Top 20 Best Open-Source SOC Tools in 2025

As cyber threats continue to evolve, Security Operations Centers (SOCs) require robust tools to detect, analyze, and respond to incidents effectively.

Open-source SOC tools provide cost-effective, customizable, and community-supported solutions for organizations of all sizes.

In this article, we’ll explore 20 notable open-source SOC tools for 2025, categorized by their functionalities.

What Is An Open-Source SOC Tool?

Open-source SOC tools are software solutions designed to assist security teams in managing and responding to cybersecurity threats.

These tools are free to use under open-source licenses, with their source code publicly available for customization.

They empower organizations to build tailored security infrastructures without the high costs associated with proprietary software.

Open-source SOC tools cover a wide range of functionalities, including incident response, threat intelligence sharing, log management, network monitoring, and endpoint protection.

Their transparency and adaptability make them ideal for organizations seeking flexible and scalable security solutions.

Benefits Of Open-Source SOC Tools

Open-source SOC tools offer several advantages that make them a compelling choice for organizations:

1. Cost-Effectiveness: Most open-source tools are free to use, eliminating expensive licensing fees.
2. Customizability: Organizations can modify the source code to meet specific requirements.
3. Transparency: The open nature of the code allows users to audit it for vulnerabilities or backdoors.
4. Community Support: Active developer communities provide regular updates, patches, and troubleshooting assistance.
5. No Vendor Lock-In: Users retain full control over the software without being tied to a specific vendor.
6. Integration Capabilities: Seamless compatibility with other open-source tools enhances overall security operations.
7. Reliability: Continuous contributions from global communities ensure long-term usability and stability.

While these benefits make open-source SOC tools attractive, they may require technical expertise for installation and management.

20 Best Open-Source Security Operations Center (SOC) Tools for 2025

Open-source SOC tools provide cost-effective, transparent, and customizable solutions for organizations of all sizes. Below is a detailed exploration of 20 notable open-source SOC tools for 2025.

• Wireshark
• Cortex
• Shuffle
• StackStorm (st2)
• n8n
• Arkime (formerly Moloch)
• Zeek (formerly Bro)
• Suricata
• Osquery
• Wazuh
• Elastic Stack (ELK Stack)
• Graylog
• Security Onion
• MISP (Malware Information Sharing Platform)
• OpenDXL
• Falco
• YARA
• Cuckoo Sandbox
• Sysmon
• TheHive Project

1. Wireshark

Wireshark is a powerful open-source network protocol analyzer used for deep inspection of network traffic.

It captures live packets from network interfaces and displays them in a human-readable format.

Supports hundreds of protocols with advanced filtering, coloring, and statistics tools.

Ideal for network troubleshooting, analysis, software development, and security auditing.

It supports hundreds of protocols and provides detailed insights into network behavior, making it an essential tool for SOC teams conducting forensic investigations or troubleshooting network issues.

Best Features

• Captures live traffic and decodes protocols across multiple OSI layers.
• Analyzes hundreds of protocols, including HTTP, DNS, SSL/TLS, and FTP.
• Allows users to narrow down traffic based on specific criteria for efficient analysis.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Ideal for detailed forensic investigations of network traffic.	Not designed for large-scale continuous monitoring; better suited for targeted investigations.
Supports encrypted traffic analysis when provided with decryption keys.	Requires expertise to interpret packet-level data effectively.

2. Cortex

Cortex is an open-source analysis engine that complements TheHive by automating the analysis of observables like IPs, domains, and file hashes.

It supports hundreds of analyzers out-of-the-box, including geolocation lookups, malware sandboxing, and reputation checks.

Cortex’s REST API allows integration with other security tools for automated workflows.

Best Features

• Supports multiple simultaneous analyses across distributed environments.
• Allows security teams to create their own analyzers tailored to specific use cases.
• Works seamlessly with TheHive and other SOC platforms.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Extensive library of pre-built analyzers reduces manual effort.	Requires significant resources for large-scale deployments.
REST API simplifies integration with existing workflows.	Documentation for custom analyzer creation could be improved.

3. Shuffle

Shuffle is a low-code Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) platform designed for building automated workflows.

It uses a visual editor where users can drag-and-drop nodes to create workflows that integrate multiple security tools.

Shuffle supports both cloud-based and on-premise deployments, making it versatile for different organizational needs.

