0:65535 }
• implied asn1.bitstring_overflow: detects invalid bitstring encodings that are known to be remotely exploitable
• implied asn1.double_overflow: detects a double ASCII encoding that is larger than a standard buffer
• int asn1.oversize_length: compares ASN.1 type lengths with the supplied argument { 0:max32 }
• implied asn1.print: dump decode data to console; always true
• int asn1.relative_offset: relative offset from the cursor { -65535:65535 }
• string attribute_table.hosts_file: filename to load attribute host table from
• int attribute_table.max_hosts = 1024: maximum number of hosts in attribute table { 32:max53 }
• int attribute_table.max_metadata_services = 9: maximum number of services in rule { 1:255 }
• int attribute_table.max_services_per_host = 8: maximum number of services per host entry in attribute table { 1:65535 }
• int base64_decode.bytes: number of base64 encoded bytes to decode { 1:max32 }
• int base64_decode.offset = 0: bytes past start of buffer to start decoding { 0:max32 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 136 / 245

• implied base64_decode.relative: apply offset to cursor instead of start of buffer

• int ber_data.~type: move to the data for the specified BER element type { 0:255 }
• implied ber_skip.optional: match even if the specified BER type is not found
• int ber_skip.~type: BER element type to skip { 0:255 }
• enum binder[].use.action = inspect: what to do with matching traffic { reset | block | allow | inspect }
• string binder[].use.file: use configuration in given file
• string binder[].use.inspection_policy: use inspection policy from given file
• string binder[].use.ips_policy: use ips policy from given file
• string binder[].use.name: symbol name (defaults to type)
• string binder[].use.network_policy: use network policy from given file
• string binder[].use.service: override automatic service identification
• string binder[].use.type: select module for binding
• string binder[].when.addr_spaces: list of address space IDs
• string binder[].when.dst_groups: list of destination group IDs
• string binder[].when.dst_intfs: list of destination interface IDs
• addr_list binder[].when.dst_nets: list of destination networks
• bit_list binder[].when.dst_ports: list of destination ports { 65535 }
• string binder[].when.dst_zone: deprecated alias for dst_groups
• string binder[].when.groups: list of interface group IDs
• string binder[].when.intfs: list of interface IDs
• int binder[].when.ips_policy_id: unique ID for selection of this config by external logic { 0:max32 }
• addr_list binder[].when.nets: list of networks
• bit_list binder[].when.ports: list of ports { 65535 }
• enum binder[].when.proto: protocol { any | ip | icmp | tcp | udp | user | file }
• enum binder[].when.role = any: use the given configuration on one or any end of a session { client | server | any }
• string binder[].when.service: override default configuration
• string binder[].when.src_groups: list of source interface group IDs
• string binder[].when.src_intfs: list of source interface IDs
• addr_list binder[].when.src_nets: list of source networks
• bit_list binder[].when.src_ports: list of source ports { 65535 }
• string binder[].when.src_zone: deprecated alias for src_groups
• string binder[].when.tenants: list of tenants
• bit_list binder[].when.vlans: list of VLAN IDs { 4095 }
• string binder[].when.zones: deprecated alias for groups
• interval bufferlen.~range: check that total length of current buffer is in given range { 0:65535 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 137 / 245

• implied bufferlen.relative: use remaining length (from current position) instead of total length
• int byte_extract.align = 0: round the number of converted bytes up to the next 2- or 4-byte boundary { 0:4 }
• implied byte_extract.big: big endian

• int byte_extract.bitmask: applies as an AND to the extracted value before storage in name { 0x1:0xFFFFFFFF }
• int byte_extract.~count: number of bytes to pick up from the buffer { 1:10 }
• implied byte_extract.dce: dcerpc2 determines endianness

• implied byte_extract.dec: convert from decimal string

• implied byte_extract.hex: convert from hex string
• implied byte_extract.little: little endian
• int byte_extract.multiplier = 1: scale extracted value by given amount { 1:65535 }

• string byte_extract.~name: name of the variable that will be used in other rule options
• implied byte_extract.oct: convert from octal string
• int byte_extract.~offset: number of bytes into the buffer to start processing { -65535:65535 }

• implied byte_extract.relative: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer

• implied byte_extract.string: convert from string
• int byte_jump.align = 0: round the number of converted bytes up to the next 2- or 4-byte boundary { 0:4 }
• implied byte_jump.big: big endian

• int byte_jump.bitmask: applies as an AND prior to evaluation { 0x1:0xFFFFFFFF }

• int byte_jump.~count: number of bytes to pick up from the buffer { 0:10 }
• implied byte_jump.dce: dcerpc2 determines endianness
• implied byte_jump.dec: convert from decimal string

• implied byte_jump.from_beginning: jump from start of buffer instead of cursor

• implied byte_jump.from_end: jump backward from end of buffer
• implied byte_jump.hex: convert from hex string

• implied byte_jump.little: little endian

• int byte_jump.multiplier = 1: scale extracted value by given amount { 1:65535 }
• implied byte_jump.oct: convert from octal string
• string byte_jump.~offset: variable name or number of bytes into the buffer to start processing

• string byte_jump.post_offset: skip forward or backward (positive or negative value) by variable name or number of bytes
after the other jump options have been applied
• implied byte_jump.relative: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer
• implied byte_jump.string: convert from string

• int byte_math.bitmask: applies as bitwise AND to the extracted value before storage in name { 0x1:0xFFFFFFFF }
• int byte_math.bytes: number of bytes to pick up from the buffer { 1:10 }
• implied byte_math.dce: dcerpc2 determines endianness
Snort 3 Reference Manual 138 / 245

• enum byte_math.endian: specify big/little endian { big|little }

• string byte_math.offset: number of bytes into the buffer to start processing
• enum byte_math.oper: mathematical operation to perform { +|-|*|/|<<|>> }
• implied byte_math.relative: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer
• string byte_math.result: name of the variable to store the result
• string byte_math.rvalue: value to use mathematical operation against
• enum byte_math.string: convert extracted string to dec/hex/oct { hex|dec|oct }
• implied byte_test.big: big endian
• int byte_test.bitmask: applies as an AND prior to evaluation { 0x1:0xFFFFFFFF }
• string byte_test.~compare: variable name or value to test the converted result against
• int byte_test.~count: number of bytes to pick up from the buffer { 1:10 }
• implied byte_test.dce: dcerpc2 determines endianness
• implied byte_test.dec: convert from decimal string
• implied byte_test.hex: convert from hex string
• implied byte_test.little: little endian
• implied byte_test.oct: convert from octal string
• string byte_test.~offset: variable name or number of bytes into the payload to start processing
• string byte_test.~operator: operation to perform to test the value
• implied byte_test.relative: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer
• implied byte_test.string: convert from string
• interval cip_attribute.~range: match CIP attribute { 0:65535 }
• interval cip_class.~range: match CIP class { 0:65535 }
• interval cip_conn_path_class.~range: match CIP Connection Path Class { 0:65535 }
• string cip.embedded_cip_path = false: check embedded CIP path
• interval cip_instance.~range: match CIP instance { 0:4294967295 }
• int cip.max_cip_connections = 100: max cip connections { 1:10000 }
• int cip.max_unconnected_messages = 100: max unconnected cip messages { 1:10000 }
• interval cip_service.~range: match CIP service { 0:127 }
• interval cip_status.~range: match CIP response status { 0:255 }
• int cip.unconnected_timeout = 300: unconnected timeout in seconds { 0:360 }
• string classifications[].name: name used with classtype rule option
• int classifications[].priority = 1: default priority for class { 0:max32 }
• string classifications[].text: description of class
• string classtype.~: classification for this rule
• string content.~data: data to match
Snort 3 Reference Manual 139 / 245

• string content.depth: var or maximum number of bytes to search from beginning of buffer
• string content.distance: var or number of bytes from cursor to start search
• int content.fast_pattern_length: maximum number of characters from this content the fast pattern matcher should use {
1:65535 }
• int content.fast_pattern_offset = 0: number of leading characters of this content the fast pattern matcher should exclude {
0:65535 }
• implied content.fast_pattern: use this content in the fast pattern matcher instead of the content selected by default

• implied content.nocase: case insensitive match

• string content.offset: var or number of bytes from start of buffer to start search
• string content.within: var or maximum number of bytes to search from cursor
• implied cvs.invalid-entry: looks for an invalid Entry string

• int daq.batch_size = 64: set receive batch size (same as --daq-batch-size) { 1: }

• string daq.inputs[].input: input source
• string daq.module_dirs[].path: directory path

• enum daq.modules[].mode = passive: DAQ module mode { passive | inline | read-file }

• string daq.modules[].name: DAQ module name (required)
• string daq.modules[].variables[].variable: DAQ module variable (foo[=bar])
• int daq.snaplen = 1518: set snap length (same as -s) { 0:65535 }

• select data_log.key = http_request_header_event : name of the event to log { http_request_header_event | http_response_header_event

}
• int data_log.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:max32 }
• implied dce_iface.any_frag: match on any fragment

• string dce_iface.uuid: match given dcerpc uuid

• interval dce_iface.version: interface version { 0: }
• string dce_opnum.~: match given dcerpc operation number, range or list

• bool dce_smb.disable_defrag = false: disable DCE/RPC defragmentation

• bool dce_smb.limit_alerts = true: limit DCE alert to at most one per signature per flow
• int dce_smb.max_frag_len = 65535: maximum fragment size for defragmentation { 1514:65535 }
• int dce_smb.memcap = 8388608: Memory utilization limit on smb { 512:maxSZ }

• enum dce_smb.policy = WinXP: target based policy to use { Win2000 | WinXP | WinVista | Win2003 | Win2008 | Win7 |
Samba | Samba-3.0.37 | Samba-3.0.22 | Samba-3.0.20 }
• int dce_smb.reassemble_threshold = 0: minimum bytes received before performing reassembly { 0:65535 }
• int dce_smb.smb_file_depth = 16384: SMB file depth for file data (-1 = disabled, 0 = unlimited) { -1:32767 }

• enum dce_smb.smb_file_inspection: deprecated (not used): file inspection controlled by smb_file_depth { off | on | only }
• enum dce_smb.smb_fingerprint_policy = none: target based SMB policy to use { none | client | server | both }
• string dce_smb.smb_invalid_shares: SMB shares to alert on
Snort 3 Reference Manual 140 / 245

• bool dce_smb.smb_legacy_mode = false: inspect only SMBv1

• int dce_smb.smb_max_chain = 3: SMB max chain size { 0:255 }
• int dce_smb.smb_max_compound = 3: SMB max compound size { 0:255 }
• int dce_smb.smb_max_credit = 8192: Maximum number of outstanding request { 1:65536 }
• multi dce_smb.valid_smb_versions = all: valid SMB versions { v1 | v2 | all }
• bool dce_tcp.disable_defrag = false: disable DCE/RPC defragmentation
• bool dce_tcp.limit_alerts = true: limit DCE alert to at most one per signature per flow
• int dce_tcp.max_frag_len = 65535: maximum fragment size for defragmentation { 1514:65535 }
• enum dce_tcp.policy = WinXP: target based policy to use { Win2000 | WinXP | WinVista | Win2003 | Win2008 | Win7 | Samba
| Samba-3.0.37 | Samba-3.0.22 | Samba-3.0.20 }
• int dce_tcp.reassemble_threshold = 0: minimum bytes received before performing reassembly { 0:65535 }
• bool dce_udp.disable_defrag = false: disable DCE/RPC defragmentation
• bool dce_udp.limit_alerts = true: limit DCE alert to at most one per signature per flow
• int dce_udp.max_frag_len = 65535: maximum fragment size for defragmentation { 1514:65535 }
• bool detection.allow_missing_so_rules = false: warn (true) or error (false) when an SO rule stub refers to an SO rule that isn’t
loaded
• int detection.asn1 = 0: maximum decode nodes { 0:65535 }
• bool detection.enable_address_anomaly_checks = false: enable check and alerting of address anomalies
• int detection_filter.count: hits in interval before allowing the rule to fire { 1:max32 }
• int detection_filter.seconds: length of interval to count hits { 1:max32 }
• enum detection_filter.track: track hits by source or destination IP address { by_src | by_dst }
• bool detection.global_default_rule_state = true: enable or disable rules by default (overridden by ips policy settings)
• bool detection.global_rule_state = false: apply rule_state against all policies
• bool detection.hyperscan_literals = false: use hyperscan for content literal searches instead of boyer-moore
• int detection.offload_limit = 99999: minimum sizeof PDU to offload fast pattern search (defaults to disabled) { 0:max32 }
• int detection.offload_threads = 0: maximum number of simultaneous offloads (defaults to disabled) { 0:max32 }
• bool detection.pcre_enable = true: enable pcre pattern matching
• int detection.pcre_match_limit = 1500: limit pcre backtracking, 0 = off { 0:max32 }
• int detection.pcre_match_limit_recursion = 1500: limit pcre stack consumption, 0 = off { 0:max32 }
• bool detection.pcre_override = true: enable pcre match limit overrides when pattern matching (ie ignore /O)
• bool detection.pcre_to_regex = false: enable the use of regex instead of pcre for compatible expressions
• bool dnp3.check_crc = false: validate checksums in DNP3 link layer frames
• string dnp3_func.~: match DNP3 function code or name
• string dnp3_ind.~: match given DNP3 indicator flags
• int dnp3_obj.group = 0: match given DNP3 object header group { 0:255 }
• int dnp3_obj.var = 0: match given DNP3 object header var { 0:255 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 141 / 245

• string domain_filter.file: file with list of domains identifying hosts to be filtered

• string domain_filter.hosts: list of domains identifying hosts to be filtered
• int dpx.max = 0: maximum payload before alert { 0:65535 }

• port dpx.port: port to check

• interval dsize.~range: check if packet payload size is in the given range { 0:65535 }
• enum enable.~enable = yes: enable or disable rule in current ips policy or use default defined by ips policy { no | yes | inherit
}

• interval enip_command.~range: match CIP Enip Command { 0:65535 }

• bool esp.decode_esp = false: enable for inspection of esp traffic that has authentication but not encryption
• int event_filter[].count = 0: number of events in interval before tripping; -1 to disable { -1:max31 }

• int event_filter[].gid = 1: rule generator ID { 0:max32 }

• string event_filter[].ip: restrict filter to these addresses according to track
• int event_filter[].seconds = 0: count interval { 0:max32 }
• int event_filter[].sid = 1: rule signature ID { 0:max32 }

• enum event_filter[].track: filter only matching source or destination addresses { by_src | by_dst }
• enum event_filter[].type: 1st count events | every count events | once after count events { limit | threshold | both }
• int event_queue.log = 3: maximum events to log { 1:max32 }

• int event_queue.max_queue = 8: maximum events to queue { 1:max32 }

• enum event_queue.order_events = content_length: criteria for ordering incoming events { priority|content_length }
• bool event_queue.process_all_events = false: process just first action group or all action groups
• string file_connector[].connector: connector name

• enum file_connector[].direction: usage { receive | transmit | duplex }

• enum file_connector[].format: file format { binary | text }
• string file_connector[].name: channel name
• int file_id.block_timeout = 86400: stop blocking after this many seconds { 0:max31 }

• bool file_id.block_timeout_lookup = false: block if lookup times out

• int file_id.capture_block_size = 32768: file capture block size in bytes { 8:max53 }
• int file_id.capture_max_size = 1048576: stop file capture beyond this point { 0:max53 }

• int file_id.capture_memcap = 100: memcap for file capture in megabytes { 0:max53 }

• int file_id.capture_min_size = 0: stop file capture if file size less than this { 0:max53 }
• int file_id.decompress_buffer_size = 100000: file decompression buffer size { 1024:max31 }
• string file_id.file_rules[].category: file type category

• string file_id.file_rules[].group: comma separated list of groups associated with file type
• int file_id.file_rules[].id = 0: file type id { 0:max32 }
• string file_id.file_rules[].magic[].content: file magic content
Snort 3 Reference Manual 142 / 245

• int file_id.file_rules[].magic[].offset = 0: file magic offset { 0:max32 }

• string file_id.file_rules[].msg: information about the file type
• int file_id.file_rules[].rev = 0: rule revision { 0:max32 }

• string file_id.file_rules[].type: file type name

• string file_id.file_rules[].version: file type version
• int file_id.lookup_timeout = 2: give up on lookup after this many seconds { 0:max31 }

• int file_id.max_files_cached = 65536: maximal number of files cached in memory { 8:max53 }

• int file_id.max_files_per_flow = 128: maximal number of files able to be concurrently processed per flow { 1:max53 }
• int file_id.show_data_depth = 100: print this many octets { 0:max53 }
• int file_id.signature_depth = 10485760: stop signature at this point { 0:max53 }

• bool file_id.trace_signature = false: enable runtime dump of signature info

• bool file_id.trace_stream = false: enable runtime dump of file data
• bool file_id.trace_type = false: enable runtime dump of type info

• int file_id.type_depth = 1460: stop type ID at this point { 0:max53 }

• bool file_log.log_pkt_time = true: log the packet time when event generated
• bool file_log.log_sys_time = false: log the system time when event generated
• bool file_policy.enable_capture = false: enable file capture

• bool file_policy.enable_signature = false: enable signature calculation

• bool file_policy.enable_type = true: enable type ID
• bool file_policy.rules[].use.enable_file_capture = false: true/false → enable/disable file capture
• bool file_policy.rules[].use.enable_file_signature = false: true/false → enable/disable file signature

• bool file_policy.rules[].use.enable_file_type = false: true/false → enable/disable file type identification

• enum file_policy.rules[].use.verdict = unknown: what to do with matching traffic { unknown | log | stop |
block | reset }
• int file_policy.rules[].when.file_type_id = 0: unique ID for file type in file magic rule { 0:max32 }

• string file_policy.rules[].when.sha256: SHA 256

• int file_policy.verdict_delay = 0: number of queries to return final verdict { 0:max53 }
• string file_type.~: list of file type IDs to match

• string flags.~mask_flags: these flags are don’t cares

• string flags.~test_flags: these flags are tested
• string flowbits.~bits: bit [|bit]* or bit [&bit]*
• enum flowbits.~op: bit operation or noalert (no bits) { set | unset | isset | isnotset | noalert }

• implied flow.established: match only during data transfer phase

• implied flow.from_client: same as to_server
• implied flow.from_server: same as to_client
Snort 3 Reference Manual 143 / 245

• implied flow.no_frag: match on raw packets only

• implied flow.no_stream: match on raw packets only
• implied flow.not_established: match only outside data transfer phase
• implied flow.only_frag: match on defragmented packets only
• implied flow.only_stream: match on reassembled packets only
• implied flow.stateless: match regardless of stream state
• implied flow.to_client: match on server responses
• implied flow.to_server: match on client requests
• string fragbits.~flags: these flags are tested
• interval fragoffset.~range: check if ip fragment offset is in given range { 0:8192 }
• bool ftp_client.bounce = false: check for bounces
• addr ftp_client.bounce_to[].address = 1.0.0.0/32: allowed IP address in CIDR format
• port ftp_client.bounce_to[].last_port: optional allowed range from port to last_port inclusive
• port ftp_client.bounce_to[].port = 20: allowed port
• bool ftp_client.ignore_telnet_erase_cmds = false: ignore erase character and erase line commands when normalizing
• int ftp_client.max_resp_len = 4294967295: maximum FTP response accepted by client { 0:max32 }
• bool ftp_client.telnet_cmds = false: detect Telnet escape sequences on FTP control channel
• bool ftp_server.check_encrypted = false: check for end of encryption
• string ftp_server.chk_str_fmt: check the formatting of the given commands
• string ftp_server.cmd_validity[].command: command string
• string ftp_server.cmd_validity[].format: format specification
• int ftp_server.cmd_validity[].length = 0: specify non-default maximum for command { 0:max32 }
• string ftp_server.data_chan_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands
• string ftp_server.data_rest_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands
• string ftp_server.data_xfer_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands
• int ftp_server.def_max_param_len = 100: default maximum length of commands handled by server; 0 is unlimited { 1:max32
}
• string ftp_server.directory_cmds[].dir_cmd: directory command
• int ftp_server.directory_cmds[].rsp_code = 200: expected successful response code for command { 200:max32
}
• string ftp_server.encr_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands
• bool ftp_server.encrypted_traffic = false: check for encrypted Telnet and FTP
• string ftp_server.file_get_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands
• string ftp_server.file_put_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands
• string ftp_server.ftp_cmds: specify additional commands supported by server beyond RFC 959
• bool ftp_server.ignore_data_chan = false: do not inspect FTP data channels
Snort 3 Reference Manual 144 / 245

• bool ftp_server.ignore_telnet_erase_cmds = false: ignore erase character and erase line commands when normalizing
• string ftp_server.login_cmds: check the formatting of the given commands
• bool ftp_server.print_cmds = false: print command configurations on start up
• bool ftp_server.telnet_cmds = false: detect Telnet escape sequences of FTP control channel
• int gid.~: generator id { 1:max32 }
• string gtp_info.~: info element to match
• int gtp_inspect[].infos[].length = 0: information element type code { 0:255 }
• string gtp_inspect[].infos[].name: information element name
• int gtp_inspect[].infos[].type = 0: information element type code { 0:255 }
• string gtp_inspect[].messages[].name: message name
• int gtp_inspect[].messages[].type = 0: message type code { 0:255 }
• int gtp_inspect[].version = 2: GTP version { 0:2 }
• string gtp_type.~: list of types to match
• int gtp_version.~: version to match { 0:2 }
• bool high_availability.daq_channel = false: enable use of daq data plane channel
• bool high_availability.enable = false: enable high availability
• int high_availability.min_age = 0: minimum session life in milliseconds before HA updates { 0:max32 }
• int high_availability.min_sync = 0: minimum interval in milliseconds between HA updates { 0:max32 }
• bit_list high_availability.ports: side channel message port list { 65535 }
• string host_cache.dump_file: file name to dump host cache on shutdown; won’t dump by default
• int host_cache.memcap = 8388608: maximum host cache size in bytes { 512:maxSZ }
• enum hosts[].frag_policy: defragmentation policy { first | linux | bsd | bsd_right | last | windows | solaris }
• addr hosts[].ip = 0.0.0.0/32: hosts address / CIDR
• string hosts[].services[].name: service identifier
• port hosts[].services[].port: port number
• enum hosts[].services[].proto = tcp: IP protocol { tcp | udp }
• enum hosts[].tcp_policy: TCP reassembly policy { first | last | linux | old_linux | bsd | macos | solaris | irix | hpux11 |
hpux10 | windows | win_2003 | vista | proxy }
• addr host_tracker[].ip: hosts address / cidr
• port host_tracker[].services[].port: port number
• enum host_tracker[].services[].proto: IP protocol { ip | tcp | udp }
• int http2_inspect.concurrent_streams_limit = 100: Maximum number of concurrent streams allowed in a single HTTP/2
flow { 100:1000 }
• implied http_cookie.request: match against the cookie from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_cookie.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_cookie.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
Snort 3 Reference Manual 145 / 245

• implied http_cookie.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

• string http_header.field: restrict to given header. Header name is case insensitive.
• implied http_header.request: match against the headers from the request message even when examining the response

• implied http_header_test.absent: header is absent

• interval http_header_test.check: range check to perform on header value { 0:999999999999999999 }
• string http_header_test.field: Header to perform check on. Header name is case insensitive.

• bool http_header_test.numeric: header value is a number

• implied http_header_test.request: match against the headers from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_header_test.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_header_test.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers

• implied http_header_test.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

• implied http_header.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_header.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers

• implied http_header.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

• bool http_inspect.backslash_to_slash = true: replace \ with / when normalizing URIs
• bit_list http_inspect.bad_characters: alert when any of specified bytes are present in URI after percent decoding { 255 }
• bool http_inspect.decompress_pdf = false: decompress pdf files in response bodies

• bool http_inspect.decompress_swf = false: decompress swf files in response bodies

• bool http_inspect.decompress_vba = false: decompress MS Office Visual Basic for Applications macro files in response
bodies
• bool http_inspect.decompress_zip = false: decompress zip files in response bodies

• string http_inspect.ignore_unreserved: do not alert when the specified unreserved characters are percent-encoded in a
URI.Unreserved characters are 0-9, a-z, A-Z, period, underscore, tilde, and minus. { (optional) }
• bool http_inspect.iis_double_decode = true: perform double decoding of percent encodings to normalize characters
• int http_inspect.iis_unicode_code_page = 1252: code page to use from the IIS unicode map file { 0:65535 }

• bool http_inspect.iis_unicode = false: use IIS unicode code point mapping to normalize characters
• string http_inspect.iis_unicode_map_file: file containing code points for IIS unicode. { (optional) }
• int http_inspect.js_norm_bytes_depth = -1: number of input JavaScript bytes to normalize (-1 unlimited) { -1:max53 }

• int http_inspect.js_norm_identifier_depth = 65536: max number of unique JavaScript identifiers to normalize { 0:65536 }
• string http_inspect.js_norm_ident_ignore[].ident_name: name of the identifier to ignore
• int http_inspect.js_norm_max_bracket_depth = 256: maximum depth of bracket nesting that enhanced JavaScript normal-
izer will process { 1:65535 }

• int http_inspect.js_norm_max_scope_depth = 256: maximum depth of scope nesting that enhanced JavaScript normalizer
will process { 1:65535 }
• int http_inspect.js_norm_max_tmpl_nest = 32: maximum depth of template literal nesting that enhanced javascript normal-
izer will process { 0:255 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 146 / 245

• int http_inspect.maximum_chunk_length = 4294967295: maximum allowed length for a message body chunk { 0:4294967295
}
• int http_inspect.maximum_host_length = -1: maximum allowed length for Host header value (-1 no limit) { -1:max53 }
• int http_inspect.max_javascript_whitespaces = 200: maximum consecutive whitespaces allowed within the JavaScript ob-
fuscated data { 1:65535 }
• bool http_inspect.normalize_javascript = false: use legacy normalizer to normalize JavaScript in response bodies
• bool http_inspect.normalize_utf = true: normalize charset utf encodings in response bodies
• int http_inspect.oversize_dir_length = 300: maximum length for URL directory { 1:65535 }
• bool http_inspect.percent_u = false: normalize %uNNNN and %UNNNN encodings
• bool http_inspect.plus_to_space = true: replace + with <sp> when normalizing URIs
• bool http_inspect.request_body_app_detection = true: make HTTP/2 request message bodies available for application de-
tection (detection requires AppId)
• int http_inspect.request_depth = -1: maximum request message body bytes to examine (-1 no limit) { -1:max53 }
• int http_inspect.response_depth = -1: maximum response message body bytes to examine (-1 no limit) { -1:max53 }
• bool http_inspect.script_detection = false: inspect JavaScript immediately upon script end
• bool http_inspect.simplify_path = true: reduce URI directory path to simplest form
• bool http_inspect.unzip = true: decompress gzip and deflate message bodies
• bool http_inspect.utf8_bare_byte = false: when doing UTF-8 character normalization include bytes that were not percent
encoded
• bool http_inspect.utf8 = true: normalize 2-byte and 3-byte UTF-8 characters to a single byte
• string http_inspect.xff_headers = x-forwarded-for true-client-ip: specifies the xff type headers to parse and consider in the
same order of preference as defined
• implied http_method.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_method.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_method.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• interval http_num_headers.~range: check that number of headers of current buffer are in given range { 0:200 }
• implied http_num_headers.request: match against the version from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_num_headers.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_num_headers.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_num_headers.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• interval http_num_trailers.~range: check that number of headers of current buffer are in given range { 0:200 }
• implied http_num_trailers.request: match against the version from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_num_trailers.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_num_trailers.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_num_trailers.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• implied http_param.nocase: case insensitive match
• string http_param.~param: parameter to match
Snort 3 Reference Manual 147 / 245

• implied http_raw_cookie.request: match against the cookie from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_raw_cookie.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_raw_cookie.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_raw_cookie.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• string http_raw_header.field: restrict to given header. Header name is case insensitive.
• implied http_raw_header.request: match against the headers from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_raw_header.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_raw_header.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_raw_header.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• implied http_raw_request.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_raw_request.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_raw_request.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• implied http_raw_status.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_raw_status.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• string http_raw_trailer.field: restrict to given trailer. Trailer name is case insensitive.
• implied http_raw_trailer.request: match against the trailers from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_raw_trailer.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP response message body (must be combined with
request)
• implied http_raw_trailer.with_header: parts of this rule examine HTTP response message headers (must be combined with
request)
• implied http_raw_uri.fragment: match against fragment section of URI only
• implied http_raw_uri.host: match against host section of URI only
• implied http_raw_uri.path: match against path section of URI only
• implied http_raw_uri.port: match against port section of URI only
• implied http_raw_uri.query: match against query section of URI only
• implied http_raw_uri.scheme: match against scheme section of URI only
• implied http_raw_uri.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_raw_uri.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_raw_uri.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• implied http_stat_code.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_stat_code.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• implied http_stat_msg.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_stat_msg.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• string http_trailer.field: restrict to given trailer
• implied http_trailer.request: match against the trailers from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_trailer_test.absent: trailer is absent
Snort 3 Reference Manual 148 / 245

• interval http_trailer_test.check: range check to perform on trailer value { 0:999999999999999999 }

• string http_trailer_test.field: Trailer to perform check on. Trailer name is case insensitive.
• bool http_trailer_test.numeric: trailer value is a number

• implied http_trailer_test.request: match against the trailers from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_trailer_test.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_trailer_test.with_header: parts of this rule examine HTTP headers

• implied http_trailer.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body (must be combined with request)
• implied http_trailer.with_header: parts of this rule examine HTTP response message headers (must be combined with re-
quest)
• implied http_true_ip.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• implied http_true_ip.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers

• implied http_true_ip.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• implied http_uri.fragment: match against fragment section of URI only
• implied http_uri.host: match against host section of URI only

• implied http_uri.path: match against path section of URI only

• implied http_uri.port: match against port section of URI only
• implied http_uri.query: match against query section of URI only

• implied http_uri.scheme: match against scheme section of URI only

• implied http_uri.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body
• implied http_uri.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers
• implied http_uri.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers

• implied http_version_match.request: match against the version from the request message even when examining the response
• string http_version_match.~version_list: space-separated list of versions to match
• implied http_version_match.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• implied http_version_match.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers

• implied http_version_match.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• implied http_version.request: match against the version from the request message even when examining the response
• implied http_version.with_body: parts of this rule examine HTTP message body

• implied http_version.with_header: this rule is limited to examining HTTP message headers

• implied http_version.with_trailer: parts of this rule examine HTTP message trailers
• interval icmp_id.~range: check if ICMP ID is in given range { 0:65535 }
• interval icmp_seq.~range: check if ICMP sequence number is in given range { 0:65535 }

• interval icode.~range: check if ICMP code is in given range is { 0:255 }

• interval id.~range: check if the IP ID is in the given range { 0: }
• string iec104_apci_type.~: APCI type to match
Snort 3 Reference Manual 149 / 245

• string iec104_asdu_func.~: function code to match

• int imap.b64_decode_depth = -1: base64 decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• int imap.bitenc_decode_depth = -1: non-Encoded MIME attachment extraction depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }

