SNORT SUBSCRIBER RULES LICENSE AGREEMENT (v. 3.1)

IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ THIS AGREEMENT CAREFULLY.

THIS SNORT SUBSCRIBER RULES LICENSE AGREEMENT IS A LEGAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN YOU
AND CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. OR ONE OF ITS DESIGNATED SUBSIDIARIES LICENSING THE
RULES TO YOU HEREUNDER INSTEAD OF CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. “CISCO”). THE TERMS
AND CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH YOU MAY USE THE RULES ARE SET FORTH IN THIS SNORT
SUBSCRIBER RULES LICENSE AGREEMENT (“AGREEMENT”).

BY DOWNLOADING, INSTALLING OR USING ANY OF THE RULES, YOU ARE BINDING YOURSELF
IF YOU ARE ACTING IN YOUR PERSONAL CAPACITY OR THE BUSINESS ENTITY THAT YOU
REPRESENT (AS APPLICABLE, “YOU”) TO THIS AGREEMENT AND AGREEING THAT THIS
AGREEMENT WITH CISCO IS ENFORCEABLE LIKE ANY WRITTEN CONTRACT SIGNED BY YOU.

IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ALL OF THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CONTAINED IN THIS AGREEMENT,
THEN CISCO IS UNWILLING TO LICENSE THE RULES TO YOU, IN WHICH CASE YOU MAY NOT
DOWNLOAD, INSTALL OR USE ANY OF THE RULES.

IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT, DO NOT DOWNLOAD,
INSTALL OR USE THE RULES. BY SELECTING “I ACCEPT,” “OK,” “CONTINUE,”
“YES,” “NEXT” OR BY INSTALLING OR USING THE RULES IN ANY WAY, YOU ARE
INDICATING YOUR COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTANCE OF ALL OF THE TERMS AND
CONDITIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT.

1. Definitions

1.1 “Commercial Purpose” means the direct or indirect use, reproduction
or distribution of any Rule, Modification or Compilation, in whole or in part,
that is intended to result in financial gain, economic benefit or other form
of consideration to any person or entity involved in such use, reproduction
or distribution. Examples of a Commercial Purpose include but are not limited
to: (a) integrating the Rules with other software or hardware for sale as a
bundled product; (b) licensing, distributing or selling the Rules for a fee;
or (c) using the Rules to provide a fee-based service or subscription.

1.2. “Community Rules” means specifically formulated network traffic characteristics
and instructions in text form, source code form or object code form (including
the structure, sequence, organization and syntax of such network traffic characteristics),
and all documentation related thereto, that: (a) are owned by Cisco and designated
with SIDs of 3,464 and below; or (b) have been developed by a third party and
approved by Cisco Talos (Cisco’s vulnerability research team or successor
group within Cisco).

1.3 “Compilation” means a work that combines the Rules or any Modification
or portions thereof with any services, programs, code or other products not
governed by the terms of this Agreement.

1.4. “Improvements” means a Modification to a Rule (or to a Modified Rule)
that corrects a bug, defect, or error in such Rule without affecting the overall
functionality of such Rule.

1.5. “Limited Ruleset” means those Rules that have been expressly designated
by Cisco Talos as “Limited Ruleset”, and are tagged or otherwise identified
as “ruleset limited” in the ruleset.

1.6. “Modifications”or “Modified” means any alteration, addition to
or deletion from the substance or structure of the Rules (or to a Modified Rule)
including, without limitation: (a) an Improvement; (b) any change to the contents
of a file containing a Rule or a Modification; (c) any derivative of the Rule
or of any Modified Rule; or (d) any new file that contains any part of the Rule
or Modified Rule.

1.7. “Registered User” means an individual or entity who has registered
on www.snort.org to use the Rules and who is not required to pay a license fee
for such use.

1.8. “Rules” means specifically formulated network traffic characteristics
and instructions in text form, source code form or object code form (including
the structure, sequence, organization and syntax of such network traffic characteristics),
and all documentation related thereto, that: (a) have been created, developed,
tested and officially approved by Cisco Talos; and (b) are designated with SIDs
between 3,465 and 1,000,000. Modifications are considered part of the Rules,
however, the Community Rules are not considered part of the Rules definition.
The “Limited Ruleset” is considered part of the Rules and subject to additional
licensing limitations set forth in this Agreement.

