What is this?
CrowdSec is an open-source IDS/IPS and WAF that detects malicious behavior by analyzing logs and HTTP requests, blocks bad actors locally, and shares anonymized attack data with a crowdsourced network to build a real-time community blocklist.
CrowdSec is an open-source IDS/IPS and WAF that detects malicious behavior by analyzing logs and HTTP requests, blocks bad actors locally, and shares anonymized attack data with a crowdsourced network to build a real-time community blocklist.Is it a single binary or does it need separate components?It's built around a Security Engine (the core detection/decision daemon) plus separate Remediation Components that actually enforce blocks (e.g. firewall bouncers, WAF, nginx/traefik plugins), so you typically install the engine and one or more bouncers.
It's built around a Security Engine (the core detection/decision daemon) plus separate Remediation Components that actually enforce blocks (e.g. firewall bouncers, WAF, nginx/traefik plugins), so you typically install the engine and one or more bouncers.How do I get it running?Follow the official documentation to install the CrowdSec Security Engine, which supports Linux, Windows, Docker, OpnSense, and Kubernetes, in a few minutes.
Follow the official documentation to install the CrowdSec Security Engine, which supports Linux, Windows, Docker, OpnSense, and Kubernetes, in a few minutes.Do I need to configure detection scenarios myself from scratch?No, it ships with default scenarios (brute force, port scan, web scan, etc.) for most contexts, and you can pull more scenarios and remediation components from the CrowdSec Hub.
No, it ships with default scenarios (brute force, port scan, web scan, etc.) for most contexts, and you can pull more scenarios and remediation components from the CrowdSec Hub.Do I need the paid Console to use CrowdSec?No, the core engine and community blocklist are free and MIT-licensed; the Console adds optional monitoring, visualization, extra blocklists and premium features on top.
No, the core engine and community blocklist are free and MIT-licensed; the Console adds optional monitoring, visualization, extra blocklists and premium features on top.Is this meant for personal servers or large infrastructure?It's designed for modern, multi-server infrastructures, letting you aggregate logs from several sources in one place and block threats at multiple layers of your stack.
It's designed for modern, multi-server infrastructures, letting you aggregate logs from several sources in one place and block threats at multiple layers of your stack.What data gets shared with the crowdsourced network?Users share information about threats they faced (the attacking behavior detected), which feeds the real-time community blocklist that protects everyone; this is an opt-in community-contribution model.
Users share information about threats they faced (the attacking behavior detected), which feeds the real-time community blocklist that protects everyone; this is an opt-in community-contribution model.What is the CrowdSec Hub?It's a catalog of community-contributed scenarios, parsers and remediation components you can add to extend detection coverage and find remediation modules for your specific infrastructure.
It's a catalog of community-contributed scenarios, parsers and remediation components you can add to extend detection coverage and find remediation modules for your specific infrastructure.What kinds of attacks does it detect out of the box?Default scenarios cover common threats like brute force attempts, port scans, and web scans, adapted for most typical server setups.
Default scenarios cover common threats like brute force attempts, port scans, and web scans, adapted for most typical server setups.How is CrowdSec different from a traditional standalone WAF?It combines IDS/IPS and WAF detection with a crowdsourced blocklist, so instead of relying only on your own traffic, you also benefit from threat intelligence shared by the whole CrowdSec community in real time.
It combines IDS/IPS and WAF detection with a crowdsourced blocklist, so instead of relying only on your own traffic, you also benefit from threat intelligence shared by the whole CrowdSec community in real time.Where can I ask questions or suggest features?The project has a Discord server for questions and suggestions, and a Public Roadmap where users can vote on and submit feature ideas.
The project has a Discord server for questions and suggestions, and a Public Roadmap where users can vote on and submit feature ideas.What are similar projects?bunkerweb, SafeLine, anubis, fail2ban, wazuh, blocklist-abuseipdb, osquery, XSStrike
bunkerweb, SafeLine, anubis, fail2ban, wazuh, blocklist-abuseipdb, osquery, XSStrikeWhich topics is it in?web-application-firewall, blocklist, waf, anti-bot, bot-detection, threat-intelligence, web-security, firewall, cybersecurity, kubernetes, monitoring, devops
web-application-firewall, blocklist, waf, anti-bot, bot-detection, threat-intelligence, web-security, firewall, cybersecurity, kubernetes, monitoring, devops