• bool imap.decompress_pdf = false: decompress pdf files in MIME attachments

• bool imap.decompress_swf = false: decompress swf files in MIME attachments
• bool imap.decompress_vba = false: decompress MS Office Visual Basic for Applications macro files in MIME attachments

• bool imap.decompress_zip = false: decompress zip files in MIME attachments

• int imap.qp_decode_depth = -1: quoted Printable decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• int imap.uu_decode_depth = -1: Unix-to-Unix decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• int inspection.id = 0: correlate policy and events with other items in configuration { 0:65535 }

• int inspection.max_aux_ip = 16: maximum number of auxiliary IPs per flow to detect and save (-1 = disable, 0 = detect but
don’t save, 1+ = save in FIFO manner) { -1:127 }
• enum inspection.mode = inline-test: set policy mode { inline | inline-test }
• string inspection.uuid: correlate events by uuid

• select ipopts.~opt: output format { rr|eol|nop|ts|sec|esec|lsrr|lsrre|ssrr|satid|any }

• string ip_proto.~proto: [!|>|<] name or number
• string ips.action_map[].replace: action you want to change

• string ips.action_map[].with: action you want to use instead

• string ips.action_override: use this action for all rules (applied before action_map)
• enum ips.default_rule_state = inherit: enable or disable ips rules { no | yes | inherit }
• bool ips.enable_builtin_rules = false: enable events from builtin rules w/o stubs

• int ips.id = 0: correlate unified2 events with configuration { 0:65535 }

• string ips.includer: for internal use; where includes are included from { (optional) }
• string ips.include: snort rules and includes

• enum ips.mode: set policy mode { tap | inline | inline-test }

• bool ips.obfuscate_pii = false: mask all but the last 4 characters of credit card and social security numbers
• string ips.rules: snort rules and includes (may contain states too)
• string ips.states: snort rule states and includes (may contain rules too)

• string ips.uuid = 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000: IPS policy uuid

• string ips.variables.nets.$var: IPS policy variable
• string ips.variables.paths.$var: IPS policy variable
• string ips.variables.ports.$var: IPS policy variable

• string isdataat.~length: num | !num

• implied isdataat.relative: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer
• interval itype.~range: check if ICMP type is in given range { 0:255 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 150 / 245

• bool latency.packet.fastpath = false: fastpath expensive packets (max_time exceeded)

• int latency.packet.max_time = 500: set timeout for packet latency thresholding (usec) { 0:max53 }
• int latency.rule.max_suspend_time = 30000: set max time for suspending a rule (ms, 0 means permanently disable rule) {
0:max32 }
• int latency.rule.max_time = 500: set timeout for rule evaluation (usec) { 0:max53 }
• bool latency.rule.suspend = false: temporarily suspend expensive rules
• int latency.rule.suspend_threshold = 5: set threshold for number of timeouts before suspending a rule { 1:max32 }
• bool log_codecs.file = false: output to log_codecs.txt instead of stdout
• bool log_codecs.msg = false: include alert msg
• bool log_hext.file = false: output to log_hext.txt instead of stdout
• int log_hext.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }
• bool log_hext.raw = false: output all full packets if true, else just TCP payload
• int log_hext.width = 20: set line width (0 is unlimited) { 0:max32 }
• int log_pcap.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }
• string md5.~hash: data to match
• int md5.length: number of octets in plain text { 1:65535 }
• string md5.offset: var or number of bytes from start of buffer to start search
• implied md5.relative = false: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer
• int memory.cap = 0: set the per-packet-thread cap on memory (bytes, 0 to disable) { 0:maxSZ }
• int memory.threshold = 100: scale cap to account for heap overhead { 1:100 }
• string metadata.*: comma-separated list of arbitrary name value pairs
• string modbus_func.~: function code to match
• int modbus_unit.~: Modbus unit ID { 0:255 }
• int mpls.max_stack_depth = -1: set maximum MPLS stack depth { -1:255 }
• enum mpls.payload_type = auto: force encapsulated payload type { auto | eth | ip4 | ip6 }
• string msg.~: message describing rule
• interval mss.~range: check if TCP MSS is in given range { 0:65535 }
• string netflow.dump_file: file name to dump netflow cache on shutdown; won’t dump by default
• bool netflow.rules[].create_host = false: generate a new host event
• bool netflow.rules[].create_service = false: generate a new or changed service event
• addr netflow.rules[].device_ip: restrict the NetFlow devices from which Snort will analyze packets
• bool netflow.rules[].exclude = false: exclude the NetFlow records that match this rule
• string netflow.rules[].networks: generate events for NetFlow records that contain an initiator or responder IP from
these networks
• string netflow.rules[].zones: generate events only for NetFlow packets that originate from these zones
• int netflow.update_timeout = 3600: the interval at which the system updates host cache information { 0:max32 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 151 / 245

• multi network.checksum_drop = none: drop if checksum is bad { all | ip | noip | tcp | notcp | udp | noudp | icmp | noicmp |
none }
• multi network.checksum_eval = all: checksums to verify { all | ip | noip | tcp | notcp | udp | noudp | icmp | noicmp | none }
• int network.id = 0: correlate unified2 events with configuration { 0:65535 }
• int network.layers = 40: the maximum number of protocols that Snort can correctly decode { 3:255 }
• int network.max_ip6_extensions = 0: the maximum number of IP6 options Snort will process for a given IPv6 layer before
raising 116:456 (0 = unlimited) { 0:255 }
• int network.max_ip_layers = 0: the maximum number of IP layers Snort will process for a given packet before raising 116:293
(0 = unlimited) { 0:255 }
• int network.min_ttl = 1: alert / normalize packets with lower TTL / hop limit (you must enable rules and / or normalization
also) { 1:255 }
• int network.new_ttl = 1: use this value for responses and when normalizing { 1:255 }
• bool normalizer.icmp4 = false: clear reserved flag
• bool normalizer.icmp6 = false: clear reserved flag
• bool normalizer.ip4.base = false: clear options
• bool normalizer.ip4.df = false: clear don’t frag flag
• bool normalizer.ip4.rf = false: clear reserved flag
• bool normalizer.ip4.tos = false: clear tos / differentiated services byte
• bool normalizer.ip4.trim = false: truncate excess payload beyond datagram length
• bool normalizer.ip6 = false: clear reserved flag
• string normalizer.tcp.allow_codes: don’t clear given option codes
• multi normalizer.tcp.allow_names: don’t clear given option names { sack | echo | partial_order | conn_count | alt_checksum |
md5 }
• bool normalizer.tcp.base = false: clear reserved bits and option padding and fix urgent pointer / flags issues
• bool normalizer.tcp.block = false: allow packet drops during TCP normalization
• select normalizer.tcp.ecn = off: clear ecn for all packets | sessions w/o ecn setup { off | packet | stream }
• bool normalizer.tcp.ips = true: ensure consistency in retransmitted data
• bool normalizer.tcp.opts = false: clear all options except mss, wscale, timestamp, and any explicitly allowed
• bool normalizer.tcp.pad = false: clear any option padding bytes
• bool normalizer.tcp.req_pay = false: clear the urgent pointer and the urgent flag if there is no payload
• bool normalizer.tcp.req_urg = false: clear the urgent pointer if the urgent flag is not set
• bool normalizer.tcp.req_urp = false: clear the urgent flag if the urgent pointer is not set
• bool normalizer.tcp.rsv = false: clear the reserved bits in the TCP header
• bool normalizer.tcp.trim_mss = false: trim data to MSS
• bool normalizer.tcp.trim_rst = false: remove any data from RST packet
• bool normalizer.tcp.trim_syn = false: remove data on SYN
• bool normalizer.tcp.trim_win = false: trim data to window
Snort 3 Reference Manual 152 / 245

• bool normalizer.tcp.urp = false: adjust urgent pointer if beyond segment length

• bool output.dump_chars_only = false: turns on character dumps (same as -C)
• bool output.dump_payload = false: dumps application layer (same as -d)

• bool output.dump_payload_verbose = false: dumps raw packet starting at link layer (same as -X)
• int output.event_trace.max_data = 0: maximum amount of packet data to capture { 0:65535 }
• string output.logdir = .: where to put log files (same as -l)

• bool output.obfuscate = false: obfuscate the logged IP addresses (same as -O)

• bool output.quiet = false: suppress normal logging on stdout (same as -q)
• bool output.show_year = false: include year in timestamp in the alert and log files (same as -y)
• int output.tagged_packet_limit = 256: maximum number of packets tagged for non-packet metrics { 0:max32 }

• bool output.verbose = false: be verbose (same as -v)

• bool output.wide_hex_dump = false: output 20 bytes per lines instead of 16 when dumping buffers
• bool packet_capture.enable = false: initially enable packet dumping

• string packet_capture.filter: bpf filter to use for packet dump

• int packet_capture.group = -1: group filter to use for the packet dump { -1:32767 }
• bool packets.address_space_agnostic = false: determines whether DAQ address space info is used to track fragments and
connections

• string packets.bpf_file: file with BPF to select traffic for Snort

• int packets.limit = 0: maximum number of packets to process before stopping (0 is unlimited) { 0:max53 }
• bool packets.mpls_agnostic = true: determines whether MPLS labels are used to track fragments and connections
• int packets.skip = 0: number of packets to skip before before processing { 0:max53 }

• bool packets.vlan_agnostic = false: determines whether VLAN tags are used to track fragments and connections
• bool packet_tracer.enable = false: enable summary output of state that determined packet verdict
• enum packet_tracer.output = console: select where to send packet trace { console | file }

• string pcre.~re: Snort regular expression

• bool perf_monitor.base = true: enable base statistics
• bool perf_monitor.cpu = false: enable cpu statistics
• bool perf_monitor.flow = false: enable traffic statistics

• bool perf_monitor.flow_ip = false: enable statistics on host pairs

• int perf_monitor.flow_ip_memcap = 52428800: maximum memory in bytes for flow tracking { 236:maxSZ }
• int perf_monitor.flow_ports = 1023: maximum ports to track { 0:65535 }
• enum perf_monitor.format = csv: output format for stats { csv | text | json | flatbuffers }

• int perf_monitor.max_file_size = 1073741824: files will be rolled over if they exceed this size { 4096:max53 }
• string perf_monitor.modules[].name: name of the module
• string perf_monitor.modules[].pegs: list of statistics to track or empty for all counters
Snort 3 Reference Manual 153 / 245

• enum perf_monitor.output = file: output location for stats { file | console }

• int perf_monitor.packets = 10000: minimum packets to report { 0:max32 }
• int perf_monitor.seconds = 60: report interval { 0:max32 }
• bool perf_monitor.summary = false: output summary at shutdown
• interval pkt_num.~range: check if packet number is in given range { 1: }
• int pop.b64_decode_depth = -1: base64 decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• int pop.bitenc_decode_depth = -1: Non-Encoded MIME attachment extraction depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• bool pop.decompress_pdf = false: decompress pdf files in MIME attachments
• bool pop.decompress_swf = false: decompress swf files in MIME attachments
• bool pop.decompress_vba = false: decompress MS Office Visual Basic for Applications macro files in MIME attachments
• bool pop.decompress_zip = false: decompress zip files in MIME attachments
• int pop.qp_decode_depth = -1: Quoted Printable decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• int pop.uu_decode_depth = -1: Unix-to-Unix decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• bool port_scan.alert_all = false: alert on all events over threshold within window if true; else alert on first only
• int port_scan.icmp_sweep.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.icmp_sweep.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.icmp_sweep.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.icmp_sweep.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.icmp_window = 0: detection interval for all ICMP scans { 0:max32 }
• string port_scan.ignore_scanned: list of CIDRs with optional ports to ignore if the destination of scan alerts
• string port_scan.ignore_scanners: list of CIDRs with optional ports to ignore if the source of scan alerts
• bool port_scan.include_midstream = false: list of CIDRs with optional ports
• int port_scan.ip_decoy.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_decoy.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_decoy.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_decoy.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_dist.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_dist.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_dist.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_dist.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_proto.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_proto.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_proto.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_proto.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_sweep.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 154 / 245

• int port_scan.ip_sweep.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_sweep.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.ip_sweep.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.ip_window = 0: detection interval for all IP scans { 0:max32 }

• int port_scan.memcap = 10485760: maximum tracker memory in bytes { 1024:maxSZ }
• multi port_scan.protos = all: choose the protocols to monitor { tcp | udp | icmp | ip | all }

• multi port_scan.scan_types = all: choose type of scans to look for { portscan | portsweep | decoy_portscan | distributed_portscan
| all }
• int port_scan.tcp_decoy.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_decoy.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.tcp_decoy.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.tcp_decoy.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_dist.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_dist.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.tcp_dist.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.tcp_dist.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_ports.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.tcp_ports.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_ports.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_ports.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_sweep.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.tcp_sweep.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_sweep.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.tcp_sweep.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.tcp_window = 0: detection interval for all TCP scans { 0:max32 }

• int port_scan.udp_decoy.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_decoy.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_decoy.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.udp_decoy.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.udp_dist.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_dist.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_dist.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.udp_dist.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.udp_ports.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_ports.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 155 / 245

• int port_scan.udp_ports.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.udp_ports.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_sweep.nets = 25: number of times address changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.udp_sweep.ports = 25: number of times port (or proto) changed from prior attempt { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_sweep.rejects = 15: scan attempts with negative response { 0:65535 }
• int port_scan.udp_sweep.scans = 100: scan attempts { 0:65535 }

• int port_scan.udp_window = 0: detection interval for all UDP scans { 0:max32 }

• string port_scan.watch_ip: list of CIDRs with optional ports to watch
• int priority.~: relative severity level; 1 is highest priority { 1:max31 }
• string process.chroot: set chroot directory (same as -t)

• bool process.daemon = false: fork as a daemon (same as -D)

• bool process.dirty_pig = false: shutdown without internal cleanup
• string process.set_gid: set group ID (same as -g)

• string process.set_uid: set user ID (same as -u)

• string process.threads[].cpuset: pin the associated thread to this cpuset
• string process.threads[].name: define which threads will have specified affinity, by thread name
• int process.threads[].thread: set cpu affinity for the <cur_thread_num> thread that runs { 0:65535 }

• enum process.threads[].type: define which threads will have specified affinity, by their type { other|packet|main }
• int process.umask: set process umask (same as -m) { 0x000:0x1FF }
• bool process.utc = false: use UTC instead of local time for timestamps
• int process.watchdog_timer = 0: watchdog timer for packet threads (seconds, 0 to disable) { 0:60 }

• int profiler.memory.count = 0: limit results to count items per level (0 = no limit) { 0:max32 }
• int profiler.memory.max_depth = -1: limit depth to max_depth (-1 = no limit) { -1:255 }
• bool profiler.memory.show = true: show module memory profile stats

• enum profiler.memory.sort = total_used: sort by given field { none | allocations | total_used | avg_allocation }
• int profiler.modules.count = 0: limit results to count items per level (0 = no limit) { 0:max32 }
• int profiler.modules.max_depth = -1: limit depth to max_depth (-1 = no limit) { -1:255 }
• bool profiler.modules.show = true: show module time profile stats

• enum profiler.modules.sort = total_time: sort by given field { none | checks | avg_check | total_time }
• int profiler.rules.count = 0: print results to given level (0 = all) { 0:max32 }
• bool profiler.rules.show = true: show rule time profile stats

• enum profiler.rules.sort = total_time: sort by given field { none | checks | avg_check | total_time | matches | no_matches |
avg_match | avg_no_match }
• string rate_filter[].apply_to: restrict filter to these addresses according to track
• int rate_filter[].count = 1: number of events in interval before tripping { 0:max32 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 156 / 245

• int rate_filter[].gid = 1: rule generator ID { 0:max32 }

• dynamic rate_filter[].new_action = alert: take this action on future hits until timeout { alert | block | drop | log |
pass | react | reject | rewrite }

• int rate_filter[].seconds = 1: count interval { 0:max32 }

• int rate_filter[].sid = 1: rule signature ID { 0:max32 }
• int rate_filter[].timeout = 1: count interval { 0:max32 }
• enum rate_filter[].track = by_src: filter only matching source or destination addresses { by_src | by_dst | by_rule }

• string react.page: file containing HTTP response body

• string reference.~ref: reference: <scheme>,<id>
• string references[].name: name used with reference rule option

• string references[].url: where this reference is defined

• implied regex.dotall: matching a . will not exclude newlines
• implied regex.fast_pattern: use this content in the fast pattern matcher instead of the content selected by default
• implied regex.multiline: ˆ and $ anchors match any newlines in data

• implied regex.nocase: case insensitive match

• string regex.~re: hyperscan regular expression
• implied regex.relative: start search from end of last match instead of start of buffer

• enum reject.control = none: send ICMP unreachable(s) { none|network|host|port|forward|all }

• enum reject.reset = both: send TCP reset to one or both ends { none|source|dest|both }
• string rem.~: comment
• string replace.~: byte code to replace with

• enum reputation.allow = do_not_block: specify the meaning of allowlist { do_not_block|trust }

• string reputation.allowlist: allowlist file name with IP lists
• string reputation.blocklist: blocklist file name with IP lists

• string reputation.list_dir: directory for IP lists and manifest file

• int reputation.memcap = 500: maximum total MB of memory allocated { 1:4095 }
• enum reputation.nested_ip = inner: IP to use when there is IP encapsulation { inner|outer|all }
• enum reputation.priority = allowlist: defines priority when there is a decision conflict during run-time { blocklist|allowlist }

• bool reputation.scan_local = false: inspect local address defined in RFC 1918

• int rev.~: revision { 1:max32 }
• string rna.dump_file: file name to dump RNA mac cache on shutdown; won’t dump by default
• bool rna.enable_logger = true: enable or disable writing discovery events into logger

• bool rna.log_when_idle = false: enable host update logging when snort is idle
• string rna.rna_conf_path: path to rna configuration
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].device: device information
Snort 3 Reference Manual 157 / 245

• bool rna.smb_fingerprints[].df = false: fingerprint don’t fragment flag

• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].dhcp55: dhcp option 55 values
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].dhcp60: dhcp option 60 values
• int rna.smb_fingerprints[].flags: smb flags { 0:max32 }
• int rna.smb_fingerprints[].fpid = 0: fingerprint id { 0:max32 }
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].host_name: host name information
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].id = X: id
• int rna.smb_fingerprints[].major: smb major version { 0:max31 }
• int rna.smb_fingerprints[].minor: smb minor version { 0:max31 }
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].mss = X: fingerprint mss
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].tcp_window: fingerprint tcp window
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].topts: fingerprint tcp options
• int rna.smb_fingerprints[].ttl = 0: fingerprint ttl { 0:256 }
• int rna.smb_fingerprints[].type = 0: fingerprint type { 0:max32 }
• enum rna.smb_fingerprints[].ua_type = os: type of user agent fingerprints { os | device | jail-broken | jail-broken-
host }
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].user_agent[].substring: a substring of user agent string
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].uuid: fingerprint uuid
• string rna.smb_fingerprints[].ws = X: fingerprint window size
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].device: device information
• bool rna.tcp_fingerprints[].df = false: fingerprint don’t fragment flag
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].dhcp55: dhcp option 55 values
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].dhcp60: dhcp option 60 values
• int rna.tcp_fingerprints[].flags: smb flags { 0:max32 }
• int rna.tcp_fingerprints[].fpid = 0: fingerprint id { 0:max32 }
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].host_name: host name information
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].id = X: id
• int rna.tcp_fingerprints[].major: smb major version { 0:max31 }
• int rna.tcp_fingerprints[].minor: smb minor version { 0:max31 }
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].mss = X: fingerprint mss
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].tcp_window: fingerprint tcp window
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].topts: fingerprint tcp options
• int rna.tcp_fingerprints[].ttl = 0: fingerprint ttl { 0:256 }
• int rna.tcp_fingerprints[].type = 0: fingerprint type { 0:max32 }
• enum rna.tcp_fingerprints[].ua_type = os: type of user agent fingerprints { os | device | jail-broken | jail-broken-
host }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 158 / 245

• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].user_agent[].substring: a substring of user agent string

• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].uuid: fingerprint uuid
• string rna.tcp_fingerprints[].ws = X: fingerprint window size

• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].device: device information

• bool rna.ua_fingerprints[].df = false: fingerprint don’t fragment flag
• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].dhcp55: dhcp option 55 values

• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].dhcp60: dhcp option 60 values

• int rna.ua_fingerprints[].flags: smb flags { 0:max32 }
• int rna.ua_fingerprints[].fpid = 0: fingerprint id { 0:max32 }
• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].host_name: host name information

• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].id = X: id
• int rna.ua_fingerprints[].major: smb major version { 0:max31 }
• int rna.ua_fingerprints[].minor: smb minor version { 0:max31 }

• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].mss = X: fingerprint mss

• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].tcp_window: fingerprint tcp window
• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].topts: fingerprint tcp options
• int rna.ua_fingerprints[].ttl = 0: fingerprint ttl { 0:256 }

• int rna.ua_fingerprints[].type = 0: fingerprint type { 0:max32 }

• enum rna.ua_fingerprints[].ua_type = os: type of user agent fingerprints { os | device | jail-broken | jail-broken-
host }
• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].user_agent[].substring: a substring of user agent string

• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].uuid: fingerprint uuid

• string rna.ua_fingerprints[].ws = X: fingerprint window size
• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].device: device information

• bool rna.udp_fingerprints[].df = false: fingerprint don’t fragment flag

• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].dhcp55: dhcp option 55 values
• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].dhcp60: dhcp option 60 values
• int rna.udp_fingerprints[].flags: smb flags { 0:max32 }

• int rna.udp_fingerprints[].fpid = 0: fingerprint id { 0:max32 }

• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].host_name: host name information
• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].id = X: id
• int rna.udp_fingerprints[].major: smb major version { 0:max31 }

• int rna.udp_fingerprints[].minor: smb minor version { 0:max31 }

• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].mss = X: fingerprint mss
• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].tcp_window: fingerprint tcp window
Snort 3 Reference Manual 159 / 245

• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].topts: fingerprint tcp options

• int rna.udp_fingerprints[].ttl = 0: fingerprint ttl { 0:256 }
• int rna.udp_fingerprints[].type = 0: fingerprint type { 0:max32 }
• enum rna.udp_fingerprints[].ua_type = os: type of user agent fingerprints { os | device | jail-broken | jail-broken-
host }
• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].user_agent[].substring: a substring of user agent string
• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].uuid: fingerprint uuid
• string rna.udp_fingerprints[].ws = X: fingerprint window size
• int rpc.~app: application number { 0:max32 }
• string rpc.~proc: procedure number or * for any
• string rpc.~ver: version number or * for any
• string s7commplus_func.~: function code to match
• string s7commplus_opcode.~: opcode code to match
• string sd_pattern.~pattern: The pattern to search for
• int sd_pattern.threshold = 1: number of matches before alerting { 1:max32 }
• int search_engine.bleedover_port_limit = 1024: maximum ports in rule before demotion to any-any port group { 1:max32 }
• bool search_engine.bleedover_warnings_enabled = false: print warning if a rule is demoted to any-any port group
• bool search_engine.debug = false: print verbose fast pattern info
• bool search_engine.debug_print_nocontent_rule_tests = false: print rule group info during packet evaluation
• bool search_engine.debug_print_rule_group_build_details = false: print rule group info during compilation
• bool search_engine.debug_print_rule_groups_compiled = false: prints compiled rule group information
• bool search_engine.debug_print_rule_groups_uncompiled = false: prints uncompiled rule group information
• bool search_engine.detect_raw_tcp = false: detect on TCP payload before reassembly
• bool search_engine.enable_single_rule_group = false: put all rules into one group
• int search_engine.max_pattern_len = 0: truncate patterns when compiling into state machine (0 means no maximum) {
0:max32 }
• int search_engine.max_queue_events = 5: maximum number of matching fast pattern states to queue per packet { 2:100 }
• dynamic search_engine.offload_search_method: set fast pattern offload algorithm - choose available search engine { ac_bnfa
| ac_full | hyperscan | lowmem }
• int search_engine.queue_limit = 0: maximum number of fast pattern matches to queue per packet (0 is unlimited) { 0:max32
}
• string search_engine.rule_db_dir: deserialize rule databases from given directory
• dynamic search_engine.search_method = ac_bnfa: set fast pattern algorithm - choose available search engine { ac_bnfa |
ac_full | hyperscan | lowmem }
• bool search_engine.show_fast_patterns = false: print fast pattern info for each rule
• bool search_engine.split_any_any = true: evaluate any-any rules separately to save memory
• interval seq.~range: check if TCP sequence number is in given range { 0: }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 160 / 245

• string service.*: one or more comma-separated service names

• string sha256.~hash: data to match
• int sha256.length: number of octets in plain text { 1:65535 }
• string sha256.offset: var or number of bytes from start of buffer to start search
• implied sha256.relative = false: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer
• string sha512.~hash: data to match
• int sha512.length: number of octets in plain text { 1:65535 }
• string sha512.offset: var or number of bytes from start of buffer to start search
• implied sha512.relative = false: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer
• string side_channel[].connector: connector handle
• string side_channel[].connectors[].connector: connector handle
• bit_list side_channel[].ports: side channel message port list { 65535 }
• int sid.~: signature id { 1:max32 }
• bool sip.ignore_call_channel = false: enables the support for ignoring audio/video data channel
• int sip.max_call_id_len = 256: maximum call id field size { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_contact_len = 256: maximum contact field size { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_content_len = 1024: maximum content length of the message body { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_dialogs = 4: maximum number of dialogs within one stream session { 1:max32 }
• int sip.max_from_len = 256: maximum from field size { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_requestName_len = 20: deprecated - use max_request_name_len instead { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_request_name_len = 20: maximum request name field size { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_to_len = 256: maximum to field size { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_uri_len = 256: maximum request uri field size { 0:65535 }
• int sip.max_via_len = 1024: maximum via field size { 0:65535 }
• string sip_method.*method: sip method
• string sip.methods = invite cancel ack bye register options: list of methods to check in SIP messages
• int sip_stat_code.*code: status code { 1:999 }
• string smtp.alt_max_command_line_len[].command: command string
• int smtp.alt_max_command_line_len[].length = 0: specify non-default maximum for command { 0:max32 }
• string smtp.auth_cmds: commands that initiate an authentication exchange
• int smtp.b64_decode_depth = -1: depth used to decode the base64 encoded MIME attachments (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• string smtp.binary_data_cmds: commands that initiate sending of data and use a length value after the command
• int smtp.bitenc_decode_depth = -1: depth used to extract the non-encoded MIME attachments (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• string smtp.data_cmds: commands that initiate sending of data with an end of data delimiter
• bool smtp.decompress_pdf = false: decompress pdf files in MIME attachments
Snort 3 Reference Manual 161 / 245

• bool smtp.decompress_swf = false: decompress swf files in MIME attachments

• bool smtp.decompress_vba = false: decompress MS Office Visual Basic for Applications macro files in MIME attachments
• bool smtp.decompress_zip = false: decompress zip files in MIME attachments
• int smtp.email_hdrs_log_depth = 1464: depth for logging email headers { 0:20480 }
• bool smtp.ignore_data = false: ignore data section of mail
• bool smtp.ignore_tls_data = false: ignore TLS-encrypted data when processing rules
• string smtp.invalid_cmds: alert if this command is sent from client side
• bool smtp.log_email_hdrs = false: log the SMTP email headers extracted from SMTP data
• bool smtp.log_filename = false: log the MIME attachment filenames extracted from the Content-Disposition header within
the MIME body
• bool smtp.log_mailfrom = false: log the sender’s email address extracted from the MAIL FROM command
• bool smtp.log_rcptto = false: log the recipient’s email address extracted from the RCPT TO command
• int smtp.max_auth_command_line_len = 1000: max auth command Line Length { 0:65535 }
• int smtp.max_command_line_len = 512: max Command Line Length { 0:65535 }
• int smtp.max_header_line_len = 1000: max SMTP DATA header line { 0:65535 }
• int smtp.max_response_line_len = 512: max SMTP response line { 0:65535 }
• string smtp.normalize_cmds: list of commands to normalize
• enum smtp.normalize = none: turns on/off normalization { none | cmds | all }
• int smtp.qp_decode_depth = -1: quoted-Printable decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• int smtp.uu_decode_depth = -1: Unix-to-Unix decoding depth (-1 no limit) { -1:65535 }
• string smtp.valid_cmds: list of valid commands
• enum smtp.xlink2state = alert: enable/disable xlink2state alert { disable | alert | drop }
• implied snort.--alert-before-pass: evaluate alert rules before pass rules; default is pass rules first
• string snort.-A: <mode> set alert mode: none, cmg, or alert_*
• addr snort.-B = 255.255.255.255/32: <mask> obfuscated IP addresses in alerts and packet dumps using CIDR mask
• string snort.--bpf: <filter options> are standard BPF options, as seen in TCPDump
• string snort.--c2x: output hex for given char (see also --x2c)
• string snort.-c: <conf> use this configuration
• string snort.--control-socket: <file> to create unix socket
• implied snort.-C: print out payloads with character data only (no hex)
• implied snort.--create-pidfile: create PID file, even when not in Daemon mode
• int snort.--daq-batch-size: <size> set the DAQ receive batch size; default is 64 { 1: }
• string snort.--daq-dir: <dir> tell snort where to find desired DAQ
• implied snort.--daq-list: list packet acquisition modules available in optional dir, default is static modules only
• enum snort.--daq-mode: <mode> select DAQ module operating mode (overrides automatic selection) { passive | inline |
read-file }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 162 / 245

• string snort.--daq: <type> select packet acquisition module (default is pcap)

• string snort.--daq-var: <name=value> specify extra DAQ configuration variable
• implied snort.-d: dump the Application Layer
• implied snort.--dirty-pig: don’t flush packets on shutdown
• implied snort.-D: run Snort in background (daemon) mode
• string snort.--dump-builtin-options: additional options to include with --dump-builtin-rules stubs
• string snort.--dump-builtin-rules: [<module prefix>] output stub rules for selected modules { (optional) }
• select snort.--dump-config: dump config in json format { all | top }
• implied snort.--dump-config-text: dump config in text format
• string snort.--dump-defaults: [<module prefix>] output module defaults in Lua format { (optional) }
• implied snort.--dump-dynamic-rules: output stub rules for all loaded rules libraries
• string snort.--dump-rule-databases: dump rule databases to given directory (hyperscan only)
• implied snort.--dump-rule-deps: dump rule dependencies in json format for use by other tools
• implied snort.--dump-rule-meta: dump configured rule info in json format for use by other tools
• implied snort.--dump-rule-state: dump configured rule state in json format for use by other tools
• implied snort.--dump-version: output the version, the whole version, and only the version
• implied snort.-e: display the second layer header info
• implied snort.--enable-inline-test: enable Inline-Test Mode Operation
• implied snort.--enable-test-features: enable features used in testing
• implied snort.-f: turn off fflush() calls after binary log writes
• int snort.-G: <0xid> (same as --logid) { 0:65535 }
• implied snort.--gen-msg-map: dump configured rules in gen-msg.map format for use by other tools
• string snort.-g: <gname> run snort gid as <gname> group (or gid) after initialization
• string snort.--help-commands: [<module prefix>] output matching commands { (optional) }
• string snort.--help-config: [<module prefix>] output matching config options { (optional) }
• string snort.--help-counts: [<module prefix>] output matching peg counts { (optional) }
• implied snort.--help-limits: print the int upper bounds denoted by max*
• string snort.--help-module: <module> output description of given module
• implied snort.--help-modules-json: dump description of all available modules in JSON format
• implied snort.--help-modules: list all available modules with brief help
• string snort.--help-options: [<option prefix>] output matching command line option quick help (same as -?) { (optional) }
• implied snort.--help-plugins: list all available plugins with brief help
• implied snort.--help: show help overview
• implied snort.--help-signals: dump available control signals
• implied snort.-H: make hash tables deterministic
Snort 3 Reference Manual 163 / 245

