Snort is a free and open-source network intrusion detection and prevention system. It can be deployed as a standalone IDS/IPS or integrated with a firewall. Snort uses a rule-based language to describe traffic that it should flag as suspicious. These rules are written bysnort users and can be customized to match the needs of a particular network. Snort is often used in conjunction with other security tools, such as firewalls, to provide comprehensive protection for a network. Snort is also capable of real-time traffic analysis and can be used to detect denial-of-service attacks, malware infections, and other threats.