Using CDB lists

Creating the list file

The list file is a plain text file where each line has the following format:

key1:value1
key2:value2

Each key must be unique and is terminated with a colon :.

For IP addresses the dot notation is used for subnet matches:

Example of IP address list file:

192.168.: Matches 192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255
172.16.19.: Matches 172.16.19.0 - 172.16.19.255
10.1.1.1: Matches 10.1.1.1

We recommend to use the directory /var/ossec/etc/lists to store your lists.

Adding the list to ossec.conf

Each list must be defined in the ossec.conf file using the following syntax:

<ossec_config>
    <ruleset>
        <list>etc/lists/list-IP</list>

Restart OSSEC to apply the changes.

Making the CDB list

The list files must be compiled before they can be used. The tool /var/ossec/bin/ossec-makelists will process and compile all the lists if needed.

Remember to compile the lists every time that you update them. It is not necessary to restart OSSEC to apply the changes.

Positive key match

This example is a search for the key stored in the field attribute and will match if it IS present in the database:

<list field="user" lookup="match_key">etc/lists/list-user</list>

The lookup="match_key" is the default and can be left out as in this example:

<list field="user">etc/lists/list-user</list>

In case the field is an IP address, you must to use address_match_key:

<list field="srcip" lookup="address_match_key">etc/lists/list-IP</list>

Negative key match

This example is a search for the key stored in the field attribute and will match if it IS NOT present in the database:

<list field="user" lookup="not_match_key">etc/lists/list-user</list>

In case the field is an IP address, you must use not_address_match_key:

<list field="srcip" lookup="not_address_match_key">etc/lists/list-IP</list>

Key and value match

This example is a search for the key stored in the field attribute, and on a positive match the returned value of the key will be processed using the regex in the check_value attribute:

<list field="user" lookup="match_key_value" check_value="^block">etc/lists/list-user</list>

In case the field is an IP address, you must use not_address_match_key:

<list field="srcip" lookup="address_match_key_value" check_value="^reject">etc/lists/list-IP</list>