• implied snort.-h: show help overview (same as --help)

• int snort.--id-offset = 0: offset to add to instance IDs when logging to files { 0:65535 }
• implied snort.--id-subdir: create/use instance subdirectories in logdir instead of instance filename prefix
• implied snort.--id-zero: use id prefix / subdirectory even with one packet thread
• string snort.-i: <iface>. . . list of interfaces
• string snort.--include-path: <path> where to find Lua and rule included files; searched before current or config directories
• port snort.-j: <port> to listen for Telnet connections
• enum snort.-k = all: <mode> checksum mode; default is all { all|noip|notcp|noudp|noicmp|none }
• implied snort.--list-buffers: output available inspection buffers
• string snort.--list-builtin: [<module prefix>] output matching builtin rules { (optional) }
• string snort.--list-gids: [<module prefix>] output matching generators { (optional) }
• string snort.--list-modules: [<module type>] list all known modules of given type { (optional) }
• implied snort.--list-plugins: list all known plugins
• string snort.-l: <logdir> log to this directory instead of current directory
• string snort.-L: <mode> logging mode (none, dump, pcap, or log_*)
• int snort.--logid: <0xid> log Identifier to uniquely id events for multiple snorts (same as -G) { 0:65535 }
• string snort.--lua: <chunk> extend/override conf with chunk; may be repeated
• string snort.--lua-sandbox: <file> file that contains the lua sandbox environment in which config will be loaded
• implied snort.--markup: output help in asciidoc compatible format
• int snort.--max-packet-threads: <count> configure maximum number of packet threads (same as -z) { 0:max32 }
• implied snort.--mem-check: like -T but also compile search engines
• string snort.--metadata-filter: <filter> load only rules containing filter string in metadata if set
• implied snort.-M: log messages to syslog (not alerts)
• int snort.-m: <umask> set the process file mode creation mask { 0x000:0x1FF }
• int snort.-n: <count> stop after count packets { 0:max53 }
• implied snort.--nolock-pidfile: do not try to lock Snort PID file
• implied snort.--nostamps: don’t include timestamps in log file names
• implied snort.--no-warn-flowbits: ignore warnings about flowbits that are checked but not set and vice-versa
• implied snort.--no-warn-rules: ignore warnings about duplicate rules and rule parsing issues
• implied snort.-O: obfuscate the logged IP addresses
• string snort.-?: <option prefix> output matching command line option quick help (same as --help-options) { (optional) }
• implied snort.--pause: wait for resume/quit command before processing packets/terminating
• string snort.--pcap-dir: <dir> a directory to recurse to look for pcaps - read mode is implied
• string snort.--pcap-file: <file> file that contains a list of pcaps to read - read mode is implied
• string snort.--pcap-filter: <filter> filter to apply when getting pcaps from file or directory
Snort 3 Reference Manual 164 / 245

• string snort.--pcap-list: <list> a space separated list of pcaps to read - read mode is implied
• int snort.--pcap-loop: <count> read all pcaps <count> times; 0 will read until Snort is terminated { 0:max32 }
• implied snort.--pcap-no-filter: reset to use no filter when getting pcaps from file or directory
• implied snort.--pcap-show: print a line saying what pcap is currently being read
• implied snort.--pedantic: warnings are fatal
• string snort.--plugin-path: <path> a colon separated list of directories or plugin libraries
• implied snort.--process-all-events: process all action groups
• implied snort.-Q: enable inline mode operation
• implied snort.-q: quiet mode - suppress normal logging on stdout
• string snort.-r: <pcap>. . . (same as --pcap-list)
• string snort.-R: <rules> include this rules file in the default policy
• string snort.--rule-path: <path> where to find rules files
• string snort.--rule: <rules> to be added to configuration; may be repeated
• implied snort.--rule-to-hex: output so rule header to stdout for text rule on stdin
• string snort.--rule-to-text: output plain so rule header to stdout for text rule on stdin (specify delimiter or [Snort_SO_Rule]
will be used) { 16 }
• string snort.--run-prefix: <pfx> prepend this to each output file
• string snort.--script-path: <path> to a luajit script or directory containing luajit scripts
• implied snort.--shell: enable the interactive command line
• implied snort.--show-file-codes: indicate how files are located: A=absolute and W, F, C which are relative to the working
directory, including file, and config file respectively
• implied snort.--show-plugins: list module and plugin versions
• int snort.--skip: <n> skip 1st n packets { 0:max53 }
• int snort.--snaplen: <snap> set snaplen of packet (same as -s) { 0:65535 }
• int snort.-s: <snap> (same as --snaplen); default is 1518 { 0:65535 }
• implied snort.--stdin-rules: read rules from stdin until EOF or a line starting with END is read
• implied snort.--talos: enable Talos tweak (same as --tweaks talos)
• string snort.-t: <dir> chroots process to <dir> after initialization
• implied snort.-T: test and report on the current Snort configuration
• string snort.--tweaks: tune configuration
• string snort.-u: <uname> run snort as <uname> or <uid> after initialization
• implied snort.-U: use UTC for timestamps
• implied snort.-v: be verbose
• implied snort.--version: show version number (same as -V)
• implied snort.-V: (same as --version)
• implied snort.--warn-all: enable all warnings
Snort 3 Reference Manual 165 / 245

• implied snort.--warn-conf-strict: warn about unrecognized elements in configuration files

• implied snort.--warn-conf: warn about configuration issues
• implied snort.--warn-daq: warn about DAQ issues, usually related to mode
• implied snort.--warn-flowbits: warn about flowbits that are checked but not set and vice-versa
• implied snort.--warn-hosts: warn about host table issues
• implied snort.--warn-plugins: warn about issues that prevent plugins from loading
• implied snort.--warn-rules: warn about duplicate rules and rule parsing issues
• implied snort.--warn-scripts: warn about issues discovered while processing Lua scripts
• implied snort.--warn-symbols: warn about unknown symbols in your Lua config
• implied snort.--warn-vars: warn about variable definition and usage issues
• int snort.--x2c: output ASCII char for given hex (see also --c2x) { 0x00:0xFF }
• string snort.--x2s: output ASCII string for given byte code (see also --x2c)
• implied snort.-X: dump the raw packet data starting at the link layer
• implied snort.-x: same as --pedantic
• implied snort.-y: include year in timestamp in the alert and log files
• int snort.-z: <count> maximum number of packet threads (same as --max-packet-threads); 0 gets the number of CPU cores
reported by the system; default is 1 { 0:max32 }
• string so.~func: name of eval function
• string soid.~: SO rule ID is unique key, eg <gid>_<sid>_<rev> like 3_45678_9
• implied so.relative: offset from cursor instead of start of buffer
• int ssh.max_client_bytes = 19600: number of unanswered bytes before alerting on challenge-response overflow or CRC32 {
0:65535 }
• int ssh.max_encrypted_packets = 25: ignore session after this many encrypted packets { 0:65535 }
• int ssh.max_server_version_len = 80: limit before alerting on secure CRT server version string overflow { 0:255 }
• int ssl.max_heartbeat_length = 0: maximum length of heartbeat record allowed { 0:65535 }
• implied ssl_state.client_hello: check for client hello
• implied ssl_state.!client_hello: check for records that are not client hello
• implied ssl_state.client_keyx: check for client keyx
• implied ssl_state.!client_keyx: check for records that are not client keyx
• implied ssl_state.!server_hello: check for records that are not server hello
• implied ssl_state.server_hello: check for server hello
• implied ssl_state.!server_keyx: check for records that are not server keyx
• implied ssl_state.server_keyx: check for server keyx
• implied ssl_state.!unknown: check for records that are not unknown
• implied ssl_state.unknown: check for unknown record
• bool ssl.trust_servers = false: disables requirement that application (encrypted) data must be observed on both sides
Snort 3 Reference Manual 166 / 245

• implied ssl_version.!sslv2: check for records that are not sslv2

• implied ssl_version.sslv2: check for sslv2
• implied ssl_version.!sslv3: check for records that are not sslv3
• implied ssl_version.sslv3: check for sslv3
• implied ssl_version.!tls1.0: check for records that are not tls1.0
• implied ssl_version.tls1.0: check for tls1.0
• implied ssl_version.!tls1.1: check for records that are not tls1.1
• implied ssl_version.tls1.1: check for tls1.1
• implied ssl_version.!tls1.2: check for records that are not tls1.2
• implied ssl_version.tls1.2: check for tls1.2
• int stream.file_cache.cap_weight = 32: additional bytes to track per flow for better estimation against cap { 0:65535 }
• int stream.file_cache.idle_timeout = 180: maximum inactive time before retiring session tracker { 1:max32 }
• bool stream_file.upload = false: indicate file transfer direction
• int stream.held_packet_timeout = 1000: timeout in milliseconds for held packets { 1:max32 }
• int stream.icmp_cache.cap_weight = 0: additional bytes to track per flow for better estimation against cap { 0:65535 }
• int stream.icmp_cache.idle_timeout = 180: maximum inactive time before retiring session tracker { 1:max32 }
• int stream_icmp.session_timeout = 60: session tracking timeout { 1:max31 }
• int stream.ip_cache.cap_weight = 0: additional bytes to track per flow for better estimation against cap { 0:65535 }
• int stream.ip_cache.idle_timeout = 180: maximum inactive time before retiring session tracker { 1:max32 }
• bool stream.ip_frags_only = false: don’t process non-frag flows
• int stream_ip.max_frags = 8192: maximum number of simultaneous fragments being tracked { 1:max32 }
• int stream_ip.max_overlaps = 0: maximum allowed overlaps per datagram; 0 is unlimited { 0:max32 }
• int stream_ip.min_frag_length = 0: alert if fragment length is below this limit before or after trimming { 0:65535 }
• int stream_ip.min_ttl = 1: discard fragments with TTL below the minimum { 1:255 }
• enum stream_ip.policy = linux: fragment reassembly policy { first | linux | bsd | bsd_right | last | windows | solaris }
• int stream_ip.session_timeout = 60: session tracking timeout { 1:max31 }
• int stream.max_flows = 476288: maximum simultaneous flows tracked before pruning { 2:max32 }
• int stream.pruning_timeout = 30: minimum inactive time before being eligible for pruning { 1:max32 }
• enum stream_reassemble.action: stop or start stream reassembly { disable|enable }
• enum stream_reassemble.direction: action applies to the given direction(s) { client|server|both }
• implied stream_reassemble.fastpath: optionally trust the remainder of the session
• implied stream_reassemble.noalert: don’t alert when rule matches
• enum stream_size.~direction: compare applies to the given direction(s) { either|to_server|to_client|both }
• interval stream_size.~range: check if the stream size is in the given range { 0: }
• int stream.tcp_cache.cap_weight = 11000: additional bytes to track per flow for better estimation against cap { 0:65535 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 167 / 245

• int stream.tcp_cache.idle_timeout = 3600: maximum inactive time before retiring session tracker { 1:max32 }
• int stream_tcp.flush_factor = 0: flush upon seeing a drop in segment size after given number of non-decreasing segments {
0:65535 }

• int stream_tcp.max_pdu = 16384: maximum reassembled PDU size { 1460:32768 }

• int stream_tcp.max_window = 0: maximum allowed TCP window { 0:1073725440 }
• bool stream_tcp.no_ack = false: received data is implicitly acked immediately
• int stream_tcp.overlap_limit = 0: maximum number of allowed overlapping segments per session { 0:max32 }

• enum stream_tcp.policy = bsd: determines operating system characteristics like reassembly { first | last | linux | old_linux |
bsd | macos | solaris | irix | hpux11 | hpux10 | windows | win_2003 | vista | proxy }
• int stream_tcp.queue_limit.max_bytes = 4194304: don’t queue more than given bytes per session and direction, 0 = unlimited
{ 0:max32 }

• int stream_tcp.queue_limit.max_segments = 3072: don’t queue more than given segments per session and direction, 0 =
unlimited { 0:max32 }
• bool stream_tcp.reassemble_async = true: queue data for reassembly before traffic is seen in both directions
• int stream_tcp.require_3whs = -1: don’t track midstream sessions after given seconds from start up; -1 tracks all { -1:max31
}
• int stream_tcp.session_timeout = 180: session tracking timeout { 1:max31 }
• bool stream_tcp.show_rebuilt_packets = false: enable cmg like output of reassembled packets
• int stream_tcp.small_segments.count = 0: number of consecutive (in the received order) TCP small segments considered to
be excessive (129:12) { 0:2048 }
• int stream_tcp.small_segments.maximum_size = 0: minimum bytes for a TCP segment not to be considered small (129:12)
{ 0:2048 }
• bool stream_tcp.track_only = false: disable reassembly if true

• int stream.udp_cache.cap_weight = 0: additional bytes to track per flow for better estimation against cap { 0:65535 }
• int stream.udp_cache.idle_timeout = 180: maximum inactive time before retiring session tracker { 1:max32 }
• int stream_udp.session_timeout = 30: session tracking timeout { 1:max31 }
• int stream.user_cache.cap_weight = 0: additional bytes to track per flow for better estimation against cap { 0:65535 }

• int stream.user_cache.idle_timeout = 180: maximum inactive time before retiring session tracker { 1:max32 }
• int stream_user.session_timeout = 60: session tracking timeout { 1:max31 }
• int suppress[].gid = 0: rule generator ID { 0:max32 }

• string suppress[].ip: restrict suppression to these addresses according to track

• int suppress[].sid = 0: rule signature ID { 0:max32 }
• enum suppress[].track: suppress only matching source or destination addresses { by_src | by_dst }
• int tag.bytes: tag for this many bytes { 1:max32 }

• enum tag.~: log all packets in session or all packets to or from host { session|host_src|host_dst }
• int tag.packets: tag this many packets { 1:max32 }
• int tag.seconds: tag for this many seconds { 1:max32 }
Snort 3 Reference Manual 168 / 245

• enum target.~: indicate the target of the attack { src_ip | dst_ip }

• string tcp_connector[].address: address
• port tcp_connector[].base_port: base port number

• string tcp_connector[].connector: connector name

• enum tcp_connector[].setup: stream establishment { call | answer }
• int telnet.ayt_attack_thresh = -1: alert beyond this number of consecutive Telnet AYT commands (-1 is disabled) { -1:max31
}

• bool telnet.check_encrypted = false: check for end of encryption

• bool telnet.encrypted_traffic = false: check for encrypted Telnet
• bool telnet.normalize = false: eliminate escape sequences

• string tenant_selector[].file: use configuration in given file

• string tenant_selector[].tenants: list of tenants to match
• interval tos.~range: check if IP TOS is in given range { 0:255 }
• string trace.constraints.dst_ip: destination IP address filter

• int trace.constraints.dst_port: destination port filter { 0:65535 }

• int trace.constraints.ip_proto: numerical IP protocol ID filter { 0:255 }
• bool trace.constraints.match = true: use constraints to filter traces

• string trace.constraints.src_ip: source IP address filter

• int trace.constraints.src_port: source port filter { 0:65535 }
• int trace.modules.all: enable trace for all modules { 0:255 }
• int trace.modules.dce_smb.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }

• int trace.modules.dpx.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }

• int trace.modules.file_id.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }
• int trace.modules.http_inspect.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }
• int trace.modules.http_inspect.js_dump: enable JavaScript data logging { 0:255 }

• int trace.modules.http_inspect.js_proc: enable JavaScript processing logging { 0:255 }

• int trace.modules.snort.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }
• int trace.modules.snort.inspector_manager: enable inspector manager trace logging { 0:255 }

• int trace.modules.vba_data.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }

• int trace.modules.wizard.all: enable all trace options { 0:255 }
• bool trace.ntuple = false: print packet n-tuple info with trace messages
• enum trace.output: output method for trace log messages { stdout | syslog }

• bool trace.timestamp = false: print message timestamps with trace messages

• interval ttl.~range: check if IP TTL is in the given range { 0:255 }
• bool udp.deep_teredo_inspection = false: look for Teredo on all UDP ports (default is only 3544)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 169 / 245

• bit_list udp.geneve_ports = 6081: set Geneve ports { 65535 }

• bit_list udp.gtp_ports = 2152 3386: set GTP ports { 65535 }
• bit_list udp.vxlan_ports = 4789: set VXLAN ports { 65535 }
• bool unified2.legacy_events = false: generate Snort 2.X style events for barnyard2 compatibility
• int unified2.limit = 0: set maximum size in MB before rollover (0 is unlimited) { 0:maxSZ }
• bool unified2.nostamp = true: append file creation time to name (in Unix Epoch format)
• interval urg.~range: check if tcp urgent offset is in given range { 0:65535 }
• interval window.~range: check if TCP window size is in given range { 0:65535 }
• multi wizard.curses: enable service identification based on internal algorithm { dce_smb | dce_udp | dce_tcp | sslv2 }
• bool wizard.hexes[].client_first = true: which end initiates data transfer
• select wizard.hexes[].proto = tcp: protocol to scan { tcp | udp }
• string wizard.hexes[].service: name of service
• string wizard.hexes[].to_client[].hex: sequence of data with wild chars (?)
• string wizard.hexes[].to_server[].hex: sequence of data with wild chars (?)
• int wizard.max_search_depth = 8192: maximum scan depth per flow { 0:65535 }
• bool wizard.spells[].client_first = true: which end initiates data transfer
• select wizard.spells[].proto = tcp: protocol to scan { tcp | udp }
• string wizard.spells[].service: name of service
• string wizard.spells[].to_client[].spell: sequence of data with wild cards (*)
• string wizard.spells[].to_server[].spell: sequence of data with wild cards (*)
• interval wscale.~range: check if TCP window scale is in given range { 0:65535 }

11.5 Counts

• active.direct_injects: total crafted packets directly injected (sum)

• active.failed_direct_injects: total crafted packet direct injects that failed (sum)
• active.failed_injects: total crafted packet encode + injects that failed (sum)
• active.holds_allowed: total number of packet hold requests allowed (sum)
• active.holds_canceled: total number of packet hold requests canceled (sum)
• active.holds_denied: total number of packet hold requests denied (sum)
• active.injects: total crafted packets encoded and injected (sum)
• address_space_selector.no_match: selection evaluations that had no matches (sum)
• address_space_selector.packets: packets evaluated (sum)
• appid.ignored_packets: count of packets ignored (sum)
• appid.odp_reload_ignored_pkts: count of packets ignored after open detector package is reloaded (sum)
• appid.packets: count of packets received (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 170 / 245

• appid.processed_packets: count of packets processed (sum)

• appid.service_cache_adds: number of times an entry was added to the service cache (sum)
• appid.service_cache_prunes: number of times the service cache was pruned (sum)
• appid.service_cache_removes: number of times an item was removed from the service cache (sum)
• appid.total_sessions: count of sessions created (sum)
• appid.tp_reload_ignored_pkts: count of packets ignored after third-party module is reloaded (sum)
• arp_spoof.packets: total packets (sum)
• back_orifice.packets: total packets (sum)
• binder.allows: allow actions bound (sum)
• binder.assistant_inspectors: flow assistant inspector requests handled (sum)
• binder.blocks: block actions bound (sum)
• binder.inspects: inspect actions bound (sum)
• binder.new_flows: new flows evaluated (sum)
• binder.new_standby_flows: new HA flows evaluated (sum)
• binder.no_match: binding evaluations that had no matches (sum)
• binder.raw_packets: raw packets evaluated (sum)
• binder.rebinds: flows rebound (sum)
• binder.resets: reset actions bound (sum)
• binder.service_changes: flow service changes evaluated (sum)
• cip.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent SIP sessions (now)
• cip.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent SIP sessions (max)
• cip.packets: total packets (sum)
• cip.session: total sessions (sum)
• ciscometadata.invalid_hdr_len: total invalid Cisco Metadata header lengths (sum)
• ciscometadata.invalid_hdr_ver: total invalid Cisco Metadata header versions (sum)
• ciscometadata.invalid_opt_len: total invalid Cisco Metadata option lengths (sum)
• ciscometadata.invalid_opt_type: total invalid Cisco Metadata option types (sum)
• ciscometadata.invalid_sgt: total invalid Cisco Metadata security group tags (sum)
• ciscometadata.truncated_hdr: total truncated Cisco Metadata headers (sum)
• daq.allow: total allow verdicts (sum)
• daq.analyzed: total packets analyzed from DAQ (sum)
• daq.blacklist: total blacklist verdicts (sum)
• daq.block: total block verdicts (sum)
• daq.dropped: packets dropped (sum)
• daq.eof_messages: end of flow messages received from DAQ (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 171 / 245

• daq.expected_flows: expected flows created in DAQ (sum)

• daq.filtered: packets filtered out (sum)
• daq.idle: attempts to acquire from DAQ without available packets (sum)
• daq.ignore: total ignore verdicts (sum)
• daq.injected: active responses or replacements (sum)
• daq.internal_blacklist: packets blacklisted internally due to lack of DAQ support (sum)
• daq.internal_whitelist: packets whitelisted internally due to lack of DAQ support (sum)
• daq.other_messages: messages received from DAQ with unrecognized message type (sum)
• daq.outstanding: packets unprocessed (sum)
• daq.pcaps: total files and interfaces processed (max)
• daq.received: total packets received from DAQ (sum)
• daq.replace: total replace verdicts (sum)
• daq.retries_discarded: messages discarded when purging the retry queue (sum)
• daq.retries_dropped: messages dropped when overrunning the retry queue (sum)
• daq.retries_processed: messages processed from the retry queue (sum)
• daq.retries_queued: messages queued for retry (sum)
• daq.rx_bytes: total bytes received (sum)
• daq.skipped: packets skipped at startup (sum)
• daq.sof_messages: start of flow messages received from DAQ (sum)
• daq.whitelist: total whitelist verdicts (sum)
• data_log.packets: total packets (sum)
• dce_http_proxy.http_proxy_session_failures: failed http proxy sessions (sum)
• dce_http_proxy.http_proxy_sessions: successful http proxy sessions (sum)
• dce_http_server.http_server_session_failures: failed http server sessions (sum)
• dce_http_server.http_server_sessions: successful http server sessions (sum)
• dce_smb.alter_context_responses: total connection-oriented alter context responses (sum)
• dce_smb.alter_contexts: total connection-oriented alter contexts (sum)
• dce_smb.auth3s: total connection-oriented auth3s (sum)
• dce_smb.bind_acks: total connection-oriented binds acks (sum)
• dce_smb.bind_naks: total connection-oriented bind naks (sum)
• dce_smb.binds: total connection-oriented binds (sum)
• dce_smb.cancels: total connection-oriented cancels (sum)
• dce_smb.client_frags_reassembled: total connection-oriented client fragments reassembled (sum)
• dce_smb.client_max_fragment_size: connection-oriented client maximum fragment size (sum)
• dce_smb.client_min_fragment_size: connection-oriented client minimum fragment size (sum)
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• dce_smb.client_segs_reassembled: total connection-oriented client segments reassembled (sum)

• dce_smb.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent sessions (now)
• dce_smb.events: total events (sum)
• dce_smb.faults: total connection-oriented faults (sum)
• dce_smb.files_processed: total smb files processed (sum)
• dce_smb.ignored_bytes: total ignored bytes (sum)
• dce_smb.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent sessions (max)
• dce_smb.max_outstanding_requests: total smb maximum outstanding requests (sum)
• dce_smb.ms_rpc_http_pdus: total connection-oriented MS requests to send RPC over HTTP (sum)
• dce_smb.orphaned: total connection-oriented orphaned (sum)
• dce_smb.other_requests: total connection-oriented other requests (sum)
• dce_smb.other_responses: total connection-oriented other responses (sum)
• dce_smb.packets: total smb packets (sum)
• dce_smb.pdus: total connection-oriented PDUs (sum)
• dce_smb.rejects: total connection-oriented rejects (sum)
• dce_smb.request_fragments: total connection-oriented request fragments (sum)
• dce_smb.requests: total connection-oriented requests (sum)
• dce_smb.response_fragments: total connection-oriented response fragments (sum)
• dce_smb.responses: total connection-oriented responses (sum)
• dce_smb.server_frags_reassembled: total connection-oriented server fragments reassembled (sum)
• dce_smb.server_max_fragment_size: connection-oriented server maximum fragment size (sum)
• dce_smb.server_min_fragment_size: connection-oriented server minimum fragment size (sum)
• dce_smb.server_segs_reassembled: total connection-oriented server segments reassembled (sum)
• dce_smb.sessions: total smb sessions (sum)
• dce_smb.shutdowns: total connection-oriented shutdowns (sum)
• dce_smb.smb_client_segs_reassembled: total smb client segments reassembled (sum)
• dce_smb.smb_server_segs_reassembled: total smb server segments reassembled (sum)
• dce_smb.total_encrypted_sessions: total encrypted sessions (sum)
• dce_smb.total_mc_sessions: total multichannel sessions (sum)
• dce_smb.total_smb1_sessions: total smb1 sessions (sum)
• dce_smb.total_smb2_sessions: total smb2 sessions (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_bad_next_cmd_offset: total number of SMBv2 packets seen with invalid next command offset (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_cls_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 close error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_cls_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 close packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_cls_req_ftrkr_misng: total number of SMBv2 close request packets ignored due to missing file tracker (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 173 / 245

• dce_smb.v2_cls_req_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 close request packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_cls: total number of SMBv2 close packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_cmpnd_req_lt_crossed: total number of SMBv2 packets seen where compound requests exceed the smb_max_compoun
limit (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 create error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_inv_file_data: total number of SMBv2 create request packets ignored due to error in getting file name (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 create packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_req_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 create request packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_req_ipc: total number of SMBv2 create request packets ignored as share type is IPC (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_resp_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 create response packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_rtrkr_misng: total number of SMBv2 create response packets ignored due to missing create request tracker
(sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt: total number of SMBv2 create packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_crt_tree_trkr_misng: total number of SMBv2 create response packets ignored due to missing tree tracker (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 packets seen with corrupted hdr (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_inv_file_ctx_err: total number of times null file context are seen resulting in not being able to set file size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_ioctl_err_resp: total number of ioctl errors responses (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_ioctl_inv_str_sz: total number of ioctl invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_ioctl_req_hdr_err: total number of ioctl request header errors (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_ioctl_resp_hdr_err: total number of ioctl response header errors (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_ioctl: total number of ioctl calls (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_logoff_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 logoff packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_logoff: total number of SMBv2 logoff (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_msgs_uninspected: total number of SMBv2 packets seen where command is not being inspected (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_read_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 read error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_read_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 read packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_read_req_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 read request packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_read_resp_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 read response packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_read_rtrkr_misng: total number of SMBv2 read response packets ignored due to missing read request tracker
(sum)
• dce_smb.v2_read: total number of SMBv2 read packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_session_ignored: total number of packets ignored due to missing session tracker (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_setinfo: total number of SMBv2 set info packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_setup_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 setup error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_setup_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 setup packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_setup_resp_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 setup response packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 174 / 245

• dce_smb.v2_setup: total number of SMBv2 setup packets seen (sum)

• dce_smb.v2_stinf_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 set info error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_stinf_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 set info packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_stinf_req_ftrkr_misng: total number of SMBv2 set info request packets ignored due to missing file tracker
(sum)
• dce_smb.v2_stinf_req_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 set info request packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_cnct_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 tree connect error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_cnct_ignored: total number of SMBv2 setup response packets ignored due to failure in creating tree tracker
(sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_cnct_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 tree connect packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_cnct_resp_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 tree connect response packets ignored due to corrupted header
(sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_cnct: total number of SMBv2 tree connect packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_discn_ignored: total number of SMBv2 tree disconnect packets ignored due to missing trackers or invalid
share type (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_discn_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 tree disconnect packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_discn_req_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 tree disconnect request packets ignored due to corrupted
header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_discn: total number of SMBv2 tree disconnect packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_tree_ignored: total number of packets ignored due to missing tree tracker (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_wrt_err_resp: total number of SMBv2 write error response packets seen (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_wrt_inv_str_sz: total number of SMBv2 write packets seen with invalid structure size (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_wrt_req_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 write request packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_wrt_resp_hdr_err: total number of SMBv2 write response packets ignored due to corrupted header (sum)
• dce_smb.v2_wrt: total number of SMBv2 write packets seen (sum)
• dce_tcp.alter_context_responses: total connection-oriented alter context responses (sum)
• dce_tcp.alter_contexts: total connection-oriented alter contexts (sum)
• dce_tcp.auth3s: total connection-oriented auth3s (sum)
• dce_tcp.bind_acks: total connection-oriented binds acks (sum)
• dce_tcp.bind_naks: total connection-oriented bind naks (sum)
• dce_tcp.binds: total connection-oriented binds (sum)
• dce_tcp.cancels: total connection-oriented cancels (sum)
• dce_tcp.client_frags_reassembled: total connection-oriented client fragments reassembled (sum)
• dce_tcp.client_max_fragment_size: connection-oriented client maximum fragment size (sum)
• dce_tcp.client_min_fragment_size: connection-oriented client minimum fragment size (sum)
• dce_tcp.client_segs_reassembled: total connection-oriented client segments reassembled (sum)
• dce_tcp.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent sessions (now)
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• dce_tcp.events: total events (sum)

