What is our primary use case?
We are using Wazuh for security information and event management, PCI DSS compliance, auditing, real-time sensitive monitoring, and meeting regulatory requirements.
How has it helped my organization?
There were certain tasks we couldn't carry out before. However, with Wazuh, we found a solution within a single platform. It only required a one-time effort to set up and configure the version. After that, it's just about monitoring the alerts and making revisions. No additional efforts are needed.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features include file integrity monitoring, Wazuh engines, Wazuh rulesets (including rulesets for Apache and firewall routers), and vulnerability detection.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement in Wazuh, but it's possible they are already working on it. The only challenge we faced with Wazuh was the lack of direct support. They charge for support, whether it's five days a week or seven days a week. We don't expect it to be free because revenue is generated through the support they provide.
In future releases, I would like to see a feature. There is one feature we observed in a premium tool in the industry called Dynatrace. It provides automatic relations between different devices and components. For instance, if you receive a web login request, Dynatrace can trace and show you the path it takes from the firewall to the switch, then to the Apache server, the actual job application, and finally back to the client. It intelligently correlates all the components involved in a single event.
If Wazuh could include this feature, where all the components are integrated, it would automatically relate them for any activity in your environment.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with Wazuh for the last year. We currently use the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Sometimes, it has disturbances, but at the end of the day, it's not Wazuh but, actually, the configurations that engineers do sometimes do not have compatibility. So at that time, we face issues, but as of now, Wazuh has not disappointed us in any way.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable. We can add a new machine or server, install the components, and inform the other components about its IP address. We add it to the cluster, and a restart of the cluster is all that's needed to integrate the new component.
While there are many people involved, only three or four security engineers manage and oversee the events collected and provided by Wazuh.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used Splunk primarily for log management purposes. There were no extra security modules or playbooks involved. We indexed the logs, built dashboards, generated reports, and set up alerts. That was the extent of our usage, without any additional security features.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was not complex. We had prior experience with Elastic and Elk, so the deployment of Wazuh was quite familiar to us. It wasn't a major challenge.
However, we do need maintenance as we need to upgrade the version periodically. During maintenance, we have to switch off all the endpoints, turn off all the components, and then power off one by one to upgrade them to the latest version. This is done during a maintenance window.
One or two engineers are usually enough to handle the maintenance tasks.
What about the implementation team?
In terms of the deployment plan, if we exclude the endpoints (monitored servers), we have multiple nodes for each component: indexer, manager, and dashboard. We also implemented an NGINX-based load balancer, following the documentation provided by Wazuh on configuring NGINX as a load balancer. This helps in load disturbance and redundancy, so we don't have a single point of failure when any server goes down.
The deployment process took approximately one to two weeks to fully test and deploy the system. We had to spend time on research and development to properly configure everything. The resources mainly involved Linux servers. There were not many additional resources involved beyond that.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated LogRhythm, which is an excellent intelligence-based tool. However, it comes with a high cost for the intelligence features. Wazuh lacks AI or machine learning capabilities, but otherwise, it has all the necessary capabilities for a similar solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise you to carefully follow the documentation. It is straightforward and to the point. If any issues arise, the Wazuh Slack community is highly active and responsive. They can provide assistance within 24 hours or even less, helping with any deployment or management challenges.
Wazuh offers numerous features, such as the ability to define custom rules for detecting malicious activities and remembering behaviors. Unlike some paid tools, Wazuh is extensive and extendible and allows integration with open-source tools and scripts. It is flexible, reliable, and open-source, which is its biggest advantage.
Overall, it is a good solution. I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. Considering that Wazuh is open source and free of cost while providing all the necessary features, I would rate it nine or ten. I lean towards ten because it offers a comprehensive solution without any financial burden. However, compared to industry leaders like LogRhythm and Splunk, which have machine learning modules, Wazuh lacks in that aspect. So, overall, I would rate it nine, but because of its cost-effectiveness, it deserves a ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.