Best Features

• Intuitive drag-and-drop interface simplifies workflow creation.
• Supports integrations with over 100 security tools like Slack, Jira, and Splunk.
• Offers flexibility between cloud-hosted and self-hosted environments.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Ideal for organizations seeking low-code automation solutions.
Strong community support ensures continuous updates and new features.	Some users report occasional instability in large workflows.

4. StackStorm

StackStorm is an event-driven automation platform that connects triggers (external events) to actions via rules and workflows.

It supports complex multi-step workflows across diverse systems using Python-based plugins called “packs.”

StackStorm integrates seamlessly with ChatOps platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams for collaborative incident response.

Best Features

• Automates responses based on real-time events from monitoring tools or APIs.
• Supports complex workflows involving multiple steps and conditions.
• Includes pre-built packs for AWS, Docker, GitHub, etc.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Highly flexible platform suitable for diverse automation needs.	Moderate learning curve due to its extensive features.
Strong integration capabilities make it a valuable addition to existing SOC infrastructures.	Initial setup can be time-consuming without proper guidance.

5. n8n

n8n is an open-source workflow automation platform that connects applications, data sources, and services into streamlined workflows.

It offers a low-code drag-and-drop interface for automating tasks like notifications, data transfers, and API integrations.

With over 400 pre-built connectors and API support via HTTP requests, n8n provides extensive integration capabilities.

Best Features

• Supports over 400 pre-built connectors for apps like Google Drive and Slack. Users can connect to APIs using the HTTP Request Node.
• Drag-and-drop interface simplifies automation without requiring programming expertise.
• Includes webhooks, event-based triggers, and scheduled executions for initiating workflows.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Integrates with virtually any API, making it highly versatile for SOC operations.	Advanced features like custom API integrations require technical expertise in JavaScript or Python.
Supports Docker or Kubernetes deployments for large-scale environments.	Platforms like Zapier offer more integrations than n8n’s 400+ connectors.

6. Arkime

Arkime is an open-source packet capture and indexing tool designed for long-term storage and analysis of network traffic.

It captures packets in real-time and indexes them using Elasticsearch, enabling efficient search and analysis for forensic investigations.

Arkime supports deep packet inspection and protocol decoding, making it a valuable tool for understanding network behavior.

Best Features

• Captures all traffic from specified interfaces to provide a complete view of network activity.
• Indexed data allows quick searches and detailed analysis.
• The web interface enables visualization of traffic patterns.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Scalable for high-bandwidth environments with robust packet analysis capabilities.	Resource-intensive setup due to Elasticsearch dependency.
Ideal for forensic investigations with efficient data indexing.	Advanced features require technical expertise.

7. Zeek

Zeek is a network traffic analyzer that converts raw network data into structured logs for security monitoring.

It extracts metadata from protocols such as HTTP, DNS, and SSL, providing insights into network behavior.

Zeek’s scripting framework allows users to customize detection rules and workflows to suit specific needs.

Best Features

• Extracts detailed metadata from protocols like HTTP and DNS.
• Enables creation of tailored detection rules and parsers.
• Identifies anomalies in network behavior for actionable insights.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Provides deep visibility into network traffic with extensive protocol support.	Lacks signature-based detection found in traditional IDS tools.
Custom scripting allows flexibility for unique use cases.	High learning curve for scripting capabilities.

8. Suricata

Suricata is a high-performance IDS/IPS that combines signature-based detection with advanced protocol analysis.

It uses multi-threaded processing to analyze traffic across multiple CPU cores simultaneously.

Suricata performs deep packet inspection (DPI) to identify threats hidden within encrypted or unencrypted traffic.

Best Features

• Analyzes traffic efficiently in high-bandwidth networks.
• Detects hidden threats within protocols like HTTP or TLS.
• Functions as IDS, IPS, or NSM based on organizational needs.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Handles high-throughput environments effectively with multi-threading.	Consumes more resources than single-threaded IDS solutions.
Combines signature-based and anomaly detection for comprehensive coverage.	Requires frequent rule tuning to reduce false positives.

9. Osquery

Osquery is an open-source endpoint monitoring tool that uses SQL queries to extract real-time information from operating systems.

It provides visibility into system processes, user activity, installed software, network connections, and more.

By treating an operating system as a relational database, Osquery enables SOC teams to query endpoints for specific security-related data efficiently.

