Installing the powerful network analysis tool known as Malcolm on Ubuntu 22.04 is a crucial step for enhancing network visibility and security monitoring. This comprehensive platform integrates various open-source components to provide deep packet inspection, protocol analysis, and incident response capabilities. Getting it set up involves preparing your system and executing specific steps to deploy the required containers and services.
The process begins with ensuring your Ubuntu 22.04 system meets the minimum hardware requirements, particularly regarding RAM and storage, as Malcolm utilizes data-intensive applications like Elasticsearch. You’ll also need a stable internet connection to download necessary files and images, and sudo privileges or root access to perform the installation commands.
The core of Malcolm’s deployment on Ubuntu 22.04 relies heavily on Docker and Docker Compose. These tools containerize the various components, including Zeek (for network security monitoring), Suricata (for intrusion detection), Elasticsearch (for data storage and indexing), Kibana (for visualization and analysis), and Arkime (for full packet capture and session analysis).
The installation is typically performed using a setup script provided by the Malcolm project. After obtaining this script, you’ll likely need to configure certain parameters, such as network interfaces to monitor and file storage locations, often within a configuration file. Executing the setup script will then initiate the downloading of Docker images, building containers, and configuring the services to start automatically. This part of the process can take a significant amount of time depending on your internet speed and system resources.
Once the script completes successfully, the various components will be running as Docker containers. You can verify their status using docker ps. Accessing the web interface for Kibana and Arkime, the primary tools for interacting with collected data, is done through specific URLs, usually accessed via a web browser pointed to the IP address of your Ubuntu system running Malcolm, often on different port numbers.
Proper installation provides a robust platform for network security monitoring, allowing you to analyze network traffic, identify anomalies, detect threats, and conduct forensic investigations using a unified interface. Remember to follow the steps meticulously and verify that all required services are running post-installation for optimal performance.
Source: https://kifarunix.com/install-malcolm-network-traffic-analysis-tool-on-ubuntu/