• dce_tcp.faults: total connection-oriented faults (sum)
• dce_tcp.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent sessions (max)
• dce_tcp.ms_rpc_http_pdus: total connection-oriented MS requests to send RPC over HTTP (sum)
• dce_tcp.orphaned: total connection-oriented orphaned (sum)
• dce_tcp.other_requests: total connection-oriented other requests (sum)
• dce_tcp.other_responses: total connection-oriented other responses (sum)
• dce_tcp.pdus: total connection-oriented PDUs (sum)
• dce_tcp.rejects: total connection-oriented rejects (sum)
• dce_tcp.request_fragments: total connection-oriented request fragments (sum)
• dce_tcp.requests: total connection-oriented requests (sum)
• dce_tcp.response_fragments: total connection-oriented response fragments (sum)
• dce_tcp.responses: total connection-oriented responses (sum)
• dce_tcp.server_frags_reassembled: total connection-oriented server fragments reassembled (sum)
• dce_tcp.server_max_fragment_size: connection-oriented server maximum fragment size (sum)
• dce_tcp.server_min_fragment_size: connection-oriented server minimum fragment size (sum)
• dce_tcp.server_segs_reassembled: total connection-oriented server segments reassembled (sum)
• dce_tcp.shutdowns: total connection-oriented shutdowns (sum)
• dce_tcp.tcp_expected_realized: total tcp dynamic endpoint expected realized sessions (sum)
• dce_tcp.tcp_expected_sessions: total tcp dynamic endpoint expected sessions (sum)
• dce_tcp.tcp_packets: total tcp packets (sum)
• dce_tcp.tcp_sessions: total tcp sessions (sum)
• dce_udp.acks: total connection-less acks (sum)
• dce_udp.cancel_acks: total connection-less cancel acks (sum)
• dce_udp.cancels: total connection-less cancels (sum)
• dce_udp.client_facks: total connection-less client facks (sum)
• dce_udp.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent sessions (now)
• dce_udp.events: total events (sum)
• dce_udp.faults: total connection-less faults (sum)
• dce_udp.fragments: total connection-less fragments (sum)
• dce_udp.frags_reassembled: total connection-less fragments reassembled (sum)
• dce_udp.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent sessions (max)
• dce_udp.max_fragment_size: connection-less maximum fragment size (sum)
• dce_udp.max_seqnum: max connection-less seqnum (sum)
• dce_udp.no_calls: total connection-less no calls (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 176 / 245

• dce_udp.other_requests: total connection-less other requests (sum)

• dce_udp.other_responses: total connection-less other responses (sum)
• dce_udp.ping: total connection-less ping (sum)
• dce_udp.rejects: total connection-less rejects (sum)
• dce_udp.requests: total connection-less requests (sum)
• dce_udp.responses: total connection-less responses (sum)
• dce_udp.server_facks: total connection-less server facks (sum)
• dce_udp.udp_packets: total udp packets (sum)
• dce_udp.udp_sessions: total udp sessions (sum)
• dce_udp.working: total connection-less working (sum)
• detection.alert_limit: events previously triggered on same PDU (sum)
• detection.alerts: alerts not including IP reputation (sum)
• detection.alt_searches: alt fast pattern searches in packet data (sum)
• detection.analyzed: total packets processed (now)
• detection.body_searches: fast pattern searches in body buffer (sum)
• detection.context_stalls: times processing stalled to wait for an available context (sum)
• detection.cooked_searches: fast pattern searches in cooked packet data (sum)
• detection.cookie_searches: fast pattern searches in cookie buffer (sum)
• detection.event_limit: events filtered (sum)
• detection.file_searches: fast pattern searches in file buffer (sum)
• detection.hard_evals: non-fast pattern rule evaluations (sum)
• detection.header_searches: fast pattern searches in header buffer (sum)
• detection.js_data_searches: fast pattern searches in js_data buffer (sum)
• detection.key_searches: fast pattern searches in key buffer (sum)
• detection.logged: logged packets (sum)
• detection.log_limit: events queued but not logged (sum)
• detection.match_limit: fast pattern matches not processed (sum)
• detection.method_searches: fast pattern searches in method buffer (sum)
• detection.offload_busy: times offload was not available (sum)
• detection.offload_failures: fast pattern offload search failures (sum)
• detection.offload_fallback: fast pattern offload search fallback attempts (sum)
• detection.offloads: fast pattern searches that were offloaded (sum)
• detection.offload_suspends: fast pattern search suspends due to offload context chains (sum)
• detection.onload_waits: times processing waited for onload to complete (sum)
• detection.passed: passed packets (sum)
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• detection.pcre_error: total number of times pcre returns error (sum)

• detection.pcre_match_limit: total number of times pcre hit the match limit (sum)
• detection.pcre_recursion_limit: total number of times pcre hit the recursion limit (sum)
• detection.pkt_searches: fast pattern searches in packet data (sum)
• detection.queue_limit: events not queued because queue full (sum)
• detection.raw_header_searches: fast pattern searches in raw header buffer (sum)
• detection.raw_key_searches: fast pattern searches in raw key buffer (sum)
• detection.raw_searches: fast pattern searches in raw packet data (sum)
• detection.stat_code_searches: fast pattern searches in status code buffer (sum)
• detection.stat_msg_searches: fast pattern searches in status message buffer (sum)
• detection.total_alerts: alerts including IP reputation (sum)
• detection.vba_searches: fast pattern searches in MS Office Visual Basic for Applications buffer (sum)
• dnp3.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent dnp3 sessions (now)
• dnp3.dnp3_application_pdus: total dnp3 application pdus (sum)
• dnp3.dnp3_link_layer_frames: total dnp3 link layer frames (sum)
• dnp3.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent dnp3 sessions (max)
• dnp3.tcp_pdus: total tcp pdus (sum)
• dnp3.total_packets: total packets (sum)
• dnp3.udp_packets: total udp packets (sum)
• dns.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent dns sessions (now)
• dns.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent dns sessions (max)
• dns.packets: total packets processed (sum)
• dns.requests: total dns requests (sum)
• dns.responses: total dns responses (sum)
• domain_filter.checked: domains checked (sum)
• domain_filter.filtered: domains filtered (sum)
• dpx.packets: total packets (sum)
• event_filter.no_memory_global: number of times event filter ran out of global memory (sum)
• event_filter.no_memory_local: number of times event filter ran out of local memory (sum)
• file_connector.messages: total messages (sum)
• file_id.cache_failures: number of file cache add failures (sum)
• file_id.files_not_processed: number of files not processed due to per-flow limit (sum)
• file_id.max_concurrent_files: maximum files processed concurrently on a flow (max)
• file_id.total_file_data: number of file data bytes processed (sum)
• file_id.total_files: number of files processed (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 178 / 245

• file_log.total_events: total file events (sum)

• ftp_data.packets: total packets (sum)
• ftp_server.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent FTP sessions (now)
• ftp_server.flow_segment_size_changed: total number of FTP sessions with segment size change (sum)
• ftp_server.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent FTP sessions (max)
• ftp_server.pkt_segment_size_changed: total number of FTP data packets with segment size change (sum)
• ftp_server.ssl_search_abandoned: total SSL search abandoned (sum)
• ftp_server.ssl_srch_abandoned_early: total SSL search abandoned too soon (sum)
• ftp_server.start_tls: total STARTTLS events generated (sum)
• ftp_server.total_bytes: total number of bytes processed (sum)
• ftp_server.total_packets: total packets (sum)
• gtp_inspect.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent gtp sessions (now)
• gtp_inspect.events: requests (sum)
• gtp_inspect.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent gtp sessions (max)
• gtp_inspect.sessions: total sessions processed (sum)
• gtp_inspect.unknown_infos: unknown information elements (sum)
• gtp_inspect.unknown_types: unknown message types (sum)
• high_availability.client_consume_errors: client data consume failure count (sum)
• high_availability.daq_imports: states imported via daq (sum)
• high_availability.daq_stores: states stored via daq (sum)
• high_availability.delete_msgs_consumed: deletion messages consumed (sum)
• high_availability.key_mismatch: messages received with a flow key mismatch (sum)
• high_availability.msg_length_mismatch: messages received with an inconsistent total length (sum)
• high_availability.msgs_recv: total messages received (sum)
• high_availability.msg_version_mismatch: messages received with a version mismatch (sum)
• high_availability.truncated_msgs: truncated messages received (sum)
• high_availability.unknown_client_idx: messages received with an unknown client index (sum)
• high_availability.unknown_key_type: messages received with an unknown flow key type (sum)
• high_availability.update_msgs_consumed: update messages fully consumed (sum)
• high_availability.update_msgs_recv_no_flow: update messages received without a local flow (sum)
• high_availability.update_msgs_recv: update messages received (sum)
• host_cache.adds: lru cache added new entry (sum)
• host_cache.alloc_prunes: lru cache pruned entry to make space for new entry (sum)
• host_cache.find_hits: lru cache found entry in cache (sum)
• host_cache.find_misses: lru cache did not find entry in cache (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 179 / 245

• host_cache.reload_prunes: lru cache pruned entry for lower memcap during reload (sum)
• host_cache.removes: lru cache found entry and removed it (sum)
• host_cache.replaced: lru cache found entry and replaced it (sum)
• hosts.dynamic_host_adds: number of host additions after initial host file load (sum)
• hosts.dynamic_service_adds: number of service additions after initial host file load (sum)
• hosts.dynamic_service_updates: number of service updates after initial host file load (sum)
• hosts.hosts_pruned: number of LRU hosts pruned due to configured resource limits (sum)
• hosts.service_list_overflows: number of service additions that failed due to configured resource limits (sum)
• hosts.total_hosts: maximum number of entries in the host attribute table (max)
• host_tracker.service_adds: host service adds (sum)
• host_tracker.service_finds: host service finds (sum)
• http2_inspect.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent HTTP/2 sessions (now)
• http2_inspect.flows: HTTP/2 connections inspected (sum)
• http2_inspect.flows_over_stream_limit: HTTP/2 flows exceeding 100 concurrent streams (sum)
• http2_inspect.max_concurrent_files: maximum concurrent file transfers per HTTP/2 connection (max)
• http2_inspect.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent HTTP/2 sessions (max)
• http2_inspect.max_concurrent_streams: maximum concurrent streams per HTTP/2 connection (max)
• http2_inspect.max_table_entries: maximum entries in an HTTP/2 dynamic table (max)
• http2_inspect.total_bytes: total HTTP/2 data bytes inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.chunked: chunked message bodies (sum)
• http_inspect.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent http sessions (now)
• http_inspect.connect_requests: CONNECT requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.connect_tunnel_cutovers: CONNECT tunnel flow cutovers to wizard (sum)
• http_inspect.delete_requests: DELETE requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.excess_parameters: repeat parameters exceeding max (sum)
• http_inspect.flows: HTTP connections inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.get_requests: GET requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.head_requests: HEAD requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.inspections: total message sections inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.js_bytes: total number of JavaScript bytes processed (sum)
• http_inspect.js_external_scripts: total number of external JavaScripts processed (sum)
• http_inspect.js_identifier_overflows: total number of unique JavaScript identifier limit overflows (sum)
• http_inspect.js_identifiers: total number of unique JavaScript identifiers processed (sum)
• http_inspect.js_inline_scripts: total number of inline JavaScripts processed (sum)
• http_inspect.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent http sessions (max)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 180 / 245

• http_inspect.options_requests: OPTIONS requests inspected (sum)

• http_inspect.other_requests: other request methods inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.parameters: HTTP parameters inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.partial_inspections: early inspections done for script detection (sum)
• http_inspect.pipelined_flows: total HTTP connections containing pipelined requests (sum)
• http_inspect.pipelined_requests: total requests placed in a pipeline (sum)
• http_inspect.post_requests: POST requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.put_requests: PUT requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.reassembles: TCP segments combined into HTTP messages (sum)
• http_inspect.request_bodies: POST, PUT, and other requests with message bodies (sum)
• http_inspect.requests: HTTP request messages inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.responses: HTTP response messages inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.scans: TCP segments scanned looking for HTTP messages (sum)
• http_inspect.script_detections: early inspections of scripts in HTTP responses (sum)
• http_inspect.ssl_srch_abandoned_early: total SSL search abandoned too soon (sum)
• http_inspect.total_bytes: total HTTP data bytes inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.trace_requests: TRACE requests inspected (sum)
• http_inspect.uri_coding: URIs with character coding problems (sum)
• http_inspect.uri_normalizations: URIs needing to be normalization (sum)
• http_inspect.uri_path: URIs with path problems (sum)
• icmp4.bad_checksum: non-zero icmp checksums (sum)
• icmp4.checksum_bypassed: checksum calculations bypassed (sum)
• icmp6.bad_icmp6_checksum: nonzero icmp6 checksums (sum)
• icmp6.checksum_bypassed: checksum calculations bypassed (sum)
• iec104.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent IEC104 sessions (now)
• iec104.frames: total IEC104 messages (sum)
• iec104.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent IEC104 sessions (max)
• iec104.sessions: total sessions processed (sum)
• imap.b64_attachments: total base64 attachments decoded (sum)
• imap.b64_decoded_bytes: total base64 decoded bytes (sum)
• imap.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent imap sessions (now)
• imap.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent imap sessions (max)
• imap.non_encoded_attachments: total non-encoded attachments extracted (sum)
• imap.non_encoded_bytes: total non-encoded extracted bytes (sum)
• imap.packets: total packets processed (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 181 / 245

• imap.qp_attachments: total quoted-printable attachments decoded (sum)

• imap.qp_decoded_bytes: total quoted-printable decoded bytes (sum)
• imap.sessions: total imap sessions (sum)
• imap.ssl_search_abandoned: total SSL search abandoned (sum)
• imap.ssl_srch_abandoned_early: total SSL search abandoned too soon (sum)
• imap.start_tls: total STARTTLS events generated (sum)
• imap.uu_attachments: total uu attachments decoded (sum)
• imap.uu_decoded_bytes: total uu decoded bytes (sum)
• ipv4.bad_checksum: nonzero ip checksums (sum)
• ipv4.checksum_bypassed: checksum calculations bypassed (sum)
• latency.max_usecs: maximum usecs elapsed (sum)
• latency.packet_timeouts: packets that timed out (sum)
• latency.rule_eval_timeouts: rule evals that timed out (sum)
• latency.rule_tree_enables: rule tree re-enables (sum)
• latency.total_packets: total packets monitored (sum)
• latency.total_rule_evals: total rule evals monitored (sum)
• latency.total_usecs: total usecs elapsed (sum)
• memory.allocated: total amount of memory allocated (now)
• memory.allocations: total number of allocations (now)
• memory.deallocated: total amount of memory allocated (now)
• memory.deallocations: total number of deallocations (now)
• memory.max_in_use: highest allocated - deallocated (max)
• memory.reap_attempts: attempts to reclaim memory (now)
• memory.reap_failures: failures to reclaim memory (now)
• mem_test.packets: total packets (sum)
• modbus.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent modbus sessions (now)
• modbus.frames: total Modbus messages (sum)
• modbus.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent modbus sessions (max)
• modbus.sessions: total sessions processed (sum)
• netflow.invalid_netflow_record: count of invalid netflow records (sum)
• netflow.packets: total packets processed (sum)
• netflow.records: total records found in netflow data (sum)
• netflow.unique_flows: count of unique netflow flows (sum)
• netflow.v9_missing_template: count of data records that are missing templates (sum)
• netflow.v9_options_template: count of options template flowset (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 182 / 245

• netflow.v9_templates: count of total version 9 templates (sum)

• netflow.version_5: count of netflow version 5 packets received (sum)
• netflow.version_9: count of netflow version 9 packets received (sum)
• normalizer.icmp4_echo: icmp4 ping normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.icmp6_echo: icmp6 echo normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.ip4_df: don’t frag bit normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.ip4_opts: ip4 options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.ip4_rf: reserved flag bit clears (sum)
• normalizer.ip4_tos: type of service normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.ip4_trim: eth packets trimmed to datagram size (sum)
• normalizer.ip4_ttl: time-to-live normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.ip6_hops: ip6 hop limit normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.ip6_options: ip6 options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_block: blocked segments (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_ecn_pkt: packets with ECN bits cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_ecn_session: ECN bits cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_ips_data: normalized segments (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_nonce: packets with nonce bit cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_options: packets with options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_padding: packets with padding cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_req_pay: cleared urgent pointer and urgent flag when there is no payload (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_req_urg: cleared urgent pointer when urgent flag is not set (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_req_urp: cleared the urgent flag if the urgent pointer is not set (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_reserved: packets with reserved bits cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_syn_options: SYN only options cleared from non-SYN packets (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_trim_mss: data trimmed to MSS (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_trim_rst: RST packets with data trimmed (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_trim_syn: tcp segments trimmed on SYN (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_trim_win: data trimmed to window (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_ts_ecr: timestamp cleared on non-ACKs (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_ts_nop: timestamp options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.tcp_urgent_ptr: packets without data with urgent pointer cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_icmp4_echo: test icmp4 ping normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.test_icmp6_echo: test icmp6 echo normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.test_ip4_df: test don’t frag bit normalizations (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 183 / 245

• normalizer.test_ip4_opts: test ip4 options cleared (sum)

• normalizer.test_ip4_rf: test reserved flag bit clears (sum)
• normalizer.test_ip4_tos: test type of service normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.test_ip4_trim: test eth packets trimmed to datagram size (sum)
• normalizer.test_ip4_ttl: test time-to-live normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.test_ip6_hops: test ip6 hop limit normalizations (sum)
• normalizer.test_ip6_options: test ip6 options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_block: test blocked segments (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_ecn_pkt: test packets with ECN bits cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_ecn_session: test ECN bits cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_ips_data: test normalized segments (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_nonce: test packets with nonce bit cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_options: test packets with options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_padding: test packets with padding cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_req_pay: test cleared urgent pointer and urgent flag when there is no payload (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_req_urg: test cleared urgent pointer when urgent flag is not set (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_req_urp: test cleared the urgent flag if the urgent pointer is not set (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_reserved: test packets with reserved bits cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_syn_options: test SYN only options cleared from non-SYN packets (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_trim_mss: test data trimmed to MSS (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_trim_rst: test RST packets with data trimmed (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_trim_syn: test tcp segments trimmed on SYN (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_trim_win: test data trimmed to window (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_ts_ecr: test timestamp cleared on non-ACKs (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_ts_nop: test timestamp options cleared (sum)
• normalizer.test_tcp_urgent_ptr: test packets without data with urgent pointer cleared (sum)
• packet_capture.captured: packets matching dumped after matching filter (sum)
• packet_capture.processed: packets processed against filter (sum)
• payload_injector.http2_injects: total number of http2 injections (sum)
• payload_injector.http2_mid_frame: total number of attempts to inject mid-frame (sum)
• payload_injector.http2_translate_err: total number of http2 page translation errors (sum)
• payload_injector.http_injects: total number of http injections (sum)
• pcre.pcre_native: total pcre rules compiled by pcre engine (sum)
• pcre.pcre_negated: total pcre rules using negation syntax (sum)
• pcre.pcre_rules: total rules processed with pcre option (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 184 / 245

• pcre.pcre_to_hyper: total pcre rules by hyperscan engine (sum)

• perf_monitor.flow_tracker_creates: total number of flow trackers created (sum)
• perf_monitor.flow_tracker_prunes: flow trackers pruned for reuse by new flows (sum)
• perf_monitor.flow_tracker_reload_deletes: flow trackers deleted due to memcap change on config reload (sum)
• perf_monitor.flow_tracker_total_deletes: flow trackers deleted to stay below memcap limit (sum)
• perf_monitor.packets: total packets processed by performance monitor (sum)
• pop.b64_attachments: total base64 attachments decoded (sum)
• pop.b64_decoded_bytes: total base64 decoded bytes (sum)
• pop.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent pop sessions (now)
• pop.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent pop sessions (max)
• pop.non_encoded_attachments: total non-encoded attachments extracted (sum)
• pop.non_encoded_bytes: total non-encoded extracted bytes (sum)
• pop.packets: total packets processed (sum)
• pop.qp_attachments: total quoted-printable attachments decoded (sum)
• pop.qp_decoded_bytes: total quoted-printable decoded bytes (sum)
• pop.sessions: total pop sessions (sum)
• pop.ssl_search_abandoned: total SSL search abandoned (sum)
• pop.ssl_srch_abandoned_early: total SSL search abandoned too soon (sum)
• pop.start_tls: total STARTTLS events generated (sum)
• pop.total_bytes: total number of bytes processed (sum)
• pop.uu_attachments: total uu attachments decoded (sum)
• pop.uu_decoded_bytes: total uu decoded bytes (sum)
• port_scan.alloc_prunes: number of trackers pruned on allocation of new tracking (sum)
• port_scan.packets: number of packets processed by port scan (sum)
• port_scan.reload_prunes: number of trackers pruned on reload due to reduced memcap (sum)
• port_scan.trackers: number of trackers allocated by port scan (sum)
• rate_filter.no_memory: number of times rate filter ran out of memory (sum)
• reputation.aux_ip_blocked: number of auxiliary ip packets blocked (sum)
• reputation.aux_ip_monitored: number of auxiliary ip packets monitored (sum)
• reputation.aux_ip_trusted: number of auxiliary ip packets trusted (sum)
• reputation.blocked: number of packets blocked (sum)
• reputation.memory_allocated: total memory allocated (sum)
• reputation.monitored: number of packets monitored (sum)
• reputation.packets: total packets processed (sum)
• reputation.trusted: number of packets trusted (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 185 / 245

• rna.appid_change: count of appid change events received (sum)

• rna.change_host_update: count number of change host update events (sum)
• rna.cpe_os: count of CPE OS events received (sum)
• rna.dhcp_data: count of DHCP data events received (sum)
• rna.dhcp_info: count of new DHCP lease events received (sum)
• rna.icmp_bidirectional: count of bidirectional ICMP flows received (sum)
• rna.icmp_new: count of new ICMP flows received (sum)
• rna.ip_bidirectional: count of bidirectional IP received (sum)
• rna.ip_new: count of new IP flows received (sum)
• rna.other_packets: count of packets received without session tracking (sum)
• rna.smb: count of new SMB events received (sum)
• rna.tcp_midstream: count of TCP midstream packets received (sum)
• rna.tcp_syn_ack: count of TCP SYN-ACK packets received (sum)
• rna.tcp_syn: count of TCP SYN packets received (sum)
• rna.udp_bidirectional: count of bidirectional UDP flows received (sum)
• rna.udp_new: count of new UDP flows received (sum)
• rpc_decode.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent rpc sessions (now)
• rpc_decode.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent rpc sessions (max)
• rpc_decode.total_packets: total packets (sum)
• s7commplus.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent s7commplus sessions (now)
• s7commplus.frames: total S7commplus messages (sum)
• s7commplus.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent s7commplus sessions (max)
• s7commplus.sessions: total sessions processed (sum)
• sd_pattern.below_threshold: sd_pattern matched but missed threshold (sum)
• sd_pattern.pattern_not_found: sd_pattern did not not match (sum)
• sd_pattern.terminated: hyperscan terminated (sum)
• search_engine.max_queued: maximum fast pattern matches queued for further evaluation (max)
• search_engine.non_qualified_events: total non-qualified events (sum)
• search_engine.qualified_events: total qualified events (sum)
• search_engine.searched_bytes: total bytes searched (sum)
• search_engine.total_flushed: total fast pattern matches processed (sum)
• search_engine.total_inserts: total fast pattern hits (sum)
• search_engine.total_overruns: fast pattern matches discarded due to overflow (sum)
• search_engine.total_unique: total unique fast pattern hits (sum)
• side_channel.packets: total packets (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 186 / 245

• sip.ack: ack (sum)

• sip.bye: bye (sum)
• sip.cancel: cancel (sum)
• sip.code_1xx: 1xx (sum)
• sip.code_2xx: 2xx (sum)
• sip.code_3xx: 3xx (sum)
• sip.code_4xx: 4xx (sum)
• sip.code_5xx: 5xx (sum)
• sip.code_6xx: 6xx (sum)
• sip.code_7xx: 7xx (sum)
• sip.code_8xx: 8xx (sum)
• sip.code_9xx: 9xx (sum)
• sip.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent SIP sessions (now)
• sip.dialogs: total dialogs (sum)
• sip.events: events generated (sum)
• sip.ignored_channels: total channels ignored (sum)
• sip.ignored_sessions: total sessions ignored (sum)
• sip.info: info (sum)
• sip.invite: invite (sum)
• sip.join: join (sum)
• sip.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent SIP sessions (max)
• sip.message: message (sum)
• sip.notify: notify (sum)
• sip.options: options (sum)
• sip.packets: total packets (sum)
• sip.prack: prack (sum)
• sip.refer: refer (sum)
• sip.register: register (sum)
• sip.sessions: total sessions (sum)
• sip.subscribe: subscribe (sum)
• sip.total_requests: total requests (sum)
• sip.total_responses: total responses (sum)
• sip.update: update (sum)
• smtp.b64_attachments: total base64 attachments decoded (sum)
• smtp.b64_decoded_bytes: total base64 decoded bytes (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 187 / 245

• smtp.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent smtp sessions (now)

• smtp.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent smtp sessions (max)
• smtp.non_encoded_attachments: total non-encoded attachments extracted (sum)
• smtp.non_encoded_bytes: total non-encoded extracted bytes (sum)
• smtp.packets: total packets processed (sum)
• smtp.qp_attachments: total quoted-printable attachments decoded (sum)
• smtp.qp_decoded_bytes: total quoted-printable decoded bytes (sum)
• smtp.sessions: total smtp sessions (sum)
• smtp.ssl_search_abandoned: total SSL search abandoned (sum)
• smtp.ssl_srch_abandoned_early: total SSL search abandoned too soon (sum)
• smtp.start_tls: total STARTTLS events generated (sum)
• smtp.total_bytes: total number of bytes processed (sum)
• smtp.uu_attachments: total uu attachments decoded (sum)
• smtp.uu_decoded_bytes: total uu decoded bytes (sum)
• snort.attribute_table_hosts: number of hosts added to the attribute table (sum)
• snort.attribute_table_overflow: number of host additions that failed due to attribute table full (sum)
• snort.attribute_table_reloads: number of times hosts attribute table was reloaded (sum)
• snort.conf_reloads: number of times configuration was reloaded (sum)
• snort.daq_reloads: number of times daq configuration was reloaded (sum)
• snort.inspector_deletions: number of times inspectors were deleted (sum)
• snort.local_commands: total local commands processed (sum)
• snort.policy_reloads: number of times policies were reloaded (sum)
• snort.remote_commands: total remote commands processed (sum)
• snort.signals: total signals processed (sum)
• ssh.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent ssh sessions (now)
• ssh.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent ssh sessions (max)
• ssh.packets: total packets (sum)
• ssh.total_bytes: total number of bytes processed (sum)
• ssl.alert: total ssl alert records (sum)
• ssl.bad_handshakes: total bad handshakes (sum)
• ssl.certificate: total ssl certificates (sum)
• ssl.change_cipher: total change cipher records (sum)
• ssl.client_application: total client application records (sum)
• ssl.client_hello: total client hellos (sum)
• ssl.client_key_exchange: total client key exchanges (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 188 / 245

• ssl.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent ssl sessions (now)

• ssl.decoded: ssl packets decoded (sum)
• ssl.detection_disabled: total detection disabled (sum)
• ssl.finished: total handshakes finished (sum)
• ssl.handshakes_completed: total completed ssl handshakes (sum)
• ssl.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent ssl sessions (max)
• ssl.packets: total packets processed (sum)
• ssl.server_application: total server application records (sum)
• ssl.server_done: total server done (sum)
• ssl.server_hello: total server hellos (sum)
• ssl.server_key_exchange: total server key exchanges (sum)
• ssl.sessions_ignored: total sessions ignore (sum)
• ssl.unrecognized_records: total unrecognized records (sum)
• stream.excess_prunes: sessions pruned due to excess (sum)
• stream.expected_flows: total expected flows created within snort (sum)
• stream.expected_overflows: number of expected cache overflows (sum)
• stream.expected_pruned: number of expected flows pruned (sum)
• stream.expected_realized: number of expected flows realized (sum)
• stream.flows: total sessions (sum)
• stream.ha_prunes: sessions pruned by high availability sync (sum)
• stream_icmp.created: icmp session trackers created (sum)
• stream_icmp.max: max icmp sessions (max)
• stream_icmp.prunes: icmp session prunes (sum)
• stream_icmp.released: icmp session trackers released (sum)
• stream_icmp.sessions: total icmp sessions (sum)
• stream_icmp.timeouts: icmp session timeouts (sum)
• stream.idle_prunes: sessions pruned due to timeout (sum)
• stream_ip.alerts: alerts generated (sum)
• stream_ip.anomalies: anomalies detected (sum)
• stream_ip.created: ip session trackers created (sum)
• stream_ip.current_frags: current fragments (now)
• stream_ip.discards: fragments discarded (sum)
• stream_ip.drops: fragments dropped (sum)
• stream_ip.fragmented_bytes: total fragmented bytes (sum)
• stream_ip.frag_timeouts: datagrams abandoned (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 189 / 245

• stream_ip.max_frags: max fragments (sum)

• stream_ip.max: max ip sessions (max)
• stream_ip.nodes_deleted: fragments deleted from tracker (sum)
• stream_ip.nodes_inserted: fragments added to tracker (sum)
• stream_ip.overlaps: overlapping fragments (sum)
• stream_ip.prunes: ip session prunes (sum)
• stream_ip.reassembled_bytes: total reassembled bytes (sum)
• stream_ip.reassembled: reassembled datagrams (sum)
• stream_ip.released: ip session trackers released (sum)
• stream_ip.sessions: total ip sessions (sum)
• stream_ip.timeouts: ip session timeouts (sum)
• stream_ip.total_bytes: total number of bytes processed (sum)
• stream_ip.total_frags: total fragments (sum)
• stream_ip.trackers_added: datagram trackers created (sum)
• stream_ip.trackers_cleared: datagram trackers cleared (sum)
• stream_ip.trackers_completed: datagram trackers completed (sum)
• stream_ip.trackers_freed: datagram trackers released (sum)
• stream.memcap_prunes: sessions pruned due to memcap (sum)
• stream.reload_allowed_deletes: number of allowed flows deleted by config reloads (sum)
• stream.reload_blocked_deletes: number of blocked flows deleted by config reloads (sum)
• stream.reload_freelist_deletes: number of flows deleted from the free list by config reloads (sum)
• stream.reload_offloaded_deletes: number of offloaded flows deleted by config reloads (sum)
• stream.reload_total_adds: number of flows added by config reloads (sum)
• stream.reload_total_deletes: number of flows deleted by config reloads (sum)
• stream.reload_tuning_idle: number of times stream resource tuner called while idle (sum)
• stream.reload_tuning_packets: number of times stream resource tuner called while processing packets (sum)
• stream.stale_prunes: sessions pruned due to stale connection (sum)
• stream_tcp.client_cleanups: number of times data from server was flushed when session released (sum)
• stream_tcp.closing: number of sessions currently closing (now)
• stream_tcp.created: tcp session trackers created (sum)
• stream_tcp.cur_packets_held: number of packets currently held (now)
• stream_tcp.data_trackers: tcp session tracking started on data (sum)
• stream_tcp.discards_skipped: tcp packet discards skipped due to normalization disabled (sum)
• stream_tcp.discards: tcp packets discarded (sum)
• stream_tcp.established: number of sessions currently established (now)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 190 / 245

• stream_tcp.events: events generated (sum)