Best Features

• Allows users to query endpoints using familiar SQL syntax for detailed insights.
• Operates seamlessly across Windows, macOS, and Linux environments.
• Provides up-to-date information about system state changes and user activity.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Flexible query capabilities make it ideal for endpoint monitoring and threat hunting.	Requires technical expertise to write effective queries.
Cross-platform compatibility ensures consistent visibility across diverse environments.	Limited native alerting capabilities compared to dedicated EDR solutions.

10. Wazuh

Wazuh is an open-source platform combining extended detection and response (XDR) with SIEM capabilities.

It collects logs from endpoints, cloud workloads, and applications while monitoring system activities like file integrity changes and vulnerabilities.

Wazuh analyzes data against rules mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK framework for actionable insights.

Best Features

• Tracks changes in critical files to detect unauthorized modifications.
• Maps software inventory against CVE databases to identify issues.
• Pre-built policies help meet standards like PCI DSS or GDPR.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Comprehensive feature set covering endpoint protection, log management, and compliance monitoring.	Multi-component architecture makes setup complex.
Scalable architecture supports large infrastructures effectively.	Documentation could include more advanced examples for configurations.

11. Elastic Stack

Elastic Stack, commonly known as ELK Stack, is a powerful log management and analytics platform comprising Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana.

Elasticsearch indexes and searches data, Logstash processes and transforms log data, and Kibana provides visualization through dashboards.

Together, they enable real-time monitoring and analysis of logs from multiple sources.

Best Features

• Processes massive volumes of log data in real time for quick insights.
• Kibana enables the creation of interactive visualizations tailored to specific needs.
• Handles large-scale deployments with distributed architecture.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Offers extensive customization for log processing and visualization.
Scalable to meet the needs of both small and large enterprises.	Requires expertise to configure pipelines and optimize performance.

12. Graylog

Graylog is an open-source log management platform designed for real-time analysis of structured and unstructured data.

It collects logs from various sources, normalizes them, and stores them in Elasticsearch for querying.

Graylog’s web interface simplifies log analysis with powerful search capabilities and customizable dashboards.

Best Features

• Collects logs from multiple sources into a single repository.
• Enables complex searches to identify patterns or anomalies.
• Configurable alerts notify teams of critical events in real time.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Simple yet effective log management solution with robust search capabilities.	Limited scalability for extremely large deployments.
Lightweight compared to other log management tools like Elastic Stack.	Fewer built-in integrations compared to Elastic Stack or Splunk.

13. Security Onion

Security Onion is a comprehensive open-source platform combining multiple security tools for intrusion detection, network monitoring, and log management.

It integrates tools like Zeek, Suricata, Elastic Stack, and Wazuh into a unified environment.

Security Onion provides packet capture capabilities along with real-time alerting and threat hunting features.

Best Features

• Combines IDS/IPS, SIEM, and network monitoring tools in one package.
• Includes tools like Zeek and Suricata for proactive threat detection.
• Kibana dashboards provide insights into network activity and alerts.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Comprehensive suite covering multiple aspects of SOC operations.	Resource-intensive due to its multi-tool architecture.
Ideal for small-to-medium-sized organizations seeking an integrated solution.	Steeper learning curve for managing all integrated components effectively.

14. MISP

MISP is an open-source threat intelligence platform designed for sharing Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) among organizations or communities.

It centralizes threat data such as malicious IPs, domains, hashes, or vulnerabilities into a collaborative database.

MISP supports automated ingestion of threat feeds via APIs or manual input by analysts.

Best Features

• Facilitates collaboration between organizations to improve collective defenses.
• Links internal events with external threat data for actionable insights.
• Automates ingestion of threat feeds from external sources.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Promotes collaboration by centralizing threat intelligence sharing efforts.	Limited visualization capabilities compared to SIEM platforms.
Lightweight and easy to integrate with existing SOC workflows.	Requires manual effort to curate high-quality threat intelligence feeds.

15. OpenDXL

OpenDXL (Data Exchange Layer) is an open-source messaging framework that facilitates secure communication between security tools and applications.

Developed by McAfee, OpenDXL enables SOC teams to integrate disparate security systems, creating a unified ecosystem for threat detection and response.

It uses a publish-subscribe model to exchange data in real time, ensuring seamless interoperability between tools.

