For most Linux game servers, the practical IDS design is layered: run a Wazuh agent on the VPS, collect Linux Audit events with auditd, and add Suricata only when you need inspection of network traffic. The agent sends endpoint telemetry to a Wazuh manager, while Suricata’s JSON events are read from /var/log/suricata/eve.json. This combination can show SSH abuse, unexpected privilege changes, suspicious command execution, file tampering and selected network threats without requiring an agent inside every game process.
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Keep the manager separate from a production game VPS when possible. A small deployment can use one Wazuh host, but the manager still needs enough CPU, memory and disk for its alert and vulnerability data. Build the installation in layers, validate each data source in Wazuh Threat Hunting, and tune rules before enabling every possible network signature.
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An intrusion detection system observes activity and raises alerts; it does not automatically make an attacker disappear. On a VPS hosting a game server, useful evidence comes from several places:
- Endpoint telemetry: processes, files, configuration changes and other host events collected by the Wazuh agent.
- Linux Audit telemetry: system calls and privileged actions recorded by
auditdaccording to rules you define. - Network inspection: packets examined by Suricata when the VPS interface and traffic path allow it.
This layered model matters because a game service can be compromised without producing a distinctive network signature, while a scan or exploit attempt may be visible on the wire but leave little useful information in an application log. No single component provides universal coverage, and the official documentation does not establish a universal detection rate or false-positive rate. Treat alerts as evidence for investigation, not as proof that an incident did or did not occur.
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What the layers can and cannot see
| Layer | Best at showing | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Wazuh agent | Host state and endpoint events from the VPS | Needs a reachable Wazuh manager and local configuration that selects useful data |
| auditd | System-call, file and privileged-action activity | Rules must be deliberately scoped; collecting everything can create noise and storage pressure |
| Suricata | Network traffic and signature-based events on the monitored interface | It cannot inspect traffic the VPS never receives, and it fails if configured with the wrong interface |
Choose a topology and size the Wazuh manager
The Wazuh agent is lightweight software that can run on servers, cloud instances, containers and virtual machines. It communicates with a Wazuh manager through an encrypted and authenticated channel and sends data in near real time. The manager is the central analysis point, so place it where it can receive the agent’s traffic reliably and where its disks are protected from the game server’s workload.
Single-host or distributed installation
For a small deployment, a single Wazuh host is the simplest topology. You can monitor one game VPS or several endpoints with one manager. Larger installations can distribute the central components for resilience and capacity, but distribution adds services, network paths and maintenance. Decide based on the number of endpoints, expected alert rate, retention period and how much downtime the monitoring system can tolerate.
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Supported manager operating systems and minimum sizing
Wazuh’s current server guide lists Ubuntu 16.04, 18.04, 20.04, 22.04 and 24.04; Amazon Linux 2 and 2023; CentOS Stream 10; and RHEL 7 through 10 among supported systems. Check the current guide before selecting an image, because support changes independently of your game server software.
| Manager profile | CPU and memory | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum documented sizing | 2 CPU cores and 2 GB RAM | Wazuh’s stated minimum; leave headroom for the operating system and workload |
| Recommended documented sizing | 8 CPU cores and 4 GB RAM | Wazuh’s current recommendation for a more comfortable deployment |
Wazuh documents an estimate of 0.25 alerts per second and 0.1 GB for 90 days per server endpoint. That is a planning figure from Wazuh’s table, not a promise for your rules or traffic. The vulnerability database is about 11 GB after unpacking, and Wazuh recommends at least 20 GB free on the volume during first start. Disk alerts, Suricata event volume and longer retention can require substantially more space.
Place the manager deliberately
- Use a separate VPS if losing the game server should not also destroy the monitoring system.
- Restrict manager and agent ports with your cloud firewall or host firewall to the addresses that need them.
- Use an encrypted, authenticated agent channel and keep the manager’s operating system patched.
- Record the manager address before installing the agent; the installation command needs it.
Install and enroll the Wazuh agent
Install the agent on the VPS that runs the game server. The manager can be self-hosted for direct control over components and sizing, or you can use Wazuh Cloud as an optional hosted path. The hosted option changes who operates the central service; it does not remove the need to configure the endpoint and validate its events.
1. Add the signed Wazuh repository
On Debian or Ubuntu, add Wazuh’s signed package repository by following the current Wazuh agent installation instructions for your release. Do not replace the signing-key and repository details with an unrelated mirror. The exact repository commands vary by distribution and release.