• stream_tcp.exceeded_max_bytes: number of times the maximum queued byte limit was reached (sum)
• stream_tcp.exceeded_max_segs: number of times the maximum queued segment limit was reached (sum)
• stream_tcp.fins: number of fin packets (sum)
• stream_tcp.gaps: missing data between PDUs (sum)
• stream_tcp.held_packet_purges: number of held packets that were purged without flushing (sum)
• stream_tcp.held_packet_retries: number of held packets that were added to the retry queue (sum)
• stream_tcp.held_packet_rexmits: number of retransmits of held packets (sum)
• stream_tcp.held_packets_dropped: number of held packets dropped (sum)
• stream_tcp.held_packets_passed: number of held packets passed (sum)
• stream_tcp.held_packet_timeouts: number of held packets that timed out (sum)
• stream_tcp.ignored: tcp packets ignored (sum)
• stream_tcp.initializing: number of sessions currently initializing (now)
• stream_tcp.inspector_fallbacks: count of fallbacks from assigned service inspector (sum)
• stream_tcp.instantiated: new sessions instantiated (sum)
• stream_tcp.internal_events: 135:X events generated (sum)
• stream_tcp.invalid_ack: tcp packets received with an invalid ack number (sum)
• stream_tcp.invalid_seq_num: tcp packets received with an invalid sequence number (sum)
• stream_tcp.max_bytes: maximum number of bytes queued in any flow (max)
• stream_tcp.max: max tcp sessions (max)
• stream_tcp.max_packets_held: maximum number of packets held simultaneously (max)
• stream_tcp.max_segs: maximum number of segments queued in any flow (max)
• stream_tcp.memory: current memory in use (now)
• stream_tcp.meta_acks: number of meta acks processed (sum)
• stream_tcp.no_flags_set: tcp packets received with no TCP flags set (sum)
• stream_tcp.overlaps: overlapping segments queued (sum)
• stream_tcp.packets_held: number of packets held (sum)
• stream_tcp.partial_fallbacks: count of fallbacks from assigned service stream splitter (sum)
• stream_tcp.partial_flush_bytes: partial flush total bytes (sum)
• stream_tcp.partial_flushes: number of partial flushes initiated (sum)
• stream_tcp.payload_fully_trimmed: segments with no data after trimming (sum)
• stream_tcp.prunes: tcp session prunes (sum)
• stream_tcp.rebuilt_buffers: rebuilt PDU sections (sum)
• stream_tcp.rebuilt_bytes: total rebuilt bytes (sum)
• stream_tcp.rebuilt_packets: total reassembled PDUs (sum)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 191 / 245

• stream_tcp.released: tcp session trackers released (sum)

• stream_tcp.resets: number of reset packets (sum)
• stream_tcp.restarts: sessions restarted (sum)
• stream_tcp.resyns: SYN received on established session (sum)
• stream_tcp.segs_queued: total segments queued (sum)
• stream_tcp.segs_released: total segments released (sum)
• stream_tcp.segs_split: tcp segments split when reassembling PDUs (sum)
• stream_tcp.segs_used: queued tcp segments applied to reassembled PDUs (sum)
• stream_tcp.server_cleanups: number of times data from client was flushed when session released (sum)
• stream_tcp.sessions: total tcp sessions (sum)
• stream_tcp.setups: session initializations (sum)
• stream_tcp.syn_acks: number of syn-ack packets (sum)
• stream_tcp.syn_ack_trackers: tcp session tracking started on syn-ack (sum)
• stream_tcp.syns: number of syn packets (sum)
• stream_tcp.syn_trackers: tcp session tracking started on syn (sum)
• stream_tcp.three_way_trackers: tcp session tracking started on ack (sum)
• stream_tcp.timeouts: tcp session timeouts (sum)
• stream_tcp.untracked: tcp packets not tracked (sum)
• stream_tcp.zero_len_tcp_opt: number of zero length tcp options (sum)
• stream.total_prunes: total sessions pruned (sum)
• stream_udp.created: udp session trackers created (sum)
• stream_udp.ignored: udp packets ignored (sum)
• stream_udp.max: max udp sessions (max)
• stream_udp.prunes: udp session prunes (sum)
• stream_udp.released: udp session trackers released (sum)
• stream_udp.sessions: total udp sessions (sum)
• stream_udp.timeouts: udp session timeouts (sum)
• stream_udp.total_bytes: total number of bytes processed (sum)
• stream.uni_prunes: uni sessions pruned (sum)
• tcp.bad_tcp4_checksum: nonzero tcp over ip checksums (sum)
• tcp.bad_tcp6_checksum: nonzero tcp over ipv6 checksums (sum)
• tcp.checksum_bypassed: checksum calculations bypassed (sum)
• tcp_connector.messages: total messages (sum)
• telnet.concurrent_sessions: total concurrent Telnet sessions (now)
• telnet.max_concurrent_sessions: maximum concurrent Telnet sessions (max)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 192 / 245

• telnet.total_packets: total packets (sum)

• tenant_selector.no_match: selection evaluations that had no matches (sum)
• tenant_selector.packets: packets evaluated (sum)
• udp.bad_udp4_checksum: nonzero udp over ipv4 checksums (sum)
• udp.bad_udp6_checksum: nonzero udp over ipv6 checksums (sum)
• udp.checksum_bypassed: checksum calculations bypassed (sum)
• wizard.tcp_hits: tcp identifications (sum)
• wizard.tcp_misses: tcp searches abandoned (sum)
• wizard.tcp_scans: tcp payload scans (sum)
• wizard.udp_hits: udp identifications (sum)
• wizard.udp_misses: udp searches abandoned (sum)
• wizard.udp_scans: udp payload scans (sum)
• wizard.user_hits: user identifications (sum)
• wizard.user_misses: user searches abandoned (sum)
• wizard.user_scans: user payload scans (sum)

11.6 Generators

• 2: output
• 105: back_orifice
• 106: rpc_decode
• 112: arp_spoof
• 116: arp
• 116: auth
• 116: ciscometadata
• 116: decode
• 116: eapol
• 116: erspan2
• 116: erspan3
• 116: esp
• 116: eth
• 116: fabricpath
• 116: geneve
• 116: gre
• 116: gtp
• 116: icmp4
Snort 3 Reference Manual 193 / 245

• 116: icmp6
• 116: igmp
• 116: ipv4
• 116: ipv6
• 116: llc
• 116: mpls
• 116: pbb
• 116: pgm
• 116: pppoe
• 116: tcp
• 116: token_ring
• 116: udp
• 116: vlan
• 116: wlan
• 119: http_inspect
• 121: http2_inspect
• 122: port_scan
• 123: stream_ip
• 124: smtp
• 125: ftp_server
• 126: telnet
• 128: ssh
• 129: stream_tcp
• 131: dns
• 133: dce_http_proxy
• 133: dce_http_server
• 133: dce_smb
• 133: dce_tcp
• 133: dce_udp
• 134: latency
• 135: stream
• 136: reputation
• 137: ssl
• 140: sip
• 141: imap
Snort 3 Reference Manual 194 / 245

• 142: pop
• 143: gtp_inspect
• 144: modbus

• 145: dnp3
• 148: cip
• 149: s7commplus

• 150: file_id
• 151: iec104
• 175: domain_filter
• 256: dpx

11.7 Builtin Rules

2:1 (output) tagged packet

A tagged packet was logged.
105:1 (back_orifice) Back orifice traffic detected, unknown direction
Back orifice traffic detected, unknown direction
105:2 (back_orifice) Back orifice client traffic detected
Back orifice client traffic detected
105:3 (back_orifice) Back orifice server traffic detected
Back orifice server traffic detected
105:4 (back_orifice) Back orifice length field >= 1024 bytes
Back orifice length field >= 1024 bytes
106:1 (rpc_decode) fragmented RPC records
Detected fragmented RPC records.
106:2 (rpc_decode) multiple RPC records
Detected multiple RPC records in the packet.
106:3 (rpc_decode) large RPC record fragment
Large RPC record fragment. RPC fragment length is greater than packet data size.
106:4 (rpc_decode) incomplete RPC segment
Incomplete RPC segment. Packet data size is less than required RPC fragment length.
106:5 (rpc_decode) zero-length RPC fragment
Zero-length RPC fragment.
112:1 (arp_spoof) unicast ARP request
ARP request is unicast, not broadcast.
112:2 (arp_spoof) ethernet/ARP mismatch for source hardware address
Mismatch between ethernet source hardware address and ARP source hardware address.
112:3 (arp_spoof) ethernet/ARP mismatch for destination hardware address in reply
Snort 3 Reference Manual 195 / 245

Mismatch between ethernet destination hardware address and ARP destination hardware address in an ARP reply.
112:4 (arp_spoof) attempted ARP cache overwrite attack
Attempted ARP cache overwrite attack. The ethernet source hardware address or ARP source hardware address doesn’t match
the one provided for this IP address in the configured host table.
116:1 (ipv4) not IPv4 datagram
The packet is not an IPv4 datagram (based on the ip header’s version field).
116:2 (ipv4) IPv4 header length < minimum
The IPv4 header length (based on the header’s length field) is less than the ip version 4’s minimum header length (20 bytes).
116:3 (ipv4) IPv4 datagram length < header field
The total IPv4 datagram length is less than the length calculated using the ipv4 header length field.
116:4 (ipv4) IPv4 options found with bad lengths
The IPv4 options field has a bad/incorrect length.
116:5 (ipv4) truncated IPv4 options
The IPv4 options field is truncated.
116:6 (ipv4) IPv4 datagram length > captured length
The IPv4 datagram length is greater than the captured packet’s length.
116:45 (tcp) TCP packet length is smaller than 20 bytes
The TCP packet length is smaller than the minimum tcp header length (20 bytes).
116:46 (tcp) TCP data offset is less than 5
The TCP data offset is less than five 32 bit words (20 bytes) and is invalid.
116:47 (tcp) TCP header length exceeds packet length
The TCP header length exceeds the packet’s length.
116:54 (tcp) TCP options found with bad lengths
The TCP options are invalid and/or have bad lengths.
116:55 (tcp) truncated TCP options
The TCP options field is truncated.
116:56 (tcp) T/TCP detected
A tcp packet was detected with the CC Echo field set.
116:57 (tcp) obsolete TCP options found
A tcp packet was detected that contained obsolete TCP options.
116:58 (tcp) experimental TCP options found
A tcp packet was detected that contained experimental TCP options.
116:59 (tcp) TCP window scale option found with length > 14
The TCP window scale option found with a length greater than 14.
116:95 (udp) truncated UDP header
A truncated UDP header has been detected.
116:96 (udp) invalid UDP header, length field < 8
An invalid UDP header detected. The header’s length is less than 8 bytes.
116:97 (udp) short UDP packet, length field > payload length
Snort 3 Reference Manual 196 / 245

The UDP length field is greater than the payload length.

116:98 (udp) long UDP packet, length field < payload length
The UDP length field is less than the payload length.
116:105 (icmp4) ICMP header truncated
An ICMP packet was detected with the header truncated.
116:106 (icmp4) ICMP timestamp header truncated
The ICMP packet’s timestamp header is truncated.
116:107 (icmp4) ICMP address header truncated
The ICMP packet’s address header is truncated.
116:109 (arp) truncated ARP
The packet length is less than ethernet arp’s minimum length of 28 bytes.
116:110 (eapol) truncated EAP header
(eapol) truncated EAP header
116:111 (eapol) EAP key truncated
(eapol) EAP key truncated
116:112 (eapol) EAP header truncated
(eapol) EAP header truncated
116:120 (pppoe) bad PPPOE frame detected
A bad PPPOE frame has been detected. The frames length is less than the PPPOE frame minimum (6 bytes).
116:130 (vlan) bad VLAN frame
A bad VLAN frame was detected due to either the packet being smaller than the minimum VLAN header size or the VLAN ID
being invalid (0 or 4095).
116:131 (llc) bad LLC header
An invalid LLC header has been detected (less than 3 bytes).
116:132 (llc) bad extra LLC info
(llc) bad extra LLC info
116:133 (wlan) bad 802.11 LLC header
(wlan) bad 802.11 LLC header
116:134 (wlan) bad 802.11 extra LLC info
(wlan) bad 802.11 extra LLC info
116:140 (token_ring) bad Token Ring header
(token_ring) bad Token Ring header
116:141 (token_ring) bad Token Ring ETHLLC header
(token_ring) bad Token Ring ETHLLC header
116:142 (token_ring) bad Token Ring MRLEN header
(token_ring) bad Token Ring MRLEN header
116:143 (token_ring) bad Token Ring MR header
(token_ring) bad Token Ring MR header
116:150 (decode) loopback IP
Snort 3 Reference Manual 197 / 245

A loopback IP was detected within a packet.

116:151 (decode) same src/dst IP
The same source and destination IP was detected.
116:160 (gre) GRE header length > payload length
The payload length is greater than the packet length.
116:161 (gre) multiple encapsulations in packet
There are multiple encapsulations within the GRE packet.
116:162 (gre) invalid GRE version
The detected GRE version field value is invalid (should be 0 or 1).
116:163 (gre) invalid GRE header
Invalid flag set in GRE header.
116:164 (gre) invalid GRE v.1 PPTP header
Invalid GRE v.1 PPTP header detected.
116:165 (gre) GRE trans header length > payload length
The GRE trans header length is greater than the payload length.
116:170 (mpls) bad MPLS frame
The MPLS frame is invalid. The MPLS header length is less than the MPLS minimum frame size (4 bytes).
116:171 (mpls) MPLS label 0 appears in bottom header when not decoding as ip4
The MPLS label 0 appears in bottom header when not decoding as an ip4 packet.
116:172 (mpls) MPLS label 1 appears in bottom header
The MPLS label 1 appears in bottom header.
116:173 (mpls) MPLS label 2 appears in bottom header when not decoding as ip6
The MPLS label 2 appears in bottom header when not decoding as an ip6 packet.
116:174 (mpls) MPLS label 3 appears in header
A MPLS label 3 (Implicit NULL Label) appears in header.
116:175 (mpls) MPLS label 4, 5,.. or 15 appears in header
A reserved MPLS label (4, 5 or 15) appears in header.
116:176 (mpls) too many MPLS headers
There were too many MPLS headers detected. (Use the mpls.max_stack_depth setting to set the max value).
116:180 (geneve) insufficient room for geneve header
The packet length is less than the expected GENEVE header length.
116:181 (geneve) invalid version
The version number in the GENEVE header is not valid (not equal to zero).
116:182 (geneve) invalid header
The packet length is less than the minimum GENEVE header length.
116:183 (geneve) invalid flags
There are several scenarios for this event. 1) The C flag is clear but critical options are present. 2) The C flag is set but critical
options are absent. 3) If the critical header present bit is set the option’s length cannot be 0.
116:184 (geneve) invalid options
Snort 3 Reference Manual 198 / 245

The options length field extends past the end of the GENEVE header.
116:250 (icmp4) ICMP original IP header truncated
The ICMP error message’s original IP header is truncated.
116:251 (icmp4) ICMP version and original IP header versions differ
The ICMP error message’s original IP packet’s version and original IP header versions differ.
116:252 (icmp4) ICMP original datagram length < original IP header length
The ICMP error message’s original datagram’s length is less than the original IP’s header length.
116:253 (icmp4) ICMP original IP payload < 64 bits
The ICMP error message’s original IP packet’s payload is less than 64 bits.
116:254 (icmp4) ICMP original IP payload > 576 bytes
The ICMP error message’s original IP packet’s payload is greater than the expected max of 576 bytes.
116:255 (icmp4) ICMP original IP fragmented and offset not 0
An ICMP original IP is fragmented and the offset is not 0.
116:270 (ipv6) IPv6 packet below TTL limit
The IPv6 packet has a TTL value that is below the TTL limit.
116:271 (ipv6) IPv6 header claims to not be IPv6
The IPv6 header claims to not be an IPv6 packet.
116:272 (ipv6) IPv6 truncated extension header
The IPv6 packet has a truncated extension header.
116:273 (ipv6) IPv6 truncated header
The IPv6 packet has a truncated header.
116:274 (ipv6) IPv6 datagram length < header field
The IPv6 datagram length field is less than the header field.
116:275 (ipv6) IPv6 datagram length > captured length
The IPv6 datagram’s length is greater than the captured packet’s length.
116:276 (ipv6) IPv6 packet with destination address ::0
An IPv6 packet was detected with a destination address of ::0
116:277 (ipv6) IPv6 packet with multicast source address
An IPv6 packet with a multicast source address has been detected.
116:278 (ipv6) IPv6 packet with reserved multicast destination address
An IPv6 packet with a reserved multicast destination address has been detected.
116:279 (ipv6) IPv6 header includes an undefined option type
The IPv6 header includes an undefined option type.
116:280 (ipv6) IPv6 address includes an unassigned multicast scope value
The IPv6 address includes an unassigned multicast scope value.
116:281 (ipv6) IPv6 header includes an invalid value for the next header field
The IPv6 header includes an invalid value for the next header field.
116:282 (ipv6) IPv6 header includes a routing extension header followed by a hop-by-hop header
The IPv6 header includes a routing extension header followed by a hop-by-hop header.
Snort 3 Reference Manual 199 / 245

116:283 (ipv6) IPv6 header includes two routing extension headers

The IPv6 header includes two routing extension headers.
116:285 (icmp6) ICMPv6 packet of type 2 (message too big) with MTU field < 1280
An ICMPv6 packet of type 2 (message too big) that contains an MTU field of less than 1280 bytes has been detected.
116:286 (icmp6) ICMPv6 packet of type 1 (destination unreachable) with non-RFC 2463 code
An ICMPv6 packet of type 1 (destination unreachable) that contains a non-RFC 2463 code has been detected.
116:287 (icmp6) ICMPv6 router solicitation packet with a code not equal to 0
An ICMPv6 router solicitation packet with a code not equal to 0 has been detected.
116:288 (icmp6) ICMPv6 router advertisement packet with a code not equal to 0
An ICMPv6 router advertisement packet with a code not equal to 0 has been detected.
116:289 (icmp6) ICMPv6 router solicitation packet with the reserved field not equal to 0
An ICMPv6 router solicitation packet with the reserved field not equal to 0 has been detected.
116:290 (icmp6) ICMPv6 router advertisement packet with the reachable time field set > 1 hour
An ICMPv6 router advertisement packet with the reachable time field set to greater than 1 hour was detected.
116:291 (ipv6) IPV6 tunneled over IPv4, IPv6 header truncated, possible Linux kernel attack
An IPV6 tunnel over IPv4 packet was received. The IPv6 header truncated which could possibly be a Linux kernel attack.
116:292 (ipv6) IPv6 header has destination options followed by a routing header
The IPv6 header has destination options followed by a routing header.
116:293 (decode) two or more IP (v4 and/or v6) encapsulation layers present
There are two or more IP (v4 and/or v6) encapsulation layers present.
116:294 (esp) truncated encapsulated security payload header
The encapsulated security payload header was too short (less than 22 bytes).
116:295 (ipv6) IPv6 header includes an option which is too big for the containing header
The IPv6 header includes an option which is too big for the containing header.
116:296 (ipv6) IPv6 packet includes out-of-order extension headers
The IPv6 packet includes out-of-order extension headers.
116:297 (gtp) two or more GTP encapsulation layers present
There are multiple GTP encapsulation layers present.
116:298 (gtp) GTP header length is invalid
The packet data is smaller than the GTP header length making the packet invalid.
116:400 (tcp) XMAS attack detected
A XMAS attack detected.
116:401 (tcp) Nmap XMAS attack detected
A NMAP XMAS attack detected.
116:402 (tcp) DOS NAPTHA vulnerability detected
(tcp) DOS NAPTHA vulnerability detected.
116:403 (tcp) SYN to multicast address
A SYN packet was sent to a multicast address.
116:404 (ipv4) IPv4 packet with zero TTL
Snort 3 Reference Manual 200 / 245

IPv4 packet was detected with a zero TTL value.

116:405 (ipv4) IPv4 packet with bad frag bits (both MF and DF set)
The IPv4 packet contains an invalid frag bits combination (both MF and DF are set).
116:406 (udp) invalid IPv6 UDP packet, checksum zero
An invalid IPv6 UDP packet was detected. The checksum value is zero.
116:407 (ipv4) IPv4 packet frag offset + length exceed maximum
The IPv4 packet’s frag offset + the datagram length field exceeds the maximum packet size (65535)
116:408 (ipv4) IPv4 packet from current net source address
The IPv4 packet’s source address is from the current net (value of zero)
116:409 (ipv4) IPv4 packet to current net dest address
The IPv4 packet’s destination address is to the current net (value of zero)
116:410 (ipv4) IPv4 packet from multicast source address
The IPv4 packet has a multicast source address.
116:411 (ipv4) IPv4 packet from reserved source address
The IPv4 packet has a reserved source address.
116:412 (ipv4) IPv4 packet to reserved dest address
The IPv4 packet has a reserved destination address.
116:413 (ipv4) IPv4 packet from broadcast source address
The IPv4 packet has a broadcast source address.
116:414 (ipv4) IPv4 packet to broadcast dest address
The IPv4 packet has a broadcast destination address
116:415 (icmp4) ICMP4 packet to multicast dest address
ICMP4 packet to multicast destination address
116:416 (icmp4) ICMP4 packet to broadcast dest address
ICMP4 packet to broadcast destination address
116:418 (icmp4) ICMP4 type other
The ICMP4 packet type is not known.
116:419 (tcp) TCP urgent pointer exceeds payload length or no payload
The TCP urgent pointer exceeds payload length or has no payload.
116:420 (tcp) TCP SYN with FIN
An invalid tcp flag combination was detected (SYN and FIN).
116:421 (tcp) TCP SYN with RST
An invalid tcp flag combination was detected (SYN with RST)
116:422 (tcp) TCP PDU missing ack for established session
The TCP packet is missing the acknowledgment flag for an established session.
116:423 (tcp) TCP has no SYN, ACK, or RST
The TCP packet is invalid because it doesn’t have a SYN, ACK, or RST flag set.
116:424 (eth) truncated ethernet header
The packet length is less than the minimum ethernet header size (14 bytes)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 201 / 245

116:424 (eth) truncated ethernet header

A truncated ethernet header was detected.
116:425 (ipv4) truncated IPv4 header
The IPv4 header is truncated.
116:426 (icmp4) truncated ICMP4 header
The ICMP4 header is truncated.
116:427 (icmp6) truncated ICMPv6 header
The ICMPv6 header is truncated.
116:428 (ipv4) IPv4 packet below TTL limit
An IPv4 packet was received after the TTL limit.
116:429 (ipv6) IPv6 packet has zero hop limit
An IPv6 packet has a zero hop limit count.
116:430 (ipv4) IPv4 packet both DF and offset set
An invalid IPv4 packet was detected. The DF bit and an offset value are set.
116:431 (icmp6) ICMPv6 type not decoded
The ICMPv6 type is unknown and not decoded.
116:432 (icmp6) ICMPv6 packet to multicast address
An ICMPv6 packet to a multicast address was detected.
116:433 (tcp) DDOS shaft SYN flood
A tcp DDOS shaft SYN flood was detected.
116:434 (icmp4) ICMP ping Nmap
An ICMP ping from NMAP was detected.
116:435 (icmp4) ICMP icmpenum v1.1.1
An ICMP icmpenum v1.1.1 packet was received (the payload length is zero and icmp seq number equals 666).
116:436 (icmp4) ICMP redirect host
An ICMP host redirect packet was received.
116:437 (icmp4) ICMP redirect net
An ICMP network redirect packet was received.
116:438 (icmp4) ICMP traceroute ipopts
An ICMP packet with trace route ipopts was detected.
116:439 (icmp4) ICMP source quench
An ICMP packet with the source quench field set was detected.
116:440 (icmp4) broadscan smurf scanner
Broadscan smurf scanner traffic was detected.
116:441 (icmp4) ICMP destination unreachable communication administratively prohibited
ICMP destination unreachable traffic was detected (communication administratively prohibited).
116:442 (icmp4) ICMP destination unreachable communication with destination host is administratively prohibited
ICMP destination unreachable traffic detected (communication with destination host is administratively prohibited).
116:443 (icmp4) ICMP destination unreachable communication with destination network is administratively prohibited
Snort 3 Reference Manual 202 / 245

ICMP destination unreachable traffic detected (communication with destination network is administratively prohibited).
116:444 (ipv4) IPv4 option set
(ipv4) IPv4 option set
116:445 (udp) large UDP packet (> 4000 bytes)
A large UDP packet was received (greater than 4000 bytes).
116:446 (tcp) TCP port 0 traffic
TCP port 0 traffic was detected.
116:447 (udp) UDP port 0 traffic
UDP port 0 traffic was detected.
116:448 (ipv4) IPv4 reserved bit set
An IPv4 packet was detected that has the reserved bit set.
116:449 (decode) unassigned/reserved IP protocol
An IP packet has an unassigned/reserved IP protocol number.
116:450 (decode) bad IP protocol
An invalid/bad IP protocol number has been detected.
116:451 (icmp4) ICMP path MTU denial of service attempt
An ICMP path MTU denial of service attempt has been detected.
116:452 (icmp4) Linux ICMP header DOS attempt
A Linux ICMP header DOS attempt has been detected.
116:453 (ipv6) ISATAP-addressed IPv6 traffic spoofing attempt
(ipv6) ISATAP-addressed IPv6 traffic spoofing attempt
116:454 (pgm) PGM nak list overflow attempt
(pgm) PGM nak list overflow attempt
116:455 (igmp) DOS IGMP IP options validation attempt
An IGMP IP options validation DOS attempt was detected.
116:456 (ipv6) too many IPv6 extension headers
The decoder detected more than the configured amount of IPv6 extension headers.
116:457 (icmp6) ICMPv6 packet of type 1 (destination unreachable) with non-RFC 4443 code
An ICMPv6 packet of type 1 (destination unreachable) was received with non-RFC 4443 code.
116:458 (ipv6) bogus fragmentation packet, possible BSD attack
An invalid fragmentation packet was detected. Could be a possible BSD attack.
116:459 (decode) fragment with zero length
An ip fragment was received with a zero length payload.
116:460 (icmp6) ICMPv6 node info query/response packet with a code greater than 2
The ICMPv6 node info query/response packet has a code value greater than 2.
116:461 (ipv6) IPv6 routing type 0 extension header
An IPv6 packet was received with a routing type 0 extension header.
116:462 (erspan2) ERSpan header version mismatch
The ERSpan2 version is not equal to 1 (the value of 1 signals that it’s ERSpan2).
Snort 3 Reference Manual 203 / 245

116:463 (erspan2) captured length < ERSpan type2 header length

The packet’s length is less than the ERSpan2 headers minimum length (8 bytes).
116:464 (erspan3) captured < ERSpan type3 header length
The packet’s length is less than the ERSpan3 header’s minimum length (20 bytes).
116:465 (auth) truncated authentication header
The length of the packet received is less than the expected minimum of 16 bytes.
116:466 (auth) bad authentication header length
The authentication header length is greater than the packet data length.
116:467 (fabricpath) truncated FabricPath header
The packet header length is less than the minimum FabricPath header size of 16 bytes.
116:468 (ciscometadata) truncated Cisco Metadata header
The packet length is less than the Cisco Metadata header length.
116:469 (ciscometadata) invalid Cisco Metadata option length
The Cisco Metadata option length value is greater than zero.
116:470 (ciscometadata) invalid Cisco Metadata option type
The Cisco metadata option type is not set to 1.
116:471 (ciscometadata) invalid Cisco Metadata security group tag
The Cisco Metadata security group tag value is invalid (0xFFFF).
116:472 (decode) too many protocols present
The decoder detected that there were too many protocols present.
116:473 (decode) ether type out of range
An ether type value is below the minimum of 0x0600 (1536) and therefore out of range.
116:474 (icmp6) ICMPv6 not encapsulated in IPv6
An ICMPv6 packet was received that was not encapsulated in IPv6.
116:475 (ipv6) IPv6 mobility header includes an invalid value for the payload protocol field
The IPv6 mobility header includes an invalid value for the payload protocol field.
119:1 (http_inspect) URI has percent-encoding of an unreserved character
URI has percent encoding of an unreserved character. The ignore_unreserved option designates specific unreserved characters
that are exempted from triggering this alert.
119:2 (http_inspect) URI is percent encoded and the result is percent encoded again
URI is percent encoded and the result is percent encoded again. This alert can only be generated if the iis_double_decode option
is configured.
119:3 (http_inspect) URI has non-standard %u-style Unicode encoding
URI has non-standard %u-style Unicode encoding. This alert can only be generated if the percent_u option is configured.
119:4 (http_inspect) URI has Unicode encodings containing bytes that were not percent-encoded
URI has Unicode encodings containing bytes that were not percent-encoded as required by the HTTP RFC. This is sometimes
called "bare byte" encoding. This alert can only be generated if the utf8_bare_byte option is configured.
119:6 (http_inspect) URI has two-byte or three-byte UTF-8 encoding
URI has two-byte or three-byte UTF-8 encoding. This alert can only be generated if the utf8 option is configured.
119:7 (http_inspect) URI has unicode map code point encoding
Snort 3 Reference Manual 204 / 245

URI includes a two-byte or three-byte unicode character that normalized through the unicode map to some byte other than 0xFF.
This alert can only be generated if the iis_unicode option is configured.
119:8 (http_inspect) URI path contains consecutive slash characters
URI path contains consecutive slash characters which are redundant. This alert can only be generated if the simplify_path option
is configured.
119:9 (http_inspect) backslash character appears in the path portion of a URI.
The backslash character appears in the path portion of a URI. This alert can only be generated if the backslash_to_slash option
is configured.
119:10 (http_inspect) URI path contains /./ pattern repeating the current directory
URI path contains "/./" pattern repeating the current directory. Alternatively the path may end with "/." repeating the current
directory. This alert can only be generated if the simplify_path option is configured.
119:11 (http_inspect) URI path contains /../ pattern moving up a directory
URI path contains "/../" pattern moving upward a directory. Alternatively the path may end with "/.." with the same effect. This
alert can only be generated if the simplify_path option is configured.
119:12 (http_inspect) Tab character in HTTP start line
The HTTP start line has a tab character among the blank space separators.
119:13 (http_inspect) HTTP start line or header line terminated by LF without a CR
HTTP start line or header line terminated by LF without a CR.
119:14 (http_inspect) Normalized URI includes character from bad_characters list
Normalized URI (after percent decoding) contains a forbidden character specified by the bad_characters option.
119:15 (http_inspect) URI path contains a segment that is longer than the oversize_dir_length parameter
URI path contains a segment (directory or file name) that is longer than the oversize_dir_length parameter.
119:16 (http_inspect) chunk length exceeds configured maximum_chunk_length
Chunk length as given in the chunk header exceeds maximum_chunk_length parameter.
119:18 (http_inspect) URI path includes /../ that goes above the root directory
The URI path has used /../ segments to go above the root of the directory tree. For example /foo/../../bar which specifies an object
not under the root directory /. This alert can only be generated if the simplify_path option is configured.
119:19 (http_inspect) HTTP header line exceeds 4096 bytes
HTTP header line exceeds 4096 bytes. This does not apply to the start line. Header line length includes both header field name
and value.
119:20 (http_inspect) HTTP message has more than 200 header fields
HTTP message has more than 200 header fields.
119:21 (http_inspect) HTTP message has more than one Content-Length header value
HTTP message has more than one Content-Length header value. This may be multiple header lines or comma-separated values
on one line.
119:24 (http_inspect) Host header field appears more than once or has multiple values
Host header field appears more than once or has multiple values.
119:25 (http_inspect) length of HTTP Host header field value exceeds maximum_host_length option
Length of HTTP Host header field value exceeds maximum_host_length option.
119:28 (http_inspect) HTTP POST or PUT request without content-length or chunks
HTTP request uses POST or PUT method without delimiting the message body using either the Content-Length header or
Transfer-Encoding chunked.
Snort 3 Reference Manual 205 / 245

119:31 (http_inspect) HTTP request method is not known to Snort

HTTP request method is not known to Snort. Snort is familiar with all RFC methods and dozens of other methods.
119:32 (http_inspect) HTTP request uses primitive HTTP format known as HTTP/0.9
HTTP request uses primitive HTTP format known as HTTP/0.9.
119:33 (http_inspect) HTTP request URI has space character that is not percent-encoded
HTTP request URI has space character that is not percent-encoded.
119:34 (http_inspect) HTTP connection has more than 100 simultaneous pipelined requests that have not been answered
HTTP connection has more than 100 simultaneous pipelined requests that have not been answered.
119:102 (http_inspect) invalid status code in HTTP response
Invalid status code in HTTP response. Either it is outside the range 100-599 or it is not a number.
119:104 (http_inspect) HTTP response has UTF character set that failed to normalize
HTTP response has Content-Type charset=utf-16le, utf-16be, utf-32le, or utf-32be, but UTF decoding of the message body failed.
119:105 (http_inspect) HTTP response has UTF-7 character set
HTTP response has Content-Type charset=utf-7.
119:109 (http_inspect) more than one level of JavaScript obfuscation
More than one level of JavaScript obfuscation. This alert can only be generated when normalize_javascript configuration option
is true or enhanced JavaScript normalizer is enabled.
119:110 (http_inspect) consecutive JavaScript whitespaces exceed maximum allowed
Consecutive whitespaces within a JavaScript exceed max_javascript_whitespaces configuration option. This alert can only be
generated when normalize_javascript configuration option is true.
119:111 (http_inspect) multiple encodings within JavaScript obfuscated data
More than one encoding within JavaScript obfuscated data. This alert can only be generated when normalize_javascript config-
uration option is true or enhanced JavaScript normalizer is enabled.
119:112 (http_inspect) SWF file zlib decompression failure
The HTTP message body contains compressed SWF file data with errors that cannot be decompressed.
119:113 (http_inspect) SWF file LZMA decompression failure
The HTTP message body contains compressed LZMA file data with errors that cannot be decompressed.
119:114 (http_inspect) PDF file deflate decompression failure
The HTTP message body contains compressed PDF file data with errors that cannot be decompressed.
119:115 (http_inspect) PDF file unsupported compression type
The HTTP message body contains a compressed PDF file that uses a compression type other than deflate ("FlateDecode" and
"Fl").
119:116 (http_inspect) PDF file with more than one compression applied
The HTTP message body contains a PDF file with more than one compression applied.
119:117 (http_inspect) PDF file parse failure
The HTTP message body contains PDF file data with an error that made the start of the PDF compressed stream unable to be
located.
119:201 (http_inspect) not HTTP traffic or unrecoverable HTTP protocol error
HTTP inspector is unable to parse this flow. Either the connection is not actually using HTTP or some sort of unrecoverable
HTTP protocol error has occurred. This conclusion applies only to one direction of the flow. The opposite direction may be OK.
119:202 (http_inspect) chunk length has excessive leading zeros
Snort 3 Reference Manual 206 / 245

Chunk length has five or more leading zeros.