1.9. “Sensor” means any hardware or virtual device that runs at least one
detection engine such as Snort.

1.10. “Subscriber” means an individual or entity who has registered on www.snort.org
to use the Rules as a subscriber and who has paid the applicable license fee
for such use.

2. License Grant

2.1. Subscriber Use. If You are a Subscriber, then subject to the terms and
conditions of this Agreement, Cisco grants You a world-wide and non-exclusive
license to: (a) download, install and use the Rules only on that number of Sensors
for which You have paid the applicable license fee; (b) Modify the Rules and
install and use those Modified Rules consistent with Section 2.1 (a) above;
(c) reproduce the Rules as strictly necessary in exercising Your rights under
this Section 2.1; and (d) make the Rules and any Modification available to Your
consultants, agents and subcontractors for the limited purpose of exercising
Your rights under this Section 2.1 provided that such use is in compliance with
this Agreement. As a Subscriber You will have access to the Rules promptly upon
release by Cisco and thirty (30) days before new Rules are made available to
Registered Users. Once a Rule (excluding the Limited Ruleset) has been made
available to Registered Users (i.e. 30 days after release to Subscribers), You
may then also distribute such Rule or any Modification in accordance with Section
2.2 (c) and Section 2.2 (d) below, as applicable. As a Subscriber You may not
distribute new Rules until such 30-day period has lapsed. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, under no circumstances may You distribute the Limited Ruleset, or
any portion thereof, to a Registered User or to any third party or otherwise
make the Limited Ruleset available to any third party or allow a third party
to use the Limited Ruleset.

2.2. Use by Registered Users. If You are a Registered User, then subject to
the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Cisco grants You a world-wide and
non-exclusive license to: (a) download, install and use the Rules on Sensors
that You manage (or over which You have administrative control); (b) Modify
the Rules and use such Modifications consistent with Section 2.2(a) above; (c)
distribute those Rules and any Modifications that are made generally available
to other Registered Users; (d) distribute any Improvement made generally available
to other Registered Users on mailing lists commonly used by the Snort user community
as a whole; (e) reproduce the Rules as strictly necessary in exercising the
rights under this Section 2.2; and (f) make the Rules and any Modification available
to Your consultants, agents and subcontractors for the limited purpose of exercising
Your rights under this Section 2.2 provided that such use is in compliance with
this Agreement. If You are a Registered User, You acknowledge and agree that
new Rules (excluding the Limited Ruleset) will only be made available to Registered
Users thirty (30) days after they have been released to Subscribers. You will
have access to Modifications promptly upon release by Cisco at the same time
they are made available to Subscribers. Notwithstanding the foregoing, as a
Registered User, You have no right or license under this Agreement to use, transfer,
Modify, distribute, copy or reproduce the Limited Ruleset, or any portion thereof.

2.3. Community Rules. The Community Rules are not governed by this Agreement
and are separately made available for use under the GNU General Public License
(GPL), v2.

2.4 License Limitations; Restrictions. You acknowledge and agree that the Rules
are the property of Cisco, contain valuable assets and proprietary information
of Cisco, and are provided to You under the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
You agree that You will NOT at any time do any of the following without Cisco’s
prior written consent: (a) use, deploy, modify, license, transfer, display,
reproduce, distribute or disclose the Rules or Modifications (even if merged
with other materials as a Compilation) other than as allowed under Section 2.1
if You are a Subscriber or under Section 2.2 if You are a Registered User; (b)
use, deploy, modify, license, transfer, display, reproduce, distribute or disclose
the Rules or Modifications for a Commercial Purpose; (c) share any user authentication
information and/or password provided to You by Cisco with any third party to
allow such party to access Your snort.org account or to otherwise access the
Rules; (d) except as provided under Sections 2.1(c)-(d), Sections 2.2(c)-(e)
and Section 4, post or make available any Rule or any Modification (in whole
or in part) to any individual or entity who has not agreed to the terms and
conditions of this Agreement; or (e) alter or remove any copyright notice or
proprietary legend contained in or on the Rules or Modifications. Cisco reserves
the right to limit the time and/or frequency that the Rules are made available
for download at www.snort.org. All rights not granted under this Agreement are
reserved by Cisco.

