Lessons for the Enterprise from Running Suricata IDS at Home (Updated 2025)

From Home Lab to Enterprise: What Running Suricata Taught Me About Network Security

Network security has never been more important. As cyber threats continue to evolve, so do the tools available to detect and prevent them. Back in 2018, I set up Suricata IDS (Intrusion Detection System) on my home network using pfSense, and the experience provided valuable insights. Now, in 2025, both Suricata and pfSense have seen significant advancements, offering better performance, improved detection capabilities, and greater ease of use. This updated post revisits the lessons learned and provides fresh insights based on the latest technology and best practices.

About My Setup – Why Run pfSense?

My home network isn’t your average consumer setup. As a security professional, I need an environment that allows for both everyday internet use and hands-on testing of security tools and techniques. This setup includes segmented networks for different purposes: general traffic, guest access, and an isolated lab for penetration testing, IoT device evaluations, and security research.

For this reason, I chose pfSense, an open-source firewall and router based on FreeBSD. It provides enterprise-level security features on commodity hardware or virtual environments. Over the years, pfSense has significantly improved, adding better hardware acceleration for VPNs, high-availability features, and broader support for dynamic routing protocols like BGP and OSPF.

What is pfSense and Suricata?

pfSense serves as the foundation of my home network security, offering advanced firewall, VPN, and networking features. One of its biggest strengths is its ability to support additional security packages like Suricata.

Suricata is a high-performance, open-source network threat detection engine that functions as an IDS (Intrusion Detection System) and IPS (Intrusion Prevention System). Unlike traditional firewalls, which primarily filter traffic based on static rules, Suricata examines network packets to detect suspicious or malicious activity using a dynamic set of rules.

With the latest version (Suricata 7.0.8, released in December 2024), the software has improved threat detection capabilities, enhanced performance, and extended protocol support, making it an even more powerful tool than when I first deployed it.

Lessons Learned from Running Suricata IDS at Home

1. Tuning is Necessary – Installation is Just the Beginning

When I first enabled Suricata, I was immediately flooded with alerts. Some of these included things like UDP Invalid Checksum errors—interesting from a forensic perspective but not critical for my home network security.

Modern versions of Suricata now allow for more efficient rule tuning and automated suppression, which reduces noise and improves signal-to-noise ratio. However, tuning remains essential. Today, I utilize Suricata’s improved rule management features, such as automatic updates and more granular suppression options, to refine alert visibility.

2. Start with Detection Before Moving to Prevention

Suricata can operate in IDS (detection) mode or IPS (blocking) mode. Jumping straight into IPS mode can cause problems. When I first tested Suricata, I quickly realized that some of my own devices—like my home audio system—were generating alerts due to unusual network behavior, but they weren’t actually threats.

Instead of blocking traffic outright, I recommend first monitoring alerts in IDS mode to establish a baseline. Once you understand what normal traffic looks like, you can move to IPS mode selectively, ensuring you don’t accidentally block legitimate network activity.

3. Be Prepared to Investigate False Positives

IDS systems are only as good as their rule sets, and false positives are inevitable. One major improvement since 2018 is Suricata’s increased integration with threat intelligence feeds, allowing for more accurate detections. However, vigilance is still required.

For example, a recent alert flagged unusual UDP traffic on port 53—a common DNS port. Initially, this raised concerns about potential DNS tunneling malware. However, further investigation revealed that it was due to an OpenVPN connection I had configured to use port 53. This underscores the importance of reviewing alerts thoroughly before acting.

4. Performance Considerations Have Improved, But Still Matter

Running Suricata on pfSense has become more efficient with hardware optimizations, but performance impact remains a factor. Some users have reported reduced network speeds, particularly in virtualized environments. If running Suricata on low-power hardware, be sure to monitor CPU and memory usage to ensure it doesn’t bottleneck network performance.

A key improvement since my initial setup is that Suricata now offers better multi-threading and GPU acceleration for high-speed packet analysis, making it more feasible for home and small business deployments.

Final Thoughts: Is It Still Worth Running Suricata at Home?

Absolutely. Cyber threats are more sophisticated than ever, and having an IDS/IPS in place is a valuable layer of defense. With the improvements in Suricata’s detection capabilities and pfSense’s firewall performance, the combination is even more powerful today than it was in 2018.

If you’re considering adding Suricata to your home or business network, here’s my advice:

• Keep it updated – Suricata 7.0.8 brings substantial improvements, and outdated versions may miss modern threats.
• Start with IDS mode – Monitor traffic before enforcing strict blocking rules.
• Tune your rules – Reduce false positives to focus on meaningful threats.
• Ensure hardware compatibility – If running on pfSense, ensure your device has sufficient resources to handle packet inspection without degrading network performance.

The key takeaway? Suricata + pfSense is still a strong security combination in 2025—but only when properly configured and maintained. Whether you’re securing a home lab or an enterprise network, these tools remain invaluable for proactive threat detection and response.

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Looking to strengthen your organization’s cybersecurity? VDA Labs specializes in enterprise-grade threat detection, network security assessments, and custom IDS/IPS implementations. Whether you need help configuring Suricata, fine-tuning detection rules, or securing your infrastructure, our experts are here to assist.

Get in touch with VDA Labs today to ensure your network is prepared for modern cyber threats.