On June 16, 2008, the OSSEC project was acquired by Third Brigade Inc., specialists in host intrusion defense. The acquisition is a testament to the hard work of the entire OSSEC community in developing advanced, open source, host intrusion detection technology.
On behalf of the whole team, I’d like to thank everyone in the OSSEC community for their continued dedication to this important project. With the additional resources of Third Brigade, we look forward to working with the community to continue the development and enhancement of OSSEC.
We’ve tried to anticipate the FAQs you may have, and have provided them below. If you have others, please don’t hesitate to send them in.
Q. What does this acquisition mean to OSSEC?
A. This is an important and exciting time for OSSEC as the project will now have the support of Third Brigade, a company that shares our commitment to providing superior protection for multi-platform server environments. OSSEC will continue to deliver best-of-breed open source technology, and will now be able to do so with the financial and engineering resources of a larger organization.
Q. Will the project still be licensed under GPL?
A. Yes, the OSSEC project will remain under GPL.
Q. What is the impact on OSSEC users?
A. From the end-user perspective, very little will change beyond the additional resources Third Brigade will provide in our continued efforts to advance the OSSEC technology and support users with their deployments. Third Brigade is committed to investing in OSSEC as an open source project licensed under the GPL.
Q. Will the team continue to work on the project?
A. Yes, Daniel Cid, the creator and main developer of the OSSEC HIDS, will continue to lead the advancement of OSSEC as an employee of Third Brigade. As well, we look forward to the ongoing contribution of existing and new team members.
Q. What exactly does Third Brigade now own?
A. Third Brigade has acquired the OSSEC project, as well as the source code copyrights held by the principal member of the OSSEC team. Third Brigade will also assume control of the OSSEC project including: the OSSEC.net domain, web site and web site content.
Q. Will you continue to offer support for OSSEC HIDS?
A. Yes, support will continue to be provided for OSSEC. In fact, with Third Brigade, we will be able to support a broader range of organizations that require it. Support can be obtained by contacting Third Brigade:
Q. Where can I get more information on Third Brigade and the acquisition?
A. You can learn about Third Brigade at www.thirdbrigade.com. As well, additional information is available in their press release at: http://www.thirdbrigade.com/news_events.aspx?id=770
If you have any other questions you may send them to our mailing list or direct to us a contact at ossec. net
Thanks,
The OSSEC team