2.5. Support. Technical support for the Rules is limited to the FAQs, e-mail
support assistance and user forums available at www.snort.org.

2.6. Commercial Use. You must enter into a separate commercial license agreement
with Cisco in order to use the Rules for a Commercial Purpose. You can contact
Cisco at www.snort.org if You desire to use the Rules for a Commercial Purpose
under a commercial license agreement.

2.7. Reproduction Obligations. If You make any copies of the Rules or any Modifications
as permitted by this Agreement, You agree that any and all such copies will
contain: (a) a copy of an appropriate copyright notice and all other applicable
proprietary legends; (b) a disclaimer of any warranty consistent with this Agreement;
and (c) the following notices:

The contents of this file are subject to the Snort Subscriber Rules License
Agreement (the “Agreement”). You may not use this file except in compliance
with the Agreement. You may obtain a copy of the Agreement at www.snort.org.
The developer of the Rules is Cisco Systems, Inc.

 

The Rules are distributed under the Agreement on an “AS IS” basis, WITHOUT
WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the Agreement for the specific
language governing rights and limitations under the Agreement.

 

2005 – 2025 © Cisco Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

Contributor/Change Made By: ________________. [Only apply if changes are made]

3. Modifications.

If You create a Modification, then the use, reproduction and distribution of
such Modification shall be governed by the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
You are encouraged to disclose Your Modifications to Cisco and the user community
but are not required to do so. If You disclose a Modification to Cisco or the
user community, You hereby grant Cisco and all other licensed users of the Rules
an irrevocable, perpetual, fully paid-up, world-wide, royalty-free, non-exclusive
license to download, install and use such Modification (and the source code
thereto). For each Modification You make and distribute, You shall include a
prominent notice stating that the You changed the Rule (or any Modification
thereto) and the date of such change.

4. Distribution Obligations.

The Rules (or any Modification thereof) may be distributed by You only as permitted
under this Agreement. You must include a copy of this Agreement and the notices
referenced in Section 2.7 in each file of the Rules that You are permitted to
distribute. If it is not possible to include such notices in a particular file
due to its structure, then You must include such notices in a location (such
as a relevant directory) where a user would be likely to look for notices. If
You create any Modifications, You must add Your name as a contributor to the
notice described in Section 2.7.

5. Payment Terms.

If You are a Subscriber and have provided Cisco (or its payment processor) with
a valid credit card number or an alternate payment method, Your subscription
will be automatically renewed and the then-current license fee will be charged
to such account for another term at the expiration of Your then-current term.
The new term will be for the same duration as the expired term unless otherwise
specified at time of renewal. This renewal will be processed (and Your credit
card account charged) within thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of the
term and each anniversary thereafter. If You do not want Your subscription to
automatically renew, You must, prior to the expiration of Your subscription
term, inform Cisco of Your intention not to renew Your subscription. Cisco will
send notice of Your renewal to the e-mail address You have provided prior to
charging Your account. You must provide current, complete, and accurate information
for Your billing account. You are responsible for ensuring this information
is correct and must promptly update all information to keep Your billing account
current, complete, and accurate (such as a change in billing address, credit
card number, or credit card expiration date). You must promptly notify Cisco
if Your credit card is canceled or is no longer valid.

6. Representations and Warranties.

You represent and warrant that the information that You provide to Cisco when
registering as either a Registered User or a Subscriber is complete and accurate
in all respects, and You have the right, power and authority to so register.
If You are a Subscriber, You further represent and warrant that the subscription
categories selected (e.g., personal or business use) accurately reflects Your
intended use of the Rules.

7. Versions of the Agreement.

Cisco may publish revised and/or new versions of the Agreement from time to
time. Each version of the Agreement will be distinguished by a version number;
this Agreement is version 3.1 and replaces version 3.0. Once a Rule has been
published under a particular version of the Agreement, You may always use the
Rule under the terms of that version of the Agreement which such Rule was acquired.
You may also choose to use such Rule under the terms of any subsequent version
of the Agreement. No one other than Cisco has the right to modify the terms
of the Agreement.