Best Features

• Enables instant communication between security tools for faster incident response.
• Works with a wide range of security solutions, including SIEMs, endpoint protection tools, and threat intelligence platforms.
• Allows users to develop tailored integrations and workflows.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Promotes interoperability between diverse security tools.	Requires technical expertise for setup and customization.
Ideal for automating workflows in complex SOC environments.	Limited community support compared to other open-source tools.

16. Falco

Falco is an open-source runtime security tool designed specifically for Kubernetes environments.

It monitors system calls and container activity in real time, detecting suspicious behaviors based on predefined rules.

Falco integrates deeply with cloud-native architectures, providing visibility into containerized workloads and orchestrated environments.

Best Features

• Optimized for monitoring containers and cloud-native environments.
• Detects anomalies by analyzing system calls and container activities.
• Sends notifications for suspicious behaviors via integrations like Slack or PagerDuty.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Excellent runtime protection for Kubernetes-based deployments.	Limited functionality outside containerized environments.
Lightweight design ensures low resource consumption.	Requires manual effort to fine-tune detection rules for specific use cases.

17. YARA

YARA is a powerful open-source tool used for identifying malware patterns through customizable rulesets.

It scans files or memory dumps against defined rules to detect malicious indicators such as strings, hashes, or binary patterns.

YARA is widely used in malware analysis labs and SOCs for hunting threats across endpoints or networks.

Best Features

• Allows users to define specific criteria for identifying malware patterns.
• Scans files, memory dumps, or processes across various environments.
• Works well with forensic tools like Cuckoo Sandbox or Volatility Framework.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Highly effective at detecting malware using detailed pattern matching.	Requires expertise to write complex rules effectively.
Flexible rule creation enables tailored threat detection.	Limited scalability for large-scale deployments without additional automation.

18. Snort

Snort is a free, open-source Intrusion Detection System (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) maintained by Cisco.

It analyzes network traffic in real-time and logs packets to detect threats like buffer overflows, port scans, and DDoS attacks.

Using a rule-based language, Snort combines anomaly, protocol, and signature inspection methods to identify malicious behavior.

Best Features

• Monitors network traffic to detect threats like DoS attacks or malware activity.
• Enables administrators to write specific rules for tailored threat detection.
• Examines protocols like TCP, UDP, HTTP, and ICMP for anomalies.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Free and open-source with extensive community support for rule creation and updates.	High resource consumption in large networks due to its rule-matching process.
Flexible deployment options as an IDS or IPS in various environments.	Steep learning curve for configuring advanced rules and tuning performance.

19. Sysmon

Sysmon (System Monitor) is a lightweight Windows system monitoring tool developed by Microsoft as part of the Sysinternals suite.

It provides detailed logging of system-level activities, including process creation, network connections, file modifications, and registry changes.

By capturing high-fidelity event data, Sysmon enables SOC teams to detect advanced threats and perform forensic investigations.

Best Features

• Captures system-level activities such as process creation, file changes, and network connections.
• Allows users to tailor monitoring rules to focus on specific threats.
• Sysmon logs can be ingested into SIEM platforms like Splunk or Elastic Stack for further analysis.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Provides deep visibility into Windows processes for detecting advanced threats.	Limited to Windows environments; lacks cross-platform support.
Easy integration with existing SOC workflows through SIEM platforms.	Requires expertise in rule creation to minimize false positives.

20. TheHive Project

TheHive Project is an open-source Security Incident Response Platform (SIRP) designed to streamline incident response processes.

It integrates seamlessly with the Malware Information Sharing Platform (MISP) and Cortex for automated analysis.

TheHive allows analysts to create cases from various sources such as SIEM alerts, email reports, or MISP events.

Its Python API client, TheHive4py, facilitates integration with external systems like SIEMs or phishing detection tools.

Best Features

• Analysts can work on cases simultaneously, leveraging live streams to track progress in real-time.
• Case templates allow teams to standardize workflows and associate metrics with specific case types.
• Enables bulk analysis of observables using analyzers like VirusTotal or DomainTools.

What’s Good?	What Could Be Better?
Seamless integration with MISP and Cortex enhances threat intelligence sharing.	Steep learning curve for beginners due to its complex setup.
Highly scalable and suitable for large SOCs with multi-tenancy support.	Dependency on community support may delay troubleshooting.