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2. Install the agent with the manager address
After the repository is configured, install the package and pass the manager’s address. This example uses the private address 10.0.0.2; replace it with the address reachable from the monitored VPS:
WAZUH_MANAGER="10.0.0.2" apt-get install wazuh-agentUse the package manager syntax appropriate to your distribution if the VPS is not Debian or Ubuntu. Verify that the package installation completes without a repository, key or dependency error.
3. Enable and start the service
systemctl enable wazuh-agent
systemctl start wazuh-agentCheck the service status and the agent log on the VPS. On the manager, confirm that the endpoint appears as enrolled and is sending data. An agent that is installed but cannot authenticate or reach the manager is not monitoring the host.
4. Start with host events relevant to a game server
Prioritize the directories and services that matter to your server: the game-server executable and scripts, configuration files, plugin or mod directories, startup units, SSH configuration and administrative accounts. Add only the locations you can investigate. Monitoring every transient file can bury a real change in routine package and log activity.
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Linux Audit records low-level activity that ordinary application logs may omit. It can provide evidence about file access, command execution and privilege changes, but it is not useful until you define rules for the actions you care about.
1. Install auditd
On Debian or Ubuntu:
apt install -y auditdUse the documented yum or dnf equivalent on distributions that use those package managers. Enable and start the service according to your distribution’s service-management conventions, then confirm that /var/log/audit/audit.log is being written.
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2. Tell the Wazuh agent to read the audit log
Edit the agent configuration at /var/ossec/etc/ossec.conf and ensure the audit log is declared with the audit format:
<localfile>
<location>/var/log/audit/audit.log</location>
<log_format>audit</log_format>
</localfile>Keep the existing configuration structure intact; add the block in the appropriate <ossec_config> section. Restart the agent after saving the file:
systemctl restart wazuh-agent3. Define focused Audit rules
Create rules with auditctl for immediate testing or in the distribution’s persistent audit-rules file for rules that must survive a reboot. Useful categories for a game VPS include:
- Changes to SSH configuration, authorized keys and service-unit files.
- Execution of administrative tools by accounts that normally run only the game service.
- Use of
sudo, set-user-ID programs and other privilege transitions. - Writes to the game-server binary, startup scripts, plugin or mod directories and sensitive configuration files.
- Changes to user, group and authentication databases.
Choose paths and identities that match your server. A rule for a file that does not exist, or a broad rule covering every process, adds little investigative value while increasing event volume. After loading rules, perform a controlled action—such as changing a test file or using an authorized administrative command—and confirm that an Audit event arrives in Wazuh Threat Hunting.
Add Suricata when network inspection is required
Suricata complements host telemetry by examining traffic on the VPS. It is most useful when you need visibility into scans, protocol anomalies or signatures associated with known threats. It does not replace auditd: encrypted application traffic, local-only activity and events outside the monitored interface still require host evidence.
1. Install Suricata and a ruleset
Wazuh’s Ubuntu example installs Suricata from the Open Information Security Foundation’s stable PPA and installs an Emerging Threats ruleset. Follow the current package instructions for the exact Ubuntu release and ruleset command rather than copying a repository line intended for another release.
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2. Set the network variables
In Suricata’s configuration, set HOME_NET to the VPS address or addresses that represent the protected host and set EXTERNAL_NET to any, as in Wazuh’s example, unless your network design requires a narrower definition. Under the af-packet section, replace the example interface with the VPS’s actual interface name.
Cloud images commonly use names such as eth0, ens3 or a provider-specific name; do not assume one. Identify the interface with your operating system’s network tools, then use that exact name in both Suricata settings where required.
3. Start Suricata and handle an interface error
Restart Suricata after changing its configuration. If its log reports Unable to find iface, the configured interface does not exist or is misspelled. Check the actual interface name, update /etc/default/suricata and /etc/suricata/suricata.yaml, then restart the service and inspect its log again.
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4. Forward eve.json to Wazuh
Suricata writes structured events to /var/log/suricata/eve.json. Add a JSON localfile entry to the Wazuh agent’s /var/ossec/etc/ossec.conf:
<localfile>
<location>/var/log/suricata/eve.json</location>
<log_format>json</log_format>
</localfile>Restart the agent after saving the configuration:
systemctl restart wazuh-agentWazuh automatically parses eve.json and generates related dashboard alerts when ingestion is working.
Validate that alerts are actually arriving
Do not consider the IDS complete because services show “active.” Validate the entire path: event generation, local log writing, agent reading, network delivery, manager parsing and dashboard display.
