You can boot the system and immediately start sniffing traffic on local interfaces (like eth0 ) using tools like Snort or Suricata .
The (or ISO) is a bootable distribution designed for network security monitoring (NSM) , intrusion detection, and log management. While modern versions (2.4+) focus on permanent installations for scalability, the Live environment remains a critical entry point for quick network evaluations and forensic testing. Core Purpose and Use Cases Security Onion Live Cd
Security Onion functions as a "Swiss Army knife" for defenders by bundling several best-of-breed open-source tools: You can boot the system and immediately start
Employs Stenographer or Suricata PCAP to act as a "DVR for your network," recording every packet for retrospective analysis. Security Onion Live Cd