**Tripwire's current status:**
Yes, Tripwire is still an existing program. It was originally developed in the mid-1990s
by Gene Spafford and is now maintained by Tripwire, Inc., a company founded in 2001.
In recent years, the open-source version of Tripwire (called `tripwire-open`) has been
forked from the original codebase, and it continues to be actively developed and
maintained. The commercial version of Tripwire (called `Tripwire Enterprise`) is also
still available for purchase and support.
**Usefulness:**
While file integrity monitoring tools like Tripwire have been around for a while, their
usefulness and relevance in today's security landscape are subject to debate.
Here are some points for and against the usefulness of Tripwire:
**Pros:**
1. **File integrity monitoring**: Tripwire can detect changes made to system files, which
is useful for identifying potential malware or unauthorized access.
2. **Auditing capabilities**: Tripwire provides detailed reports on file modifications,
including timestamps, user IDs, and file hashes.
3. **Compliance requirements**: Tripwire helps organizations meet regulatory requirements
by providing evidence of file integrity and compliance with security policies.
**Cons:**
1. **Resource-intensive**: Running Tripwire can consume system resources, particularly if
you're monitoring a large number of files or have high network traffic.
2. **Configurable but complex**: While Tripwire is highly configurable, its configuration
can be overwhelming for beginners, especially when it comes to setting up custom rules
and thresholds.
3. **False positives**: Like any file integrity monitoring tool, Tripwire may generate
false positives due to normal system changes or temporary files.
**Alternatives:**
If you're looking for alternative file integrity monitoring tools, consider:
1. `aide` (Advanced Intrusion Detection Environment): A lightweight, open-source tool
that provides similar functionality to Tripwire.
2. `ossec-hids` (Open Source HIDS): An open-source host-based intrusion detection system
that offers file integrity monitoring and more advanced features.
Ultimately, whether or not Tripwire is still useful depends on your specific security
needs and requirements. If you need a simple, lightweight tool for basic file integrity
monitoring, `aide` might be a better choice. However, if you require more advanced
features and detailed reporting, Tripwire could still be a good option.