119:203 (http_inspect) white space before or between HTTP messages
White space characters before the first HTTP message or inserted between HTTP messages.
119:204 (http_inspect) request message without URI
HTTP request message does not include a URI. There is nothing between the method and the version except whitespace. Alter-
natively the 0.9 equivalent which is GET followed by nothing except whitespace.
119:205 (http_inspect) control character in HTTP response reason phrase
The reason phrase in an HTTP response message contains a control character.
119:206 (http_inspect) illegal extra whitespace in start line
There is more than one space (or other whitespace) character between two elements of an HTTP request or status line.
119:207 (http_inspect) corrupted HTTP version
The HTTP version in the start line begins with "HTTP/" but the remainder is not in the expected <digit>.<digit> format.
119:209 (http_inspect) format error in HTTP header
An HTTP header line contains a format error. A well-formed header consists of a field name followed by a colon followed by
the field value.
119:210 (http_inspect) chunk header options present
A chunked transfer-encoded HTTP message body contains chunk extensions. A chunk extension is an optional parameter fol-
lowing the chunk length in the chunk header.
119:211 (http_inspect) URI badly formatted
The HTTP request URI is not well-formatted as one of the four types defined for the HTTP protocol.
119:212 (http_inspect) unrecognized type of percent encoding in URI
The HTTP URI contains an unrecognized type of percent encoding.
119:213 (http_inspect) HTTP chunk misformatted
A chunked transfer-encoded HTTP message body contains a misformatted chunk. The following conditions make a chunk
misformatted: there are at least five leading whitespaces before the chunk length in the chunk header, there is an illegal character
in the chunk length (expressed as the hex number in ASCII), the chunk length is longer than 32 bits, the chunk header is
terminated by lone CR (\r) without an LF (\n), the chunk header does not contain the length, or the chunk data is terminated by
a character other than CR or LF
119:214 (http_inspect) white space adjacent to chunk length
A chunked transfer-encoded HTTP message body contains a chunk header with white space adjacent to the chunk length. This
covers leading and trailing whitespace.
119:215 (http_inspect) white space within header name
An HTTP header name contains whitespace.
119:216 (http_inspect) excessive gzip compression
A gzip-encoded HTTP message body was found to have an excessive compression ratio during decompression.
119:217 (http_inspect) gzip decompression failed
An error was encountered during decompression of a gzip-encoded HTTP message body.
119:218 (http_inspect) HTTP 0.9 requested followed by another request
An HTTP connection contains an HTTP 0.9 request followed by another request. There can only be one 0.9 response per
connection because it ends the server-to-client connection.
119:219 (http_inspect) HTTP 0.9 request following a normal request
Snort 3 Reference Manual 207 / 245

An HTTP connection contains an HTTP 0.9 request following a normal request.

119:220 (http_inspect) message has both Content-Length and Transfer-Encoding
An HTTP message has both Content-Length and Transfer-Encoding headers. These headers conflict since the size of the message
body will be determined by either the Content-Length value or by the chunked transfer-encoding formatting.
119:221 (http_inspect) status code implying no body combined with Transfer-Encoding or nonzero Content-Length
An HTTP server sent a response with a status code implying there will be no body but also sent a Transfer-Encoding or nonzero
Content-Length header. The status codes that imply no message body are the informational (1XX) codes, 204 No Content and
304 Not Modified. Transfer-Encoding and nonzero Content-Length headers indicate that there will be a message body.
119:222 (http_inspect) Transfer-Encoding not ending with chunked
The HTTP Transfer-Encoding header value does not end with "chunked". The HTTP protocol specifies that when a transfer
coding is applied to a message, "chunked" must the last transfer coding applied to the message body so that the length of the
message body can be determined by the client.
119:223 (http_inspect) Transfer-Encoding with encodings before chunked
An HTTP message includes a Transfer-Encoding header value that specifies other encodings before "chunked."
119:224 (http_inspect) misformatted HTTP traffic
The traffic contains an HTTP version, but does not contain a recognizable start line. This conclusion applies only to one direction
of the flow. The opposite direction may be OK.
119:225 (http_inspect) unsupported Content-Encoding used
The HTTP Content-Encoding header contains a coding other than gzip and deflate decompression.
119:226 (http_inspect) unknown Content-Encoding used
The HTTP Content-Encoding header contains an unknown coding.
119:227 (http_inspect) multiple Content-Encodings applied
The HTTP Content-Encoding header has multiple values, meaning multiple content encodings have been applied.
119:228 (http_inspect) server response before client request
An HTTP server response was seen before a corresponding client request.
119:229 (http_inspect) PDF/SWF/ZIP decompression of server response too big
The decompressed size of the PDF/SWF/ZIP file contained in the HTTP message body exceeded the configured limit. The
decompression limit can be configured with file_id.decompress_buffer_size.
119:230 (http_inspect) nonprinting character in HTTP message header name
An HTTP message header field name contains a nonprinting character.
119:231 (http_inspect) bad Content-Length value in HTTP header
The HTTP Content-Length header value is not a valid decimal length.
119:232 (http_inspect) HTTP header line wrapped
The HTTP header contains a wrapped header line. This means that the header field value has been folded onto multiple lines,
indicated by beginning the continuation line with a space or horizontal tab.
119:233 (http_inspect) HTTP header line terminated by CR without a LF
An HTTP header line is terminated by CR (\r) without LF (\n). The HTTP protocol specifies that header lines should be
terminated by CRLF (\r\n).
119:234 (http_inspect) chunk terminated by nonstandard separator
A chunked transfer-encoded HTTP message body contains a chunk terminated by a nonstandard separator. The separator defined
by the protocol that should terminate each chunk is CRLF (\r\n).
119:235 (http_inspect) chunk length terminated by LF without CR
Snort 3 Reference Manual 208 / 245

A chunked transfer-encoded HTTP message body contains a chunk length that is terminated by LF (\n) without CR (\r). The
protocol specifies that chunk lengths should be terminated by CRLF (\r\n) as the line separator.
119:236 (http_inspect) more than one response with 100 status code
An HTTP server sent more than one response with 100 Continue status code.
119:237 (http_inspect) 100 status code not in response to Expect header
An HTTP server sent a response with a status code other than 100 Continue in response to a request with an Expect header. The
Expect header informs the server that the client will send a (presumably large) message body, and requests that the server send
an interim 100 Continue response if it can handle the request.
119:238 (http_inspect) 1XX status code other than 100 or 101
An HTTP server sent an informational (1XX) response with a status code other than 100 Continue or 101 Switching Protocols.
119:239 (http_inspect) Expect header sent without a message body
An HTTP client sent an Expect header without sending a request message body. The Expect header informs the server that the
client will send a (presumably large) message body, and requests that the server send an interim 100 Continue response if it can
handle the request.
119:240 (http_inspect) HTTP 1.0 message with Transfer-Encoding header
An HTTP 1.0 message contains a Transfer-Encoding header, which is disallowed for that version.
119:241 (http_inspect) Content-Transfer-Encoding used as HTTP header
The Content-Transfer-Encoding field is used as an HTTP header. Content-Transfer-Encoding is a MIME header and is not
registered as an HTTP header.
119:242 (http_inspect) illegal field in chunked message trailers
The HTTP trailer contains a header field that is disallowed in chunked message trailers.
119:243 (http_inspect) header field inappropriately appears twice or has two values
The HTTP Age header field appears twice or has two values.
119:244 (http_inspect) invalid value chunked in Content-Encoding header
An HTTP Content-Encoding header has a value of "chunked", which is not a registered content encoding.
119:245 (http_inspect) 206 response sent to a request without a Range header
A partial content (status code 206) response was sent to a request without a Range header, meaning the client did not request the
message body be fragmented.
119:246 (http_inspect) HTTP in version field not all upper case
An HTTP start line contains a version field where the letters in HTTP are not all upper case.
119:247 (http_inspect) white space embedded in critical header value
There is whitespace embedded in the Content-Length header value other than leading and trailing whitespace.
119:248 (http_inspect) gzip compressed data followed by unexpected non-gzip data
While decompressing a gzip-encoded message body, the zipped data stream ended before the end of the message body, so there
is unexpected non-gzip data following the compressed data.
119:249 (http_inspect) excessive HTTP parameter key repeats
There is an HTTP parameter key that is repeated at least 100 times within a request query.
119:250 (http_inspect) HTTP/2 Transfer-Encoding header other than identity
There is an HTTP/2 Transfer-Encoding header value other than identity. The HTTP/2 protocol specifies that the chunked transfer
encoding is not allowed.
119:251 (http_inspect) HTTP/2 message body overruns Content-Length header value
Snort 3 Reference Manual 209 / 245

An HTTP/2 message header contained a Content-Length header value, but the actual message body transferred is larger than that
value. The Content-Length header is not used to determine the length of the message body for HTTP/2 traffic.
119:252 (http_inspect) HTTP/2 message body smaller than Content-Length header value
An HTTP/2 message header contained a Content-Length header value, but the actual message body transferred is smaller than
that value. The Content-Length header is not used to determine the length of the message body for HTTP/2 traffic.
119:253 (http_inspect) HTTP CONNECT request with a message body
An HTTP client sent a CONNECT request with a request message body.
119:254 (http_inspect) HTTP client-to-server traffic after CONNECT request but before CONNECT response
There was traffic from an HTTP client after the client sent a CONNECT request but before the CONNECT response from the
server was received.
119:255 (http_inspect) HTTP CONNECT 2XX response with Content-Length header
An HTTP server sent a successful (2XX) CONNECT response with a Content-Length header.
119:256 (http_inspect) HTTP CONNECT 2XX response with Transfer-Encoding header
An HTTP server sent a successful (2XX) CONNECT response with a Transfer-Encoding header.
119:257 (http_inspect) HTTP CONNECT response with 1XX status code
An HTTP server sent a CONNECT response with an informational (1XX) status code.
119:258 (http_inspect) HTTP CONNECT response before request message completed
An HTTP CONNECT response was received before the request message from the client was completed.
119:259 (http_inspect) malformed HTTP Content-Disposition filename parameter
A Content-Disposition HTTP header field contains a malformed filename parameter.
119:260 (http_inspect) HTTP Content-Length message body was truncated
The TCP connection was closed before the full HTTP message body was transferred. The length of the full message body was
determined by the Content-Length HTTP header field.
119:261 (http_inspect) HTTP chunked message body was truncated
The TCP connection was closed before the full HTTP message body was transferred. The message uses the chunked transfer-
encoding, so this means there was no well-formed chunk of length zero to terminate the message.
119:262 (http_inspect) HTTP URI scheme longer than 10 characters
The scheme portion of an HTTP URI is longer than 10 characters.
119:263 (http_inspect) HTTP/1 client requested HTTP/2 upgrade
A client sent a request to upgrade an HTTP/1 connection to HTTP/2.
119:264 (http_inspect) HTTP/1 server granted HTTP/2 upgrade
A server granted a request to upgrade a connection from HTTP/1 to HTTP/2.
119:265 (http_inspect) bad token in JavaScript
Enhanced JavaScript normalizer has encountered a symbol that is not expected as a part of a valid JavaScript statement, making
further normalization impossible.
119:266 (http_inspect) unexpected script opening tag in JavaScript
HTML <script> tag must not have a nested <script> tag inside it. If a nested tag is encountered, this alert is raised. This alert is
raised by the enhanced JavaScript normalizer.
119:267 (http_inspect) unexpected script closing tag in JavaScript
This alert is raised when </script> end-tag is encountered inside a JavaScript comment or literal, which is a syntax error, as the
last comment or literal is not closed before script end. This alert is raised by the enhanced JavaScript normalizer.
Snort 3 Reference Manual 210 / 245

119:268 (http_inspect) JavaScript code under the external script tags

When HTML <script> tag contains a reference to an external script, it must not contain any executable JavaScript code. This
alert is raised if executable (i.e. not comment) code is found inside a script tag that has an external reference. This alert is raised
by the enhanced JavaScript normalizer.
119:269 (http_inspect) script opening tag in a short form
In HTML, a script tag must not be self-closing (written as <script /> without a following end-tag). If a self-closing "short-form"
script tag is encountered, this alert is raised. This alert is raised by the enhanced JavaScript normalizer.
119:270 (http_inspect) max number of unique JavaScript identifiers reached
JavaScript normalization includes identifier substitution, which brings arbitrary JavaScript identifiers to a common form. Amount
of unique identifiers to normalize is limited, for memory considerations, with http_inspect.js_norm_identifier_depth parameter.
When this threshold is reached, a corresponding alert is raised. This alert is not expected for typical network traffic and may be
an indication that an attacker is trying to exhaust resources. This alert is raised by the enhanced JavaScript normalizer.
119:271 (http_inspect) JavaScript bracket nesting is over capacity
In JavaScript, template literals can have substitutions, that in turn can have nested template literals, which requires a stack to track
for proper whitespace normalization. Also, the normalization tracks the current bracket scope, which requires a stack as well.
When the depth of nesting exceeds limit set in http_inspect.js_norm_max_tmpl_nest or in http_inspect.js_norm_max_bracket_depth,
this alert is raised. This alert is not expected for typical network traffic and may be an indication that an attacker is trying to
exhaust resources. This alert is raised by the enhanced JavaScript normalizer.
119:272 (http_inspect) Consecutive commas in HTTP Accept-Encoding header
There are consecutive commas, possibly separated by whitespace, in an HTTP Accept-Encoding header. This pattern constitutes
a Microsoft Windows HTTP protocol stack remote code execution attempt. Reference: CVE-2021-31166.
119:273 (http_inspect) missed PDUs during JavaScript normalization
This alert is raised for the following situation. During JavaScript normalization middle PDUs can be missed and not normalized.
Usually it happens when rules have file_data and js_data ips options and fast-pattern (FP) search is applying to file_data. Some
PDUs don’t match file_data FP search and JavaScript normalization won’t be executed for these PDUs. The normalization of the
following PDUs for inline/external scripts will be stopped for current request within the flow. This alert is raised by the enhanced
JavaScript normalizer.
119:274 (http_inspect) JavaScript scope nesting is over capacity
To resolve variable names in JavaScript, a current stack of variable scopes has to be tracked. When the depth of nesting exceeds
the limit set in http_inspect.js_norm_max_scope_depth, this alert is raised. This alert is not expected for typical network traffic
and may be an indication that an attacker is trying to exhaust resources. This alert is raised by the enhanced JavaScript normalizer.
119:275 (http_inspect) HTTP/1 version other than 1.0 or 1.1
The HTTP version in the start line has a valid 1.<subversion> format, but the subversion is not 0 or 1.
119:276 (http_inspect) HTTP version in start line is 0
The HTTP version in the start line has a valid format but the version is 0.
119:277 (http_inspect) HTTP version in start line is higher than 1
The HTTP version in the start line has a valid format but the version is higher than 1. This alert does not apply to HTTP/2 or
HTTP/3 traffic.
119:278 (http_inspect) HTTP gzip body with the FEXTRA flag set
The HTTP message body is gzip encoded and the FEXTRA flag is set in the gzip header.
121:1 (http2_inspect) invalid flag set on HTTP/2 frame
Invalid flag set on HTTP/2 frame header
121:2 (http2_inspect) HPACK integer value has leading zeros
HPACK integer value has leading zeros
Snort 3 Reference Manual 211 / 245

121:3 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 stream initiated with invalid stream id

HTTP/2 stream initiated with invalid stream ID. Either server initiated push promise with odd promised stream ID or new stream
with stream ID that is not greater than the last one seen on this side.
121:4 (http2_inspect) missing HTTP/2 continuation frame
HTTP/2 Headers, Continuation or Push promise frame without the END_HEADERS flag set was not followed by a Continuation
frame.
121:5 (http2_inspect) unexpected HTTP/2 continuation frame
HTTP/2 Continuation frame not preceded by Headers, Continuation or Push promise frame without the END_HEADERS flag.
121:6 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 headers HPACK decoding error
HTTP/2 headers HPACK decoding error
121:7 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 connection preface does not match
HTTP/2 connection preface does not match
121:8 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 request missing required header field
HTTP/2 request missing required header field. CONNECT request without authority, non-CONNECT request without a scheme,
or http/https scheme without a path.
121:9 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 response has no status code
HTTP/2 response has no status code
121:10 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 CONNECT request with scheme or path
HTTP/2 CONNECT request with scheme or path
121:11 (http2_inspect) error in HTTP/2 settings frame
HTTP/2 settings frame error: stream ID isn’t 0, length isn’t multiple of 6, or ACK flag is set and length isn’t 0.
121:12 (http2_inspect) unknown parameter in HTTP/2 settings frame
Unknown parameter in HTTP/2 settings frame. Parameter identifier is not one of the six RFC-defined values.
121:13 (http2_inspect) invalid HTTP/2 frame sequence
Invalid HTTP/2 frame sequence. Frame type is not valid for current stream state.
121:14 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 dynamic table has more than 512 entries
HTTP/2 dynamic table has more than 512 entries
121:15 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 push promise frame with promised stream ID already in use.
HTTP/2 push promise frame with promised stream ID already in use.
121:16 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 padding length is bigger than frame data size
HTTP/2 padding length is bigger than frame data size
121:17 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 pseudo-header after regular header
HTTP/2 pseudo-header after regular header
121:18 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 pseudo-header in trailers
HTTP/2 pseudo-header in trailers
121:19 (http2_inspect) invalid HTTP/2 pseudo-header
Invalid HTTP/2 pseudo header. For response only :status is valid. For request only :authority, :method, :path and :scheme are
valid. Any other pseudo-header or seeing one of these more than once will trigger the alert.
121:20 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 trailers without END_STREAM bit
HTTP/2 trailers without END_STREAM bit
Snort 3 Reference Manual 212 / 245

121:21 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 push promise frame sent when prohibited by receiver
HTTP/2 push promise frame sent when prohibited by receiver. Receiver prohibited push promise by sending settings frame with
SETTINGS_ENABLE_PUSH 0.
121:22 (http2_inspect) padding flag set on HTTP/2 frame with zero length
Padding flag set on HTTP/2 frame with zero length
121:23 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 push promise frame in client-to-server direction
HTTP/2 push promise frame in client-to-server direction
121:24 (http2_inspect) invalid HTTP/2 push promise frame
Invalid HTTP/2 push promise frame, length is less than promised stream ID length.
121:25 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 push promise frame sent at invalid time
HTTP/2 push promise frame sent at invalid time. Client didn’t send headers yet for this stream, END_STREAM already seen on
server side or server side in error state.
121:26 (http2_inspect) invalid parameter value sent in HTTP/2 settings frame
Invalid SETTINGS_ENABLE_PUSH value sent in HTTP/2 settings frame
121:27 (http2_inspect) excessive concurrent HTTP/2 streams
HTTP/2 flow exceed concurrent streams limit, as configured by concurrent_streams_limit.
121:28 (http2_inspect) invalid HTTP/2 rst stream frame
Invalid HTTP/2 RST_STREAM frame. Stream ID is not 0 or length is not 4.
121:29 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 rst stream frame sent at invalid time
HTTP/2 RST_STREAM frame sent at invalid time. Stream is not in idle state, already started with a push promise or headers
frame.
121:30 (http2_inspect) uppercase HTTP/2 header field name
Uppercase HTTP/2 header field name
121:31 (http2_inspect) invalid HTTP/2 window update frame
HTTP/2 window update frame length is not 4
121:32 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 window update frame with zero increment
HTTP/2 window update frame with zero increment
121:33 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 request without a method
HTTP/2 request without a method
121:34 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 HPACK table size update not at the start of a header block
HTTP/2 HPACK table size update not at the start of a header block
121:35 (http2_inspect) More than two HTTP/2 HPACK table size updates in a single header block
More than two HTTP/2 HPACK table size updates in a single header block
121:36 (http2_inspect) HTTP/2 HPACK table size update exceeds max value set by decoder in SETTINGS frame
HTTP/2 HPACK table size update exceeds max value set by decoder in SETTINGS frame
121:37 (http2_inspect) Nonempty HTTP/2 Data frame where message body not expected
Nonempty HTTP/2 Data frame where a message body was not expected.
122:1 (port_scan) TCP portscan
Basic one host to one host TCP portscan where multiple TCP ports are scanned on the destination host from a single host
122:2 (port_scan) TCP decoy portscan
Snort 3 Reference Manual 213 / 245

Decoy TCP portscan where the real scanner’s host address was mixed with multiple decoy hosts to connect to a single port
multiple times
122:3 (port_scan) TCP portsweep
One host to many hosts TCP portsweep where multiple TCP ports are scanned on each destination host
122:4 (port_scan) TCP distributed portscan
Many hosts to one host TCP distributed portscan where many hosts connect to a single destination host and multiple ports are
scanned on the destination host
122:5 (port_scan) TCP filtered portscan
Filtered one host to one host TCP portscan where multiple firewall filtered TCP ports are scanned on the destination host from a
single host
122:6 (port_scan) TCP filtered decoy portscan
Filtered decoy TCP portscan where the real scanner’s host address was mixed with multiple decoy hosts to connect to a single
firewall filtered port multiple times
122:7 (port_scan) TCP filtered portsweep
Filtered one host to many hosts TCP portsweep where multiple firewall filtered TCP ports are scanned on each destination host
122:8 (port_scan) TCP filtered distributed portscan
Filtered many hosts to one host TCP distributed portscan where many hosts connect to a single destination host and multiple
firewall filtered ports are scanned on the destination host
122:9 (port_scan) IP protocol scan
One host to one host IP protocol scan where multiple IP protocols are scanned on the destination host from a single host
122:10 (port_scan) IP decoy protocol scan
Decoy IP protocol scan where the real scanner’s host address was mixed with multiple decoy hosts to scan IP protocols on a
single host multiple times
122:11 (port_scan) IP protocol sweep
One host to many hosts IP protocol sweep where multiple IP protocols are scanned on each host
122:12 (port_scan) IP distributed protocol scan
Many hosts to one host distributed IP protocol scan where many hosts attempt to scan multiple IP protocols on a single destination
host
122:13 (port_scan) IP filtered protocol scan
Filtered one host to one host IP protocol scan where multiple firewall filtered IP protocols are scanned on the destination host
from a single host
122:14 (port_scan) IP filtered decoy protocol scan
Filtered decoy IP protocol scan where the real scanner’s host address was mixed with multiple decoy hosts to scan firewall filtered
IP protocols on a single host multiple times
122:15 (port_scan) IP filtered protocol sweep
Filtered one host to many hosts IP protocol sweep where multiple firewall filtered IP protocols are scanned on each host
122:16 (port_scan) IP filtered distributed protocol scan
Filtered many hosts to one host distributed IP protocol scan where many hosts attempt to scan multiple firewall filtered IP
protocols on a single destination host
122:17 (port_scan) UDP portscan
Basic one host to one host UDP portscan where multiple UDP ports are scanned on the destination host from a single host
122:18 (port_scan) UDP decoy portscan
Snort 3 Reference Manual 214 / 245

Decoy UDP portscan where the real scanner’s host address was mixed with multiple decoy hosts to scan a single UDP port on
the single destination host multiple times
122:19 (port_scan) UDP portsweep
One host to many hosts UDP portsweep where multiple UDP ports are scanned on each destination host from a single host
122:20 (port_scan) UDP distributed portscan
Many hosts to one host distributed UDP portscan where many hosts scan multiple UDP ports on a single destination host
122:21 (port_scan) UDP filtered portscan
Filtered one host to one host UDP portscan where multiple firewall filtered UDP ports are scanned on the destination host from
a single host
122:22 (port_scan) UDP filtered decoy portscan
Filtered decoy UDP portscan where the real scanner’s host address was mixed with multiple decoy hosts to scan a single firewall
filtered UDP port on the single destination host multiple times
122:23 (port_scan) UDP filtered portsweep
Filtered one host to many hosts UDP portsweep where multiple firewall filtered UDP ports are scanned on each destination host
from a single host
122:24 (port_scan) UDP filtered distributed portscan
Filtered many hosts to one host distributed UDP portscan where many hosts scan multiple firewall filtered UDP ports on a single
destination host
122:25 (port_scan) ICMP sweep
One host to many hosts ICMP sweep scan where multiple ICMP scan occurred on each destination host from a single host
122:26 (port_scan) ICMP filtered sweep
Filtered one host to many hosts ICMP sweep scan where multiple ICMP scan occurred on each firewall filtered destination host
from a single host
122:27 (port_scan) open port
open port
123:1 (stream_ip) inconsistent IP options on fragmented packets
Received inconsistent IP options on fragmented packets.
123:2 (stream_ip) teardrop attack
Received indicators of a teardrop attack on fragmented packets.
123:3 (stream_ip) short fragment, possible DOS attempt
Received short fragment, possible DOS attempt (possible boink/bolt/jolt attack). The minimum length required to throw this
alert is specified by stream_ip.min_frag_length.
123:4 (stream_ip) fragment packet ends after defragmented packet
Overlap anomaly: fragment packet ends after defragmented packet.
123:5 (stream_ip) zero-byte fragment packet
Received a zero-byte fragment.
123:6 (stream_ip) bad fragment size, packet size is negative
Bad fragment size encountered, packet size is negative.
123:7 (stream_ip) bad fragment size, packet size is greater than 65536
Bad fragment size encountered, packet size is greater than 65536.
123:8 (stream_ip) fragmentation overlap
Snort 3 Reference Manual 215 / 245

Fragmentation results in overlap between segments.

