Arkime vs SUMURI PALADIN

Arkime is a free, open-source network analysis and session search tool that passively observes traffic and creates searchable session records. It parses layers 3–7 and indexes fields including protocols, DNS names, HTTP headers, TLS/JA4 fingerprints, file hashes, and GeoIP in OpenSearch or Elasticsearch. Operators can store full packets in standard PCAP format or use metadata-only capture, with rules to select traffic for saving. Users can search sessions, inspect packet data, and export results as PCAP or CSV. Cont3xt enriches supported indicators using commercial and OSINT sources, including VirusTotal, Censys, and Shodan; phone enrichment is limited to the U.S. Parliament groups clusters and displays cluster issues and Elasticsearch health. Capture can scale by adding machines or increasing CPU and disk. Arkime has no license fees or paid-only features. Installation guidance covers Linux, recommends Debian or Ubuntu LTS, and links to a container guide. OpenSearch or Elasticsearch is required for session metadata. Authentication options include basic, form, digest, header, and OIDC, while the project advises against anonymous authentication.

SUMURI PALADIN is a donation-supported live Linux environment for forensic imaging, triage, and recovery. PALADIN 9 LTS uses Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and is modified to prevent changes to attached media and disable automatic mounting at boot. Its graphical Toolbox handles imaging, logical acquisitions, hashing, and device mounting, with read-only options and logging. Included software includes Autopsy, The Sleuth Kit, and other open-source forensic tools. Supported image formats include E01/Ex01, RAW (.dd), SMART, AFF, VHD, and VMDK. PALADIN LTS can mount and image through NFS or SMB networks and supports BitLocker-encrypted Windows partitions from Vista through Windows 10. It integrates Arsenal Image Mounter Remote Agent for advanced mounting and live or remote analysis. Persistent Mode preserves reports and configurations between prepared sessions, subject to extra free space. PALADIN runs as a Linux live environment on 64-bit and 32-bit PC hardware.