8. Warranty Disclaimer.

THE RULES AND MODIFICATIONS ARE PROVIDED UNDER THIS AGREEMENT ON AN “AS IS”
BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING,
WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES THAT THE RULES OR THE MODIFICATIONS ARE FREE
OF DEFECTS, MERCHANTABLE, FIT FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGING. THE
ENTIRE RISK AS TO PERFORMANCE OF THE RULES AND MODIFICATIONS IS WITH YOU. SHOULD
THE RULES OR MODIFICATIONS PROVE DEFECTIVE IN ANY RESPECT, YOU (NOT CISCO) ASSUME
THE COST OF ANY NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION. THIS DISCLAIMER OF
WARRANTY CONSTITUTES AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THIS AGREEMENT. NO USE OF ANY RULE
OR ANY MODIFICATION IS AUTHORIZED HEREUNDER EXCEPT UNDER THIS DISCLAIMER.

9. Liability Limitation.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES AND UNDER NO LEGAL THEORY, WHETHER TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE),
CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE, SHALL CISCO OR YOU BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER FOR ANY INDIRECT,
SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY CHARACTER INCLUDING, WITHOUT
LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS OR GOODWILL, WORK STOPPAGE, SECURITY
BREACHES OR FAILURES, COMPUTER FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION, OR ANY AND ALL OTHER
DAMAGES OR LOSSES, EVEN IF SUCH PARTY SHALL HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY
OF SUCH DAMAGES. ALL LIABILITY OF CISCO, ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS,
EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, SUPPLIERS AND LICENSORS COLLECTIVELY, TO YOU, WHETHER IN
TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE, SHALL NOT EXCEED THE PRICE
PAID BY YOU FOR THE RULES THAT GAVE RISE TO THE CLAIM. THIS LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
SHALL NOT APPLY TO THE EXTENT APPLICABLE LAW PROHIBITS SUCH LIMITATIONS. SOME
JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES, SO THIS EXCLUSION AND LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

10. Term; Termination.

If You are a Registered User this Agreement will remain in effect for as long
as You use the Rules, subject to Section 7 and the termination provisions below.
If You are a Subscriber this Agreement is effective for a term of one (1) year
from the date of purchase of Your license and for all renewal terms thereafter,
subject to Section 7 and the termination provisions below. This Agreement and
the rights granted hereunder will terminate automatically if You breach any
term herein and You fail to cure such breach within thirty (30) days of becoming
aware of the breach. Additionally, Cisco may terminate this Agreement for convenience
at any time by providing You thirty (30) days notice. If You are a Subscriber
and Cisco terminates this Agreement for convenience, then Cisco will provide
You a pro-rated refund for the license fees You prepaid for the remaining portion
of the term that has been cancelled. Upon any termination or expiration of this
Agreement, You must cease use of the Rules and destroy all copies of the Rules.
Provisions which, by their nature, must remain in effect beyond the termination
of this Agreement shall survive.

11. United States Government Users.

The Rules provided under this Agreement are prepared entirely at private expense
and are “Commercial Items” as that term is defined in 48 C.F.R. 2.101. The
Rules are licensed to U.S. Government end users: (a) only as “Commercial Items”;
and (b) with only those rights as are granted to all other users pursuant to
the Cisco’s standard license agreement. In case of conflict between any FAR
and DFARS and this Agreement, the construction that provides greater limitations
on the U.S. Government's rights shall control.

12. Miscellaneous.

This Agreement represents the complete agreement concerning the subject matter
hereof. If it is impossible for You to comply with any of the terms of this
Agreement due to statute, judicial order or regulation then You must comply
with all other terms of this Agreement to the maximum extent possible. If any
provision of this Agreement is held to be unenforceable, such provision shall
be reformed only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable. This Agreement
shall be governed by the laws of the State of California, excluding its conflict-of-law
provisions. Any litigation relating to this Agreement shall be subject to the
jurisdiction of the state and federal Courts serving California, with the losing
party responsible for costs, including without limitation, court costs and reasonable
attorneys’ fees and expenses. You hereby submit to jurisdiction and venue
in such courts. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the licensee hereunder is
the U.S. Government then this Agreement shall