123:11 (stream_ip) TTL value less than configured minimum, not using for reassembly
TTL value is less than configured minimum, not using for reassembly. Minimum TTL can be configured with stream_ip.min_ttl.
123:12 (stream_ip) excessive fragment overlap
Fragment overlap limit exceeded, event will be raised for all successive fragments. The max fragment overlaps that can occur
before alerting is configurable by changing stream_ip.max_overlaps.
123:13 (stream_ip) tiny fragment
Received a tiny fragment (less than minimum fragment length).
124:1 (smtp) attempted command buffer overflow
SMTP command exceeds the configured max_command_line_len.
124:2 (smtp) attempted data header buffer overflow
SMTP data header exceeds the configured max_header_line_len.
124:3 (smtp) attempted response buffer overflow
SMTP response exceeds the configured max_response_line_len.
124:4 (smtp) attempted specific command buffer overflow
SMTP command that is specified in the alt_max_command_line_len array is detected, and its length exceeds the maximum
length that is configured in the array.
124:5 (smtp) unknown command
Command did not match valid_cmds list.
124:6 (smtp) illegal command
Invalid command(invalid_cmds) is detected.
124:7 (smtp) attempted header name buffer overflow
SMTP header name exceeds 64 characters.
124:8 (smtp) attempted X-Link2State command buffer overflow
Microsoft Exchange X-Link2State command exceeds maximum length of 520 characters.
124:10 (smtp) base64 decoding failed
Base64 decoding failed.
124:11 (smtp) quoted-printable decoding failed
Quoted-printable data decoding failed.
124:13 (smtp) Unix-to-Unix decoding failed
Uudecoding failed.
124:14 (smtp) Cyrus SASL authentication attack
Cyrus SASL authentication attack is detected.
124:15 (smtp) attempted authentication command buffer overflow
AUTH command exceeds the configured max_auth_command_line_len.
124:16 (smtp) file decompression failed
File decompression failed.
125:1 (ftp_server) TELNET cmd on FTP command channel
TELNET command is detected on FTP control channel.
Snort 3 Reference Manual 216 / 245

125:2 (ftp_server) invalid FTP command

Invalid FTP command is detected.
125:3 (ftp_server) FTP command parameters were too long
The length of a FTP command parameter is longer than the configured maximum parameter length.
125:4 (ftp_server) FTP command parameters were malformed
One or more FTP command parameters are malformed.
125:5 (ftp_server) FTP command parameters contained potential string format
FTP command parameter had invalid string format. Two or more than % signs are detected in FTP command parameter.
125:6 (ftp_server) FTP response message was too long
FTP response message is longer than the maximum configured response length.
125:7 (ftp_server) FTP traffic encrypted
FTP traffic is encrypted
125:8 (ftp_server) FTP bounce attempt
FTP servers can allow an attacker to connect to arbitrary ports on machines other than the FTP client. This is called as FTP
bounce attempt and bounce attempt has been detected.
125:9 (ftp_server) evasive (incomplete) TELNET cmd on FTP command channel
Evasive (incomplete) TELNET command is detected on FTP control channel.
126:1 (telnet) consecutive Telnet AYT commands beyond threshold
Consecutive Telnet AYT(Are you There) commands are detected beyond the configured AYT threshold limit.
126:2 (telnet) Telnet traffic encrypted
Telnet traffic is encrypted.
126:3 (telnet) Telnet subnegotiation begin command without subnegotiation end
Telnet subnegotiation begin command is detected without subnegotiation end.
128:1 (ssh) challenge-response overflow exploit
SSH challenge-response overflow exploit. Amount of data transferred from client is more than configured maximum.
128:2 (ssh) SSH1 CRC32 exploit
SSH1 CRC32 exploit. Amount of data transferred from client is more than configured maximum.
128:3 (ssh) server version string overflow
SSH version string is greater than the configured maximum.
128:5 (ssh) bad message direction
SSH bad message direction.
128:6 (ssh) payload size incorrect for the given payload
SSH payload size incorrect for the given payload.
128:7 (ssh) failed to detect SSH version string
Failed to detect SSH version string.
129:1 (stream_tcp) SYN on established session
Received a TCP SYN on an already established TCP session.
129:2 (stream_tcp) data on SYN packet
Data present on SYN packet.
Snort 3 Reference Manual 217 / 245

129:3 (stream_tcp) data sent on stream not accepting data

Data was sent on a stream not accepting data. The stream is in the TIME-WAIT, FIN-WAIT, CLOSED, or CLOSE-WAIT state.
129:4 (stream_tcp) TCP timestamp is outside of PAWS window
The TCP timestamp is outside of PAWS (protection against wrapped sequences) window.
129:5 (stream_tcp) bad segment, adjusted size ⇐ 0 (deprecated)
Bad segment, adjusted size ⇐ 0 (deprecated)
129:6 (stream_tcp) window size (after scaling) larger than policy allows
Window size (after scaling) is larger than policy allows. stream_tcp.max_window can be increased to allow for larger window
sizes if desired.
129:7 (stream_tcp) limit on number of overlapping TCP packets reached
Limit on number of overlapping TCP packets per session was reached. stream_tcp.overlap_limit can be increased to allow for
more overlaps per session, if desired.
129:8 (stream_tcp) data sent on stream after TCP reset sent
Data was sent on stream after a TCP reset was sent, and the stream is in CLOSED state.
129:9 (stream_tcp) TCP client possibly hijacked, different ethernet address
TCP client is possibly hijacked, MAC addresses on received packets differ from what was originally seen on this flow.
129:10 (stream_tcp) TCP server possibly hijacked, different ethernet address
TCP server is possibly hijacked, MAC addresses on received packets differ from what was originally seen on this flow.
129:11 (stream_tcp) TCP data with no TCP flags set
Received TCP data with no TCP flags set.
129:12 (stream_tcp) consecutive TCP small segments exceeding threshold
Consecutive (in the order of received packets, not the order of sequence numbers) TCP small segments exceed the configured
threshold. The size required to be a small segment can be configured via stream_tcp.small_segments.maximum_size, and the
maximum number of these small segments can be configured with int stream_tcp.small_segments.count.
129:13 (stream_tcp) 4-way handshake detected
stream_tcp detected a 4-way handshake, which includes a TCP SYN (without ACK) in response to the initiating client SYN.
stream_tcp.require_3whs = 0 should be set to ensure this can be detected in all cases.
129:14 (stream_tcp) TCP timestamp is missing
TCP timestamp is missing, which could cause a failure in PAWS checking, or RTT calculation.
129:15 (stream_tcp) reset outside window
TCP reset was requested outside window (bad RST).
129:16 (stream_tcp) FIN number is greater than prior FIN
TCP Anomaly: FIN number is greater than prior FIN while the connection is in TIME-WAIT.
129:17 (stream_tcp) ACK number is greater than prior FIN
TCP Anomaly: ACK number is greater than prior FIN while the connection is in FIN-WAIT-2.
129:18 (stream_tcp) data sent on stream after TCP reset received
Data was sent on stream after TCP reset received.
129:19 (stream_tcp) TCP window closed before receiving data
TCP window was closed before receiving data.
129:20 (stream_tcp) TCP session without 3-way handshake
Snort 3 Reference Manual 218 / 245

The TCP 3-way handshake was not seen for this TCP session.
131:1 (dns) obsolete DNS RR types
DNS Response Resource Record Type is Obsolete.
131:2 (dns) experimental DNS RR types
DNS Response Resource Record Type is Experimental.
131:3 (dns) DNS client rdata txt overflow
DNS Response Resource Record Type is Client rdata Overflow.
133:2 (dce_smb) SMB - bad NetBIOS session service session type
Invalid NetBIOS session service type specified in the header. Valid types are keep alive, request from client, positive response,
negative response, and retarget response from the server.
133:3 (dce_smb) SMB - bad SMB message type
Invalid SMB message type specified in the header. Either a request was made by server or a response was given by client.
133:4 (dce_smb) SMB - bad SMB Id (not xffSMB for SMB1 or not xfeSMB for SMB2)
SMB id not equal to \xffSMB for SMB1 or not \xfeSMB for SMB2.
133:5 (dce_smb) SMB - bad word count or structure size
Invalid word count for the command or structure size. SMB commands have specific word counts and if a command with word
count not matching with the required word count, this alert is raised.
133:6 (dce_smb) SMB - bad byte count
Bad byte count for the command. Either word count is zero and byte count isn’t or byte count is not in the range of minimum
and maximum required byte count for the SMB command.
133:7 (dce_smb) SMB - bad format type
Bad format type for the SMB command.
133:8 (dce_smb) SMB - bad offset
Bad Offset. Offset points to beginning of SMB header. Offset is bad, if it points to the data already looked at or after the end of
payload.
133:9 (dce_smb) SMB - zero total data count
SMB command has a field containing total amount of data to be transmitted. If this field is zero, an alert is raised.
133:10 (dce_smb) SMB - NetBIOS data length less than SMB header length
NetBIOS data length value is less than size of the SMB header.
133:11 (dce_smb) SMB - remaining NetBIOS data length less than command length
Remaining NetBIOS data length is less than SMB command length.
133:12 (dce_smb) SMB - remaining NetBIOS data length less than command byte count
Remaining NetBIOS data length is less than the SMB command byte count.
133:13 (dce_smb) SMB - remaining NetBIOS data length less than command data size
Remaining NetBIOS data length is less than SMB command data size.
133:14 (dce_smb) SMB - remaining total data count less than this command data size
Total data count is less than SMB command data size. Total data count must always be greater than or equal to current data size.
133:15 (dce_smb) SMB - total data sent (STDu64) greater than command total data expected
Total data sent in transaction is greater than SMB command total data expected.
133:16 (dce_smb) SMB - byte count less than command data size (STDu64)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 219 / 245

Byte count in the SMB command header is less than the command data size.
133:17 (dce_smb) SMB - invalid command data size for byte count
Byte count minus predetermined value for the SMB command is not equal to data size.
133:18 (dce_smb) SMB - excessive tree connect requests with pending tree connect responses
Excessive SMB tree connect requests with pending tree connect responses. Tree connect requests queue up and wait for server
response. This alert raised for excessing pending tree connect requests.
133:19 (dce_smb) SMB - excessive read requests with pending read responses
Excessive SMB read requests with pending read responses. After client is done writing data, read request is queued and gets
dequeued upon receiving response. This alert raised for excessive pending read requests
133:20 (dce_smb) SMB - excessive command chaining
Excessive command chaining. Number of SMB chained commands in a single request is greater than or equal to the configured
value.
133:21 (dce_smb) SMB - Multiple chained login requests
It is possible to chain multiple Session Setup AndX commands within the same request. There is, however, only one place in the
SMB header to return a login handle (or Uid). Windows does not allow this behavior, however Samba does. This is an anomalous
behavior.
133:22 (dce_smb) SMB - Multiple chained tree connect requests
It is possible to chain multiple Tree Connect AndX commands within the same request. There is, however, only one place in the
SMB header to return a tree handle (or Tid). Windows does not allow this behavior, however Samba does. This is anomalous
behavior.
133:23 (dce_smb) SMB - chained/compounded login followed by logoff
When a Session Setup AndX request is sent to the server, the server responds with a user id or login handle. This is used by the
client in subsequent requests to indicate that it has authenticated. A Logoff AndX request is sent by the client to indicate it wants
to end the session and invalidate the login handle. With SMB commands that are chained after a Session Setup AndX request,
the login handle returned by the server is used for the subsequent chained commands. The combination of a Session Setup
AndX command with a chained Logoff AndX command, essentially logins in and logs off in the same request and is anomalous
behavior.
133:24 (dce_smb) SMB - chained/compounded tree connect followed by tree disconnect
A SMB Tree Connect AndX command is used to connect to a share. The Tree Disconnect command is used to disconnect from
that share. The combination of a Tree Connect AndX command with a chained Tree Disconnect command, essentially connects
to a share and disconnects from the same share in the same request and is anomalous behavior.
133:25 (dce_smb) SMB - chained/compounded open pipe followed by close pipe
An SMB Open AndX or Nt Create AndX command is used to open/create a file handle. The Close command is used to close that
file handle. The combination of a Open AndX or Nt Create AndX command with a chained Close command, essentially opens
and closes the file handle in the same request and is anomalous behavior.
133:26 (dce_smb) SMB - invalid share access
Invalid SMB shares configured. It looks for a Tree Connect or Tree Connect AndX to the share.
133:27 (dce_tcp) connection oriented DCE/RPC - invalid major version
Major version contained in the connection oriented DCE/RPC header is not equal to 5.
133:28 (dce_tcp) connection oriented DCE/RPC - invalid minor version
Minor version contained in the connection oriented DCE/RPC header is not equal to 0.
133:29 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - invalid PDU type
Connection oriented DCE/RPC PDU type contained in the header is not a valid PDU type.
133:30 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - fragment length less than header size
Snort 3 Reference Manual 220 / 245

Fragment length less than connection oriented DCE/RPC header size.

133:31 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - remaining fragment length less than size needed
Connection oriented DCE/RPC remaining fragment length less than size needed.
133:32 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - no context items specified
In connection oriented DCE/RPC Client’s Bind or Alter Context request, there are no context items specified.
133:33 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC -no transfer syntaxes specified
In connection oriented DCE/RPC Client’s Bind or Alter context request, there are no transfer syntaxes to go with the requested
interface.
133:34 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - fragment length on non-last fragment less than maximum negotiated
fragment transmit size for client
Connection oriented DCE/RPC non-last fragment is less than the size of the negotiated maximum fragment length. Most evasion
techniques try to fragment the data as much as possible and usually each fragment comes well below the negotiated transmit size.
133:35 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - fragment length greater than maximum negotiated fragment transmit
size
Connection oriented DCE/RPC fragment length greater than maximum negotiated fragment length.
133:36 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - alter context byte order different from bind
Alter context byte order different from bind. The byte order of the request data is determined by the Bind in connection-oriented
DCE/RPC for Windows. It is anomalous behavior to attempt to change the byte order.
133:37 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - call id of non first/last fragment different from call id established for
fragmented request
Call id of non first/last fragment different from call id established for fragmented request in connection oriented DCE/RPC. The
call id for a set of fragments in a fragmented request should stay the same.
133:38 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - opnum of non first/last fragment different from opnum established for
fragmented request
Connection-oriented DCE/RPC opnum of non first/last fragment different from opnum established for fragmented request. The
operation number specifies which function the request is calling on the bound interface. If a request is fragmented, this number
should stay the same for all fragments.
133:39 (dce_tcp) connection-oriented DCE/RPC - context id of non first/last fragment different from context id established
for fragmented request
Connection-oriented DCE/RPC context id of non first/last fragment different from context id established for fragmented request.
The context id is a handle to a interface that was bound to. If a request if fragmented, this number should stay same for all
fragments.
133:40 (dce_udp) connection-less DCE/RPC - invalid major version
Connection-less DCE/RPC invalid major version. Major version is not equal to 4.
133:41 (dce_udp) connection-less DCE/RPC - invalid PDU type
Connection-less DCE/RPC PDU type is not a valid PDU type.
133:42 (dce_udp) connection-less DCE/RPC - data length less than header size
Connection-less DCE/RPC packet data length is less than size of the header.
133:43 (dce_udp) connection-less DCE/RPC - bad sequence number
Connection-less DCE/RPC bad sequence number. The sequence number used in a request is the same or less than a previously
used sequence number on the session.
133:44 (dce_smb) SMB - invalid SMB version 1 seen
Invalid SMB version 1 seen.
Snort 3 Reference Manual 221 / 245

133:45 (dce_smb) SMB - invalid SMB version 2 seen

Invalid SMB version 2 seen.
133:46 (dce_smb) SMB - invalid user, tree connect, file binding
SMB invalid user, tree connect, file binding seen.
133:47 (dce_smb) SMB - excessive command compounding
SMB excessive command compounding seen.
133:48 (dce_smb) SMB - zero data count
SMB Data count is zero.
133:50 (dce_smb) SMB - maximum number of outstanding requests exceeded
Maximum number of outstanding SMB requests exceeded.
133:51 (dce_smb) SMB - outstanding requests with same MID
Multiple outstanding SMB requests with same MID. When a client sends a request it uses a value called the MID (multiplex id)
to match a response, which the server is supposed to echo, to a request.
133:52 (dce_smb) SMB - deprecated dialect negotiated
Deprecated dialect negotiated. In the Negotiate request a client gives a list of SMB dialects it supports, normally in order from
least desirable to most desirable and the server responds with the index of the dialect to be used on the SMB session. If the client
doesn’t offer it as a supported dialect or the server chooses a lesser dialect, it is deprecated dialect negotiated.
133:53 (dce_smb) SMB - deprecated command used
Deprecated SMB command used. There are a number of commands that are considered deprecated and/or obsolete by Microsoft
(see MS-CIFS and MS-SMB). Detected use of a deprecated/obsolete command.
133:54 (dce_smb) SMB - unusual command used
Unusual SMB command used. There are some commands considered unusual in the context they are used. Some of the com-
mands such as : TRANS_READ_NMPIPE/TRANS_WRITE_NMPIPE/TRANS2_OPEN2/NT_TRANSACT_CREATE/NT_TRANSAC
133:55 (dce_smb) SMB - invalid setup count for command
Transaction SMB commands have a setup count field that indicates word count in the transaction setup, Alert raised if setup
count is invalid for transaction command.
133:56 (dce_smb) SMB - client attempted multiple dialect negotiations on session
Client attempted multiple SMB dialect negotiations on session. There can be only one Negotiate transaction per session and it is
the first thing a client and server do to determine the SMB dialect each supports.
133:57 (dce_smb) SMB - client attempted to create or set a file’s attributes to readonly/hidden/system
SMB client attempted to create or set a file’s attributes to readonly/hidden/system. Malware will often set a files attributes to
ReadOnly/Hidden/System if it is successful in installing itself as a Windows service or is able to write an autorun.inf file since it
doesn’t want the user to see the file and the default folder options in Windows is not to display Hidden files.
133:58 (dce_smb) SMB - file offset provided is greater than file size specified
SMB file offset provided is greater than file size specified.
133:59 (dce_smb) SMB - next command specified in SMB2 header is beyond payload boundary
SMB protocol allows multiple smb commands to be grouped in a single packet. Next command specified in SMB2 header is
greater than the payload boundary.
134:1 (latency) rule tree suspended due to latency
(latency) rule tree suspended due to latency
134:2 (latency) rule tree re-enabled after suspend timeout
(latency) rule tree re-enabled after suspend timeout
Snort 3 Reference Manual 222 / 245

134:3 (latency) packet fastpathed due to latency

(latency) packet fastpathed due to latency
135:1 (stream) TCP SYN received
A TCP SYN was received.
135:2 (stream) TCP session established
A TCP session was established.
135:3 (stream) TCP session cleared
A TCP session was cleared.
136:1 (reputation) packets blocked based on source
The flow was blocked based on the source IP address, since it appears on the IP reputation block list. Configure either the
discovery filter, or the reputation IP lists to change this behavior.
136:2 (reputation) packets trusted based on source
The flow was trusted based on the source IP address, since it appears on the IP reputation trust list. Configure either the discovery
filter, or the reputation IP lists to change this behavior.
136:3 (reputation) packets monitored based on source
The flow was monitored based on the source IP address, since it appears on the IP reputation monitor list. Configure either the
discovery filter, or the reputation IP lists to change this behavior.
136:4 (reputation) packets blocked based on destination
The flow was blocked based on the destination IP address, since it appears on the IP reputation block list. If the flow contained
proxy traffic, the IP address could also be the address of the (inner-layer) proxied connection. Configure either the discovery
filter, or the reputation IP lists to change this behavior.
136:5 (reputation) packets trusted based on destination
The flow was trusted based on the destination IP address, since it appears on the IP reputation trust list. If the flow contained
proxy traffic, the IP address could also be the address of the (inner-layer) proxied connection. Configure either the discovery
filter, or the reputation IP lists to change this behavior.
136:6 (reputation) packets monitored based on destination
The flow was monitored (passed to further inspection) based on the destination IP address, since it appears on the IP reputation
monitor list. If the flow contained proxy traffic, the IP address could also be the address of the (inner-layer) proxied connection.
Configure either the discovery filter, or the reputation IP lists to change this behavior.
137:1 (ssl) invalid client HELLO after server HELLO detected
An invalid SSL client HELLO was received after an SSL server HELLO has been detected.
137:2 (ssl) invalid server HELLO without client HELLO detected
An invalid SSL server HELLO was received without an SSL client HELLO having been detected.
137:3 (ssl) heartbeat read overrun attempt detected
An SSL heartbeat read overrun attempt has been detected.
137:4 (ssl) large heartbeat response detected
A large SSL heartbeat response was detected.
140:2 (sip) empty request URI
SIP Request_URI header field is empty.
140:3 (sip) URI is too long
SIP Request_URI header field is larger than the defined length in configuration.
Snort 3 Reference Manual 223 / 245

140:4 (sip) empty call-Id

SIP Call-ID header field is empty.
140:5 (sip) Call-Id is too long
SIP Call-ID header field is larger than the defined length in configuration.
140:6 (sip) CSeq number is too large or negative
SIP header field CSeq number is too large or negative. The CSeq number value must be expressible as a 32-bit unsigned integer
and must be less than 2ˆ31.
140:7 (sip) request name in CSeq is too long
The request name in the CSeq is larger than the defined length in configuration.
140:8 (sip) empty From header
SIP From header field is empty.
140:9 (sip) From header is too long
SIP From field in header is larger than the defined length in configuration.
140:10 (sip) empty To header
SIP To field in header is empty.
140:11 (sip) To header is too long
SIP To field in header is larger than the defined length in configuration.
140:12 (sip) empty Via header
SIP Via field in header is empty.
140:13 (sip) Via header is too long
SIP Via field in header is larger than the defined length in configuration.
140:14 (sip) empty Contact
SIP contact field in header is empty.
140:15 (sip) contact is too long
SIP contact field in header is larger than the defined length in configuration.
140:16 (sip) content length is too large or negative
SIP content length is too large or negative.
140:17 (sip) multiple SIP messages in a packet
SIP packet has multiple requests in a single packet.
140:18 (sip) content length mismatch
Inconsistencies present between the Content-Length in SIP header and actual body data.
140:19 (sip) request name is invalid
SIP request name field is invalid in response.
140:20 (sip) Invite replay attack
SIP received authenticated invite message, but no challenge from server is received. This is the case of Invite replay attack.
140:21 (sip) illegal session information modification
SIP received authenticated invite message, but session information has been changed. This is different from re-INVITE, where
the dialog has been established and authenticated.
140:22 (sip) response status code is not a 3 digit number
Snort 3 Reference Manual 224 / 245

SIP response status code is not a 3 digit number.

140:23 (sip) empty Content-type header
SIP Content-type header field is empty.
140:24 (sip) SIP version is invalid
SIP version is invalid. SIP version other than 1.0, 1.1, and 2.0 is invalid.
140:25 (sip) mismatch in METHOD of request and the CSEQ header
Mismatch in method of request and the CSEQ header detected.
140:26 (sip) method is unknown
SIP method is unknown.
140:27 (sip) maximum dialogs within a session reached
SIP dialog numbers in the stream session exceeds the maximal value.
141:1 (imap) unknown IMAP3 command
Unknown IMAP3 command is detected.
141:2 (imap) unknown IMAP3 response
Unknown IMAP3 response is detected.
141:4 (imap) base64 decoding failed
Base64 decoding failed.
141:5 (imap) quoted-printable decoding failed
Quoted-printable decoding failed.
141:7 (imap) Unix-to-Unix decoding failed
Uudecoding failed.
141:8 (imap) file decompression failed
File decompression failed.
142:1 (pop) unknown POP3 command
Unknown POP3 command is detected.
142:2 (pop) unknown POP3 response
Unknown POP3 response is detected.
142:4 (pop) base64 decoding failed
Base64 decoding failed.
142:5 (pop) quoted-printable decoding failed
Quoted-printable decoding failed.
142:7 (pop) Unix-to-Unix decoding failed
Uudecoding failed.
142:8 (pop) file decompression failed
File decompression failed.
143:1 (gtp_inspect) message length is invalid
gtp_inspect detected invalid message length
143:2 (gtp_inspect) information element length is invalid
gtp_inspect detected invalid information element length
Snort 3 Reference Manual 225 / 245

143:3 (gtp_inspect) information elements are out of order

gtp_inspect detected information elements are out of order
143:4 (gtp_inspect) TEID is missing
gtp_inspect detected tunnel endpoint identifier having zero
144:1 (modbus) length in Modbus MBAP header does not match the length needed for the given function
Length in Modbus MBAP header does not match the length needed for the given function or length mismatch discovered while
parsing the PDU
144:2 (modbus) Modbus protocol ID is non-zero
Modbus protocol ID is non-zero
144:3 (modbus) reserved Modbus function code in use
Modbus using reserved function code
145:1 (dnp3) DNP3 link-layer frame contains bad CRC
DNP3 link-layer frame contains bad CRC
145:2 (dnp3) DNP3 link-layer frame is truncated or frame length is invalid
DNP3 link-layer frame is truncated or frame length is invalid
145:3 (dnp3) DNP3 transport-layer segment sequence number is incorrect
DNP3 transport-layer segment sequence number is incorrect
145:4 (dnp3) DNP3 transport-layer segment flag violation is detected
DNP3 transport-layer segment flag violation is detected, FIR flag was set in middle fragment
145:5 (dnp3) DNP3 link-layer frame uses a reserved address
DNP3 link-layer frame uses a reserved address (0xFFF0 to 0xFFFB)
145:6 (dnp3) DNP3 application-layer fragment uses a reserved function code
DNP3 application-layer fragment uses an undefined function code, defined function codes: Requests (0 to 33) and Responses
(129 to 131)
148:1 (cip) CIP data is malformed
(cip) CIP data is malformed
148:2 (cip) CIP data is non-conforming to ODVA standard
(cip) CIP data is non-conforming to ODVA standard
148:3 (cip) CIP connection limit exceeded. Least recently used connection removed
(cip) CIP connection limit exceeded. Least recently used connection removed
148:4 (cip) CIP unconnected request limit exceeded. Oldest request removed
(cip) CIP unconnected request limit exceeded. Oldest request removed
149:1 (s7commplus) length in S7commplus MBAP header does not match the length needed for the given S7commplus
function
(s7commplus) length in S7commplus MBAP header does not match the length needed for the given S7commplus function
149:2 (s7commplus) S7commplus protocol ID is non-zero
(s7commplus) S7commplus protocol ID is non-zero
149:3 (s7commplus) reserved S7commplus function code in use
(s7commplus) reserved S7commplus function code in use
150:1 (file_id) file not processed due to per flow limit
Snort 3 Reference Manual 226 / 245

(file_id) file not processed due to per flow limit

151:1 (iec104) Length in IEC104 APCI header does not match the length needed for the given IEC104 ASDU type id
(iec104) Length in IEC104 APCI header does not match the length needed for the given IEC104 ASDU type id
151:2 (iec104) IEC104 Start byte does not match 0x68
(iec104) IEC104 Start byte does not match 0x68
151:3 (iec104) Reserved IEC104 ASDU type id in use
(iec104) Reserved IEC104 ASDU type id in use
151:4 (iec104) IEC104 APCI U Reserved field contains a non-default value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI U Reserved field contains a non-default value
151:5 (iec104) IEC104 APCI U message type was set to an invalid value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI U message type was set to an invalid value
151:6 (iec104) IEC104 APCI S Reserved field contains a non-default value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI S Reserved field contains a non-default value
151:7 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I number of elements set to zero
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I number of elements set to zero
151:8 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I SQ bit set on an ASDU that does not support the feature
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I SQ bit set on an ASDU that does not support the feature
151:9 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I number of elements set to greater than one on an ASDU that does not support the feature
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I number of elements set to greater than one on an ASDU that does not support the feature
151:10 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Cause of Initialization set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Cause of Initialization set to a reserved value
151:11 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Interrogation Command set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Interrogation Command set to a reserved value
151:12 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Counter Interrogation Command request parameter set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Counter Interrogation Command request parameter set to a reserved value
151:13 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Parameter of Measured Values kind of parameter set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Parameter of Measured Values kind of parameter set to a reserved value
151:14 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Parameter of Measured Values local parameter change set to a technically
valid but unused value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Parameter of Measured Values local parameter change set to a technically valid but unused
value
151:15 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Parameter of Measured Values parameter option set to a technically valid
but unused value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Parameter of Measured Values parameter option set to a technically valid but unused value
151:16 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Parameter Activation set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Parameter Activation set to a reserved value
151:17 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Command set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Command set to a reserved value
151:18 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Reset Process set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Reset Process set to a reserved value
Snort 3 Reference Manual 227 / 245

151:19 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I File Ready Qualifier set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I File Ready Qualifier set to a reserved value
151:20 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Section Ready Qualifier set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Section Ready Qualifier set to a reserved value
151:21 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Select and Call Qualifier set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Select and Call Qualifier set to a reserved value
151:22 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Last Section or Segment Qualifier set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Last Section or Segment Qualifier set to a reserved value
151:23 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Acknowledge File or Section Qualifier set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Acknowledge File or Section Qualifier set to a reserved value
151:24 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Structure Qualifier set on a message where it should have no effect
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Structure Qualifier set on a message where it should have no effect
151:25 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Single Point Information Reserved field contains a non-default value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Single Point Information Reserved field contains a non-default value
151:26 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Double Point Information Reserved field contains a non-default value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Double Point Information Reserved field contains a non-default value
151:27 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Cause of Transmission set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Cause of Transmission set to a reserved value
151:28 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Cause of Transmission set to a value not allowed for the ASDU
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Cause of Transmission set to a value not allowed for the ASDU
151:29 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I invalid two octet common address value detected
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I invalid two octet common address value detected
151:30 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Quality Descriptor Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Quality Descriptor Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value
151:31 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Quality Descriptor for Events of Protection Equipment Structure Reserved field contains
a non-default value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Quality Descriptor for Events of Protection Equipment Structure Reserved field contains a non-default
value
151:32 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I IEEE STD 754 value results in NaN
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I IEEE STD 754 value results in NaN
151:33 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I IEEE STD 754 value results in infinity
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I IEEE STD 754 value results in infinity
151:34 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Single Event of Protection Equipment Structure Reserved field contains a non-default
value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Single Event of Protection Equipment Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value
151:35 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Start Event of Protection Equipment Structure Reserved field contains a non-default
value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Start Event of Protection Equipment Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value
151:36 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Output Circuit Information Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Output Circuit Information Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value
Snort 3 Reference Manual 228 / 245

151:37 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Abnormal Fixed Test Bit Pattern detected
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Abnormal Fixed Test Bit Pattern detected
151:38 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Single Command Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Single Command Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value
151:39 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Double Command Structure contains an invalid value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Double Command Structure contains an invalid value
151:40 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Regulating Step Command Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Regulating Step Command Structure Reserved field contains a non-default value
151:41 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Millisecond set outside of the allowable range
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Millisecond set outside of the allowable range
151:42 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Minute set outside of the allowable range
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Minute set outside of the allowable range
151:43 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Minute Reserved field contains a non-default value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Minute Reserved field contains a non-default value
151:44 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Hours set outside of the allowable range
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Hours set outside of the allowable range
151:45 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Hours Reserved field contains a non-default value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Hours Reserved field contains a non-default value
151:46 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Day of Month set outside of the allowable range
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Day of Month set outside of the allowable range
151:47 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Month set outside of the allowable range
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Month set outside of the allowable range
151:48 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Month Reserved field contains a non-default value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Month Reserved field contains a non-default value
151:49 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Year set outside of the allowable range
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Year set outside of the allowable range
151:50 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Year Reserved field contains a non-default value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Time2a Year Reserved field contains a non-default value
151:51 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I a null Length of Segment value has been detected
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I a null Length of Segment value has been detected
151:52 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I an invalid Length of Segment value has been detected
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I an invalid Length of Segment value has been detected
151:53 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Status of File set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Status of File set to a reserved value
151:54 (iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Set Point Command ql field set to a reserved value
(iec104) IEC104 APCI I Qualifier of Set Point Command ql field set to a reserved value
175:1 (domain_filter) configured domain detected
(domain_filter) configured domain detected
256:1 (dpx) too much data sent to port
(dpx) too much data sent to port
Snort 3 Reference Manual 229 / 245

11.8 Command Set

• appid.enable_debug(proto, src_ip, src_port, dst_ip, dst_port): enable appid debugging

• appid.disable_debug(): disable appid debugging
• appid.reload_third_party(): reload appid third-party module
• appid.reload_detectors(): reload appid detectors
• host_cache.dump(file_name): dump host cache
• host_cache.delete_host(host_ip): delete host from host cache
• host_cache.delete_network_proto(host_ip, proto): delete network protocol from host
• host_cache.delete_transport_proto(host_ip, proto): delete transport protocol from host
• host_cache.delete_service(host_ip, port, proto): delete service from host
• host_cache.delete_client(host_ip, id, service, version): delete client from host
• host_cache.get_stats(): get current host cache usage and pegs
• network.set_policy(id): set the network policy for commands given the user policy id
• packet_capture.enable(filter, group): dump raw packets
• packet_capture.disable(): stop packet dump
• packet_tracer.enable(proto, src_ip, src_port, dst_ip, dst_port): enable packet tracer debugging
• packet_tracer.disable(): disable packet tracer
• perf_monitor.enable_flow_ip_profiling(seconds, packets): enable statistics on host pairs
• perf_monitor.disable_flow_ip_profiling(): disable statistics on host pairs
• perf_monitor.show_flow_ip_profiling(): show status of statistics on host pairs
• reputation.reload(): reload reputation data
• rna.dump_macs(): dump rna’s internal MAC trackers
• rna.delete_mac_host(mac): delete a MAC from rna’s MAC cache
• rna.delete_mac_host_proto(mac, proto): delete a protocol associated with a MAC host
• rna.purge_data(): purge all host cache and mac cache data
• snort.show_plugins(): show available plugins
• snort.delete_inspector(inspector): delete an inspector from the default policy
• snort.dump_stats(): show summary statistics
• snort.reset_stats(): clear summary statistics
• snort.rotate_stats(): roll perfmonitor log files
• snort.reload_config(filename): load new configuration
• snort.reload_policy(filename): reload part or all of the default policy
• snort.reload_module(module): reload module
• snort.reload_daq(): reload daq module
• snort.reload_hosts(filename): load a new hosts table
Snort 3 Reference Manual 230 / 245

• snort.pause(): suspend packet processing

• snort.resume(pkt_num): continue packet processing. If number of packets is specified, will resume for n packets and pause
• snort.detach(): detach from control shell (without shutting down)
• snort.quit(): shutdown and dump-stats
• snort.help(): this output
• trace.set(modules, constraints, ntuple, timestamp): set modules traces, constraints, ntuple and timestamp options
• trace.clear(): clear modules traces and constraints

11.9 Signals

Important
Signal numbers are for the system that generated this documentation and are not applicable elsewhere.