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- Check the source log locally. Confirm that
/var/log/audit/audit.logcontains a controlled Audit event and that/var/log/suricata/eve.jsonchanges when Suricata observes traffic. - Check the agent. Review the Wazuh agent service status and logs for configuration, permission, connection or authentication errors after each restart.
- Check the manager enrollment. Confirm that the endpoint is connected and that its last-seen time advances.
- Use Threat Hunting. Filter Suricata events with
rule.groups:suricata. Linux Audit alerts should also appear in Threat Hunting. - Perform safe test actions. Change a monitored test file or execute an authorized administrative action that matches one of your Audit rules. Avoid generating attack traffic against systems you do not own.
- Record the expected result. Note the event time, rule name and source so you can distinguish delayed ingestion from a rule that never matched.
If a local log changes but Threat Hunting stays empty, investigate the agent’s localfile block, file permissions, service restart and manager connectivity in that order. If no local log changes, troubleshoot audit rules or Suricata before changing Wazuh.
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| Implementation | Use it when | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Wazuh agent plus auditd | You need process, file, privilege and authentication evidence on one or more game VPSs | Requires careful Audit-rule design and does not inspect packets directly |
| Wazuh agent plus Suricata | You need network signatures and protocol visibility in addition to endpoint events | Adds CPU, configuration and event-volume overhead; interface selection is critical |
| Wazuh agent, auditd and Suricata | You want the broadest practical host-and-network view for a high-value server | More components to patch, tune, store and investigate |
For a small community game server, begin with the agent and focused Audit rules. Add Suricata after you have a clear question—such as whether scans and suspicious inbound traffic are reaching the VPS—and enough capacity to retain the resulting events.
Control alert noise, storage and game-server impact
Tune by investigation value
Every rule should answer a question you can act on. If a file changes during every game update, either exclude the expected update path or schedule and label maintenance so investigators can recognize it. Keep alerts for unexpected owners, permissions, execution contexts and times rather than treating every legitimate deployment as an intrusion.
Separate routine administration from incidents
Use named administrative accounts and document approved maintenance windows. When a plugin, mod or server binary changes, record who made the change and why. This context helps you distinguish a planned update from an unauthorized write when an Audit alert appears.
Watch the VPS budget
Suricata signatures and verbose Audit rules consume CPU, memory, disk and manager capacity. Retention is a design choice: Wazuh’s 0.1 GB for 90 days per server endpoint is the documented table estimate, not a guarantee for a combined Audit-and-Suricata workload. Monitor disk free space, manager load and the game service’s latency after enabling each layer.
Troubleshooting branches
The agent is installed but offline
- Verify the manager address supplied in the installation command.
- Check that the VPS firewall and cloud security rules allow the required agent-to-manager connection.
- Review agent logs for authentication, certificate, DNS or time-related errors.
- Confirm the manager is running and has capacity for another endpoint.
Audit alerts never appear
- Confirm
auditdis running and/var/log/audit/audit.logis changing. - Check that the Wazuh
<localfile>block uses<log_format>audit</log_format>. - Verify that the action you tested matches a loaded Audit rule.
- Restart the agent after editing
/var/ossec/etc/ossec.confand check for XML or permission errors.
Suricata reports “Unable to find iface”
Find the VPS’s real interface name and update both /etc/default/suricata and /etc/suricata/suricata.yaml. Restart Suricata, then verify that eve.json is being written. A correct ruleset cannot produce events if Suricata is attached to a nonexistent interface.
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Suricata writes events but Wazuh shows none
- Confirm the agent’s JSON localfile points exactly to
/var/log/suricata/eve.json. - Confirm the format is
json, the agent was restarted and its service account can read the file. - Use Threat Hunting’s
rule.groups:suricatafilter only after checking the local file and agent logs.
Operational checklist for a production game VPS
- Manager operating system and Wazuh version are supported by current documentation.
- Manager has at least the documented 2 CPU cores and 2 GB RAM minimum, with 4 GB RAM and 8 CPU cores as the documented recommendation where capacity allows.
- At least 20 GB of free manager volume space is available during first start, with additional capacity planned for retention.
- Agent is enrolled, connected and sending telemetry over its encrypted, authenticated channel.
auditdis installed, its log is being written and rules cover the files, commands and privilege actions that matter.- Suricata is installed only where network inspection is needed, uses the actual VPS interface and writes
eve.json. - Wazuh reads both Audit and Suricata logs with the correct formats.
- Controlled test events are visible in Threat Hunting, including
rule.groups:suricatafor Suricata data. - Alert volume, disk use and game-server performance are reviewed after tuning.
- Someone is assigned to investigate alerts; an IDS without a response process is only a growing log.
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