• term(15): shutdown normally

• int(2): shutdown normally
• quit(3): shutdown as if started with --dirty-pig
• stats(10): dump stats to stdout
• rotate(12): rotate stats files
• reload(1): reload config file
• hosts(23): reload hosts file

11.10 Module Listing

• ack (ips_option): rule option to match on TCP ack numbers

• active (basic): configure responses
• address_space_selector (policy_selector): configure traffic processing based on address space
• alert_csv (logger): output event in csv format
• alert_ex (logger): output gid:sid:rev for alerts
• alert_fast (logger): output event with brief text format
• alert_full (logger): output event with full packet dump
• alert_json (logger): output event in json format
• alert_syslog (logger): output event to syslog
• alert_talos (logger): output event in Talos alert format
• alert_unixsock (logger): output event over unix socket
• alerts (basic): configure alerts
• appid (inspector): application and service identification
Snort 3 Reference Manual 231 / 245

• appid_listener (inspector): log selected published data to appid_listener.log

• appids (ips_option): detection option for application ids
• arp (codec): support for address resolution protocol

• arp_spoof (inspector): detect ARP attacks and anomalies

• asn1 (ips_option): rule option for asn1 detection
• attribute_table (basic): configure hosts loading

• auth (codec): support for IP authentication header

• back_orifice (inspector): back orifice detection
• base64_decode (ips_option): rule option to decode base64 data - must be used with base64_data option
• ber_data (ips_option): rule option to move to the data for a specified BER element

• ber_skip (ips_option): rule option to skip BER element

• binder (inspector): configure processing based on CIDRs, ports, services, etc.
• bufferlen (ips_option): rule option to check length of current buffer

• byte_extract (ips_option): rule option to convert data to an integer variable

• byte_jump (ips_option): rule option to move the detection cursor
• byte_math (ips_option): rule option to perform mathematical operations on extracted value and a specified value or existing
variable

• byte_test (ips_option): rule option to convert data to integer and compare

• cip (inspector): cip inspection
• cip_attribute (ips_option): detection option to match CIP attribute
• cip_class (ips_option): detection option to match CIP class

• cip_conn_path_class (ips_option): detection option to match CIP Connection Path Class

• cip_instance (ips_option): detection option to match CIP instance
• cip_req (ips_option): detection option to match CIP request

• cip_rsp (ips_option): detection option to match CIP response

• cip_service (ips_option): detection option to match CIP service
• cip_status (ips_option): detection option to match CIP response status
• ciscometadata (codec): support for cisco metadata

• classifications (basic): define rule categories with priority

• classtype (ips_option): general rule option for rule classification
• content (ips_option): payload rule option for basic pattern matching
• cpeos_test (inspector): for testing CPE OS RNA event generation

• cvs (ips_option): payload rule option for detecting specific attacks

• daq (basic): configure packet acquisition interface
• data_log (inspector): log selected published data to data.log
Snort 3 Reference Manual 232 / 245

• dce_http_proxy (inspector): dce over http inspection - client to/from proxy

• dce_http_server (inspector): dce over http inspection - proxy to/from server
• dce_iface (ips_option): detection option to check dcerpc interface
• dce_opnum (ips_option): detection option to check dcerpc operation number
• dce_smb (inspector): dce over smb inspection
• dce_stub_data (ips_option): sets the cursor to dcerpc stub data
• dce_tcp (inspector): dce over tcp inspection
• dce_udp (inspector): dce over udp inspection
• decode (basic): general decoder rules
• detection (basic): configure general IPS rule processing parameters
• detection_filter (ips_option): rule option to require multiple hits before a rule generates an event
• dnp3 (inspector): dnp3 inspection
• dnp3_data (ips_option): sets the cursor to dnp3 data
• dnp3_func (ips_option): detection option to check DNP3 function code
• dnp3_ind (ips_option): detection option to check DNP3 indicator flags
• dnp3_obj (ips_option): detection option to check DNP3 object headers
• dns (inspector): dns inspection
• domain_filter (inspector): alert on configured HTTP domains
• dpx (inspector): dynamic inspector example
• dsize (ips_option): rule option to test payload size
• eapol (codec): support for extensible authentication protocol over LAN
• enable (ips_option): stub rule option to enable or disable full rule
• enip_command (ips_option): detection option to match CIP Enip Command
• enip_req (ips_option): detection option to match ENIP Request
• enip_rsp (ips_option): detection option to match ENIP response
• erspan2 (codec): support for encapsulated remote switched port analyzer - type 2
• erspan3 (codec): support for encapsulated remote switched port analyzer - type 3
• esp (codec): support for encapsulating security payload
• eth (codec): support for ethernet protocol (DLT 1) (DLT 51)
• event_filter (basic): configure thresholding of events
• event_queue (basic): configure event queue parameters
• fabricpath (codec): support for fabricpath
• file_connector (connector): implement the file based connector
• file_data (ips_option): rule option to set detection cursor to file data
• file_id (inspector): configure file identification
Snort 3 Reference Manual 233 / 245

• file_log (inspector): log file event to file.log

• file_policy (basic): configure file policy
• file_type (ips_option): rule option to check file type
• flags (ips_option): rule option to test TCP control flags
• flow (ips_option): rule option to check session properties
• flowbits (ips_option): rule option to set and test arbitrary boolean flags
• fragbits (ips_option): rule option to test IP frag flags
• fragoffset (ips_option): rule option to test IP frag offset
• ftp_client (inspector): FTP client configuration module for use with ftp_server
• ftp_data (inspector): FTP data channel handler
• ftp_server (inspector): main FTP module; ftp_client should also be configured
• geneve (codec): support for Geneve: Generic Network Virtualization Encapsulation
• gid (ips_option): rule option specifying rule generator
• gre (codec): support for generic routing encapsulation
• gtp (codec): support for general-packet-radio-service tunneling protocol
• gtp_info (ips_option): rule option to check gtp info element
• gtp_inspect (inspector): gtp control channel inspection
• gtp_type (ips_option): rule option to check gtp types
• gtp_version (ips_option): rule option to check GTP version
• high_availability (basic): implement flow tracking high availability
• host_cache (basic): global LRU cache of host_tracker data about hosts
• host_tracker (basic): configure hosts
• hosts (basic): configure hosts
• http2_inspect (inspector): HTTP/2 inspector
• http_client_body (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the request body
• http_cookie (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the HTTP cookie
• http_header (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the normalized headers
• http_header_test (ips_option): rule option to perform range check on specified header field, check whether it is a number, or
check if the field is absent
• http_inspect (inspector): HTTP inspector
• http_method (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the HTTP request method
• http_num_headers (ips_option): rule option to perform range check on number of headers
• http_num_trailers (ips_option): rule option to perform range check on number of trailers
• http_param (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the value of the specified HTTP parameter key which may
be in the query or body
• http_raw_body (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized message body
Snort 3 Reference Manual 234 / 245

• http_raw_cookie (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized cookie
• http_raw_header (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized headers
• http_raw_request (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized request line

• http_raw_status (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized status line
• http_raw_trailer (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized trailers
• http_raw_uri (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized URI

• http_stat_code (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the HTTP status code
• http_stat_msg (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the HTTP status message
• http_trailer (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the normalized trailers
• http_trailer_test (ips_option): rule option to perform range check on specified trailer field, check whether it is a number, or
check if the field is absent
• http_true_ip (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the final client IP address
• http_uri (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the normalized URI buffer
• http_version (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the version buffer

• http_version_match (ips_option): rule option to match version to listed values

• hyperscan (search_engine): intel hyperscan-based mpse with regex support
• icmp4 (codec): support for Internet control message protocol v4

• icmp6 (codec): support for Internet control message protocol v6

• icmp_id (ips_option): rule option to check ICMP ID
• icmp_seq (ips_option): rule option to check ICMP sequence number
• icode (ips_option): rule option to check ICMP code

• id (ips_option): rule option to check the IP ID field

• iec104 (inspector): iec104 inspection
• iec104_apci_type (ips_option): rule option to check iec104 apci type

• iec104_asdu_func (ips_option): rule option to check iec104 function code

• igmp (codec): support for Internet group management protocol
• imap (inspector): imap inspection
• inspection (basic): configure basic inspection policy parameters

• ip_proto (ips_option): rule option to check the IP protocol number

• ipopts (ips_option): rule option to check for IP options
• ips (basic): configure IPS rule processing
• ipv4 (codec): support for Internet protocol v4 (DLT 228)

• ipv6 (codec): support for Internet protocol v6 (DLT 229)

• isdataat (ips_option): rule option to check for the presence of payload data
• itype (ips_option): rule option to check ICMP type
Snort 3 Reference Manual 235 / 245

• js_data (ips_option): rule option to set detection cursor to normalized JavaScript data
• latency (basic): packet and rule latency monitoring and control
• llc (codec): support for logical link control
• log_codecs (logger): log protocols in packet by layer
• log_hext (logger): output payload suitable for daq hext
• log_pcap (logger): log packet in pcap format
• md5 (ips_option): payload rule option for hash matching
• mem_test (inspector): for testing memory management
• memory (basic): memory management configuration
• metadata (ips_option): rule option for conveying arbitrary comma-separated name, value data within the rule text
• modbus (inspector): modbus inspection
• modbus_data (ips_option): rule option to set cursor to modbus data
• modbus_func (ips_option): rule option to check modbus function code
• modbus_unit (ips_option): rule option to check Modbus unit ID
• mpls (codec): support for multiprotocol label switching
• msg (ips_option): rule option summarizing rule purpose output with events
• mss (ips_option): detection for TCP maximum segment size
• netflow (inspector): netflow inspection
• network (basic): configure basic network parameters
• normalizer (inspector): packet scrubbing for inline mode
• null_trace_logger (inspector): trace logger with a null printout
• output (basic): configure general output parameters
• packet_capture (inspector): raw packet dumping facility
• packet_tracer (basic): generate debug trace messages for packets
• packets (basic): configure basic packet handling
• payload_injector (basic): payload injection utility
• pbb (codec): support for 802.1ah protocol
• pcre (ips_option): rule option for matching payload data with pcre
• perf_monitor (inspector): performance monitoring and flow statistics collection
• pgm (codec): support for pragmatic general multicast
• pkt_data (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the normalized packet data
• pkt_num (ips_option): alert on raw packet number
• pop (inspector): pop inspection
• port_scan (inspector): detect various ip, icmp, tcp, and udp port or protocol scans
• pppoe (codec): support for point-to-point protocol over ethernet
Snort 3 Reference Manual 236 / 245

• priority (ips_option): rule option for prioritizing events

• process (basic): configure basic process setup
• profiler (basic): configure profiling of rules and/or modules
• rate_filter (basic): configure rate filters (which change rule actions)
• raw_data (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the raw packet data
• react (ips_action): send response to client and terminate session
• reference (ips_option): rule option to indicate relevant attack identification system
• references (basic): define reference systems used in rules
• regex (ips_option): rule option for matching payload data with hyperscan regex; uses pcre syntax
• reject (ips_action): terminate session with TCP reset or ICMP unreachable
• rem (ips_option): rule option to convey an arbitrary comment in the rule body
• replace (ips_option): rule option to overwrite payload data; use with "rewrite" action; works for raw packets only
• reputation (inspector): reputation inspection
• rev (ips_option): rule option to indicate current revision of signature
• rna (inspector): Real-time network awareness and OS fingerprinting (experimental)
• rpc (ips_option): rule option to check SUNRPC CALL parameters
• rpc_decode (inspector): RPC inspector
• s7commplus (inspector): s7commplus inspection
• s7commplus_content (ips_option): rule option to set cursor to s7commplus content
• s7commplus_func (ips_option): rule option to check s7commplus function code
• s7commplus_opcode (ips_option): rule option to check s7commplus opcode code
• sd_pattern (ips_option): rule option for detecting sensitive data
• search_engine (basic): configure fast pattern matcher
• seq (ips_option): rule option to check TCP sequence number
• service (ips_option): rule option to specify list of services for grouping rules
• sha256 (ips_option): payload rule option for hash matching
• sha512 (ips_option): payload rule option for hash matching
• sid (ips_option): rule option to indicate signature number
• side_channel (basic): implement the side-channel asynchronous messaging subsystem
• sip (inspector): sip inspection
• sip_body (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the request body
• sip_header (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the SIP header buffer
• sip_method (ips_option): detection option for sip stat code
• sip_stat_code (ips_option): detection option for sip stat code
• smtp (inspector): smtp inspection
Snort 3 Reference Manual 237 / 245

• snort (basic): command line configuration and shell commands

• so (ips_option): rule option to call custom eval function
• so_proxy (inspector): a proxy inspector to track flow data from SO rules (internal use only)
• soid (ips_option): rule option to specify a shared object rule ID
• ssh (inspector): ssh inspection
• ssl (inspector): ssl inspection
• ssl_state (ips_option): detection option for ssl state
• ssl_version (ips_option): detection option for ssl version
• stream (inspector): common flow tracking
• stream_file (inspector): stream inspector for file flow tracking and processing
• stream_icmp (inspector): stream inspector for ICMP flow tracking
• stream_ip (inspector): stream inspector for IP flow tracking and defragmentation
• stream_reassemble (ips_option): detection option for stream reassembly control
• stream_size (ips_option): detection option for stream size checking
• stream_tcp (inspector): stream inspector for TCP flow tracking and stream normalization and reassembly
• stream_udp (inspector): stream inspector for UDP flow tracking
• stream_user (inspector): stream inspector for user flow tracking and reassembly
• suppress (basic): configure event suppressions
• tag (ips_option): rule option to log additional packets
• target (ips_option): rule option to indicate target of attack
• tcp (codec): support for transmission control protocol
• tcp_connector (connector): implement the tcp stream connector
• telnet (inspector): telnet inspection and normalization
• tenant_selector (policy_selector): configure traffic processing based on tenants
• token_ring (codec): support for token ring decoding
• tos (ips_option): rule option to check type of service field
• trace (basic): configure trace log messages
• ttl (ips_option): rule option to check time to live field
• udp (codec): support for user datagram protocol
• unified2 (logger): output event and packet in unified2 format file
• urg (ips_option): detection for TCP urgent pointer
• vba_data (ips_option): rule option to set the detection cursor to the MS Office Visual Basic for Applications macros buffer
• vlan (codec): support for local area network
• window (ips_option): rule option to check TCP window field
• wizard (inspector): inspector that implements port-independent protocol identification
• wlan (codec): support for wireless local area network protocol (DLT 105)
• wscale (ips_option): detection for TCP window scale
Snort 3 Reference Manual 238 / 245

11.11 Plugin Listing

• codec::arp: support for address resolution protocol

• codec::auth: support for IP authentication header
• codec::bad_proto: bad protocol id
• codec::ciscometadata: support for cisco metadata
• codec::eapol: support for extensible authentication protocol over LAN
• codec::erspan2: support for encapsulated remote switched port analyzer - type 2
• codec::erspan3: support for encapsulated remote switched port analyzer - type 3
• codec::esp: support for encapsulating security payload
• codec::eth: support for ethernet protocol (DLT 1) (DLT 51)
• codec::fabricpath: support for fabricpath
• codec::geneve: support for Geneve: Generic Network Virtualization Encapsulation
• codec::gre: support for generic routing encapsulation
• codec::gtp: support for general-packet-radio-service tunneling protocol
• codec::icmp4: support for Internet control message protocol v4
• codec::icmp4_ip: support for IP in ICMPv4
• codec::icmp6: support for Internet control message protocol v6
• codec::icmp6_ip: support for IP in ICMPv6
• codec::igmp: support for Internet group management protocol
• codec::ipv4: support for Internet protocol v4 (DLT 228)
• codec::ipv6: support for Internet protocol v6 (DLT 229)
• codec::ipv6_dst_opts: support for ipv6 destination options
• codec::ipv6_frag: support for IPv6 fragment decoding
• codec::ipv6_hop_opts: support for IPv6 hop options
• codec::ipv6_mobility: support for mobility
• codec::ipv6_no_next: sentinel codec
• codec::ipv6_routing: support for IPv6 routing extension
• codec::linux_sll: support for Linux SLL (DLT 113)
• codec::llc: support for logical link control
• codec::mpls: support for multiprotocol label switching
• codec::null: support for null encapsulation (DLT 0)
• codec::pbb: support for 802.1ah protocol
• codec::pflog: support for OpenBSD PF log (DLT 117)
• codec::pgm: support for pragmatic general multicast
• codec::ppp: support for point-to-point encapsulation (DLT 9)
Snort 3 Reference Manual 239 / 245

• codec::ppp_encap: support for point-to-point encapsulation

• codec::pppoe_disc: support for point-to-point discovery
• codec::pppoe_sess: support for point-to-point session
• codec::raw: support for raw IP (DLT 12)
• codec::slip: support for slip protocol (DLT 8)
• codec::tcp: support for transmission control protocol
• codec::teredo: support for teredo
• codec::token_ring: support for token ring decoding
• codec::trans_bridge: support for trans-bridging
• codec::udp: support for user datagram protocol
• codec::user: support for user sessions (DLT 230)
• codec::vlan: support for local area network
• codec::vxlan: support for Virtual Extensible LAN
• codec::wlan: support for wireless local area network protocol (DLT 105)
• connector::file_connector: implement the file based connector
• connector::tcp_connector: implement the tcp stream connector
• inspector::appid: application and service identification
• inspector::appid_listener: log selected published data to appid_listener.log
• inspector::arp_spoof: detect ARP attacks and anomalies
• inspector::back_orifice: back orifice detection
• inspector::binder: configure processing based on CIDRs, ports, services, etc.
• inspector::cip: cip inspection
• inspector::cpeos_test: for testing CPE OS RNA event generation
• inspector::data_log: log selected published data to data.log
• inspector::dce_http_proxy: dce over http inspection - client to/from proxy
• inspector::dce_http_server: dce over http inspection - proxy to/from server
• inspector::dce_smb: dce over smb inspection
• inspector::dce_tcp: dce over tcp inspection
• inspector::dce_udp: dce over udp inspection
• inspector::dnp3: dnp3 inspection
• inspector::dns: dns inspection
• inspector::domain_filter: alert on configured HTTP domains
• inspector::dpx: dynamic inspector example
• inspector::file_id: configure file identification
• inspector::file_log: log file event to file.log
Snort 3 Reference Manual 240 / 245

• inspector::ftp_client: FTP inspector client module

• inspector::ftp_data: FTP data channel handler
• inspector::ftp_server: FTP inspector server module
• inspector::gtp_inspect: gtp control channel inspection
• inspector::http2_inspect: the HTTP/2 inspector
• inspector::http_inspect: the new HTTP inspector!
• inspector::iec104: iec104 inspection
• inspector::imap: imap inspection
• inspector::mem_test: for testing memory management
• inspector::modbus: modbus inspection
• inspector::netflow: netflow inspection
• inspector::normalizer: packet scrubbing for inline mode
• inspector::null_trace_logger: trace logger with a null printout
• inspector::packet_capture: raw packet dumping facility
• inspector::perf_monitor: performance monitoring and flow statistics collection
• inspector::pop: pop inspection
• inspector::port_scan: detect various ip, icmp, tcp, and udp port or protocol scans
• inspector::reputation: reputation inspection
• inspector::rna: Real-time network awareness and OS fingerprinting (experimental)
• inspector::rpc_decode: RPC inspector
• inspector::s7commplus: s7commplus inspection
• inspector::sip: sip inspection
• inspector::smtp: smtp inspection
• inspector::so_proxy: a proxy inspector to track flow data from SO rules (internal use only)
• inspector::ssh: ssh inspection
• inspector::ssl: ssl inspection
• inspector::stream: common flow tracking
• inspector::stream_file: stream inspector for file flow tracking and processing
• inspector::stream_icmp: stream inspector for ICMP flow tracking
• inspector::stream_ip: stream inspector for IP flow tracking and defragmentation
• inspector::stream_tcp: stream inspector for TCP flow tracking and stream normalization and reassembly
• inspector::stream_udp: stream inspector for UDP flow tracking
• inspector::stream_user: stream inspector for user flow tracking and reassembly
• inspector::telnet: telnet inspection and normalization
• inspector::wizard: inspector that implements port-independent protocol identification
Snort 3 Reference Manual 241 / 245

• ips_action::alert: generate alert on the current packet

• ips_action::block: block current packet and all the subsequent packets in this flow
• ips_action::drop: drop the current packet

• ips_action::log: log the current packet

• ips_action::pass: mark the current packet as passed
• ips_action::react: send response to client and terminate session

• ips_action::reject: terminate session with TCP reset or ICMP unreachable

• ips_action::rewrite: overwrite packet contents with the "replace" option content
• ips_option::ack: rule option to match on TCP ack numbers
• ips_option::appids: detection option for application ids

• ips_option::asn1: rule option for asn1 detection

• ips_option::base64_data: set detection cursor to decoded Base64 data
• ips_option::base64_decode: rule option to decode base64 data - must be used with base64_data option

• ips_option::ber_data: rule option to move to the data for a specified BER element
• ips_option::ber_skip: rule option to skip BER element
• ips_option::bufferlen: rule option to check length of current buffer
• ips_option::byte_extract: rule option to convert data to an integer variable

• ips_option::byte_jump: rule option to move the detection cursor

• ips_option::byte_math: rule option to perform mathematical operations on extracted value and a specified value or existing
variable
• ips_option::byte_test: rule option to convert data to integer and compare

• ips_option::cip_attribute: detection option to match CIP attribute

• ips_option::cip_class: detection option to match CIP class
• ips_option::cip_conn_path_class: detection option to match CIP Connection Path Class

• ips_option::cip_instance: detection option to match CIP instance

• ips_option::cip_req: detection option to match CIP request
• ips_option::cip_rsp: detection option to match CIP response
• ips_option::cip_service: detection option to match CIP service

• ips_option::cip_status: detection option to match CIP response status

• ips_option::classtype: general rule option for rule classification
• ips_option::content: payload rule option for basic pattern matching
• ips_option::cvs: payload rule option for detecting specific attacks

• ips_option::dce_iface: detection option to check dcerpc interface

• ips_option::dce_opnum: detection option to check dcerpc operation number
• ips_option::dce_stub_data: sets the cursor to dcerpc stub data
Snort 3 Reference Manual 242 / 245

• ips_option::detection_filter: rule option to require multiple hits before a rule generates an event
• ips_option::dnp3_data: sets the cursor to dnp3 data
• ips_option::dnp3_func: detection option to check DNP3 function code
• ips_option::dnp3_ind: detection option to check DNP3 indicator flags
• ips_option::dnp3_obj: detection option to check DNP3 object headers
• ips_option::dsize: rule option to test payload size
• ips_option::enable: stub rule option to enable or disable full rule
• ips_option::enip_command: detection option to match CIP Enip Command
• ips_option::enip_req: detection option to match ENIP Request
• ips_option::enip_rsp: detection option to match ENIP response
• ips_option::file_data: rule option to set detection cursor to file data
• ips_option::file_type: rule option to check file type
• ips_option::flags: rule option to test TCP control flags
• ips_option::flow: rule option to check session properties
• ips_option::flowbits: rule option to set and test arbitrary boolean flags
• ips_option::fragbits: rule option to test IP frag flags
• ips_option::fragoffset: rule option to test IP frag offset
• ips_option::gid: rule option specifying rule generator
• ips_option::gtp_info: rule option to check gtp info element
• ips_option::gtp_type: rule option to check gtp types
• ips_option::gtp_version: rule option to check GTP version
• ips_option::http_client_body: rule option to set the detection cursor to the request body
• ips_option::http_cookie: rule option to set the detection cursor to the HTTP cookie
• ips_option::http_header: rule option to set the detection cursor to the normalized headers
• ips_option::http_header_test: rule option to perform range check on specified header field, check whether it is a number, or
check if the field is absent
• ips_option::http_method: rule option to set the detection cursor to the HTTP request method
• ips_option::http_num_headers: rule option to perform range check on number of headers
• ips_option::http_num_trailers: rule option to perform range check on number of trailers
• ips_option::http_param: rule option to set the detection cursor to the value of the specified HTTP parameter key which may
be in the query or body
• ips_option::http_raw_body: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized message body
• ips_option::http_raw_cookie: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized cookie
• ips_option::http_raw_header: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized headers
• ips_option::http_raw_request: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized request line
• ips_option::http_raw_status: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized status line
Snort 3 Reference Manual 243 / 245

• ips_option::http_raw_trailer: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized trailers
• ips_option::http_raw_uri: rule option to set the detection cursor to the unnormalized URI
• ips_option::http_stat_code: rule option to set the detection cursor to the HTTP status code

• ips_option::http_stat_msg: rule option to set the detection cursor to the HTTP status message
• ips_option::http_trailer: rule option to set the detection cursor to the normalized trailers
• ips_option::http_trailer_test: rule option to perform range check on specified trailer field, check whether it is a number, or
check if the field is absent

• ips_option::http_true_ip: rule option to set the detection cursor to the final client IP address
• ips_option::http_uri: rule option to set the detection cursor to the normalized URI buffer
• ips_option::http_version: rule option to set the detection cursor to the version buffer

• ips_option::http_version_match: rule option to match version to listed values

• ips_option::icmp_id: rule option to check ICMP ID
• ips_option::icmp_seq: rule option to check ICMP sequence number
• ips_option::icode: rule option to check ICMP code

• ips_option::id: rule option to check the IP ID field

• ips_option::iec104_apci_type: rule option to check iec104 apci type
• ips_option::iec104_asdu_func: rule option to check iec104 function code

• ips_option::ip_proto: rule option to check the IP protocol number

• ips_option::ipopts: rule option to check for IP options
• ips_option::isdataat: rule option to check for the presence of payload data
• ips_option::itype: rule option to check ICMP type

• ips_option::js_data: rule option to set detection cursor to normalized JavaScript data

• ips_option::md5: payload rule option for hash matching
• ips_option::metadata: rule option for conveying arbitrary comma-separated name, value data within the rule text
• ips_option::modbus_data: rule option to set cursor to modbus data

• ips_option::modbus_func: rule option to check modbus function code

• ips_option::modbus_unit: rule option to check Modbus unit ID
• ips_option::msg: rule option summarizing rule purpose output with events

• ips_option::mss: detection for TCP maximum segment size

• ips_option::pcre: rule option for matching payload data with pcre
• ips_option::pkt_data: rule option to set the detection cursor to the normalized packet data
• ips_option::pkt_num: alert on raw packet number

• ips_option::priority: rule option for prioritizing events

• ips_option::raw_data: rule option to set the detection cursor to the raw packet data
• ips_option::reference: rule option to indicate relevant attack identification system
Snort 3 Reference Manual 244 / 245

• ips_option::regex: rule option for matching payload data with hyperscan regex; uses pcre syntax
• ips_option::rem: rule option to convey an arbitrary comment in the rule body
• ips_option::replace: rule option to overwrite payload data; use with "rewrite" action; works for raw packets only
• ips_option::rev: rule option to indicate current revision of signature
• ips_option::rpc: rule option to check SUNRPC CALL parameters
• ips_option::s7commplus_content: rule option to set cursor to s7commplus content
• ips_option::s7commplus_func: rule option to check s7commplus function code
• ips_option::s7commplus_opcode: rule option to check s7commplus opcode code
• ips_option::sd_pattern: rule option for detecting sensitive data
• ips_option::seq: rule option to check TCP sequence number
• ips_option::service: rule option to specify list of services for grouping rules
• ips_option::sha256: payload rule option for hash matching
• ips_option::sha512: payload rule option for hash matching
• ips_option::sid: rule option to indicate signature number
• ips_option::sip_body: rule option to set the detection cursor to the request body
• ips_option::sip_header: rule option to set the detection cursor to the SIP header buffer
• ips_option::sip_method: detection option for sip stat code
• ips_option::sip_stat_code: detection option for sip stat code
• ips_option::so: rule option to call custom eval function
• ips_option::soid: rule option to specify a shared object rule ID
• ips_option::ssl_state: detection option for ssl state
• ips_option::ssl_version: detection option for ssl version
• ips_option::stream_reassemble: detection option for stream reassembly control
• ips_option::stream_size: detection option for stream size checking
• ips_option::tag: rule option to log additional packets
• ips_option::target: rule option to indicate target of attack
• ips_option::tos: rule option to check type of service field
• ips_option::ttl: rule option to check time to live field
• ips_option::urg: detection for TCP urgent pointer
• ips_option::vba_data: rule option to set the detection cursor to the MS Office Visual Basic for Applications macros buffer
• ips_option::window: rule option to check TCP window field
• ips_option::wscale: detection for TCP window scale
• logger::alert_csv: output event in csv format
• logger::alert_ex: output gid:sid:rev for alerts
• logger::alert_fast: output event with brief text format
Snort 3 Reference Manual 245 / 245

• logger::alert_full: output event with full packet dump

• logger::alert_json: output event in json format
• logger::alert_syslog: output event to syslog

• logger::alert_talos: output event in Talos alert format

• logger::alert_unixsock: output event over unix socket
• logger::log_codecs: log protocols in packet by layer

• logger::log_hext: output payload suitable for daq hext

• logger::log_null: disable logging of packets
• logger::log_pcap: log packet in pcap format
• logger::unified2: output event and packet in unified2 format file

• policy_selector::address_space_selector: configure traffic processing based on address space

• policy_selector::tenant_selector: configure traffic processing based on tenants
• search_engine::ac_bnfa: Aho-Corasick Binary NFA (low memory, high performance) MPSE

• search_engine::ac_full: Aho-Corasick Full (high memory, best performance), implements search_all()

• search_engine::hyperscan: intel hyperscan-based mpse with regex support
• search_engine::lowmem: Keyword Trie (low memory, moderate performance) MPSE
• so_rule::3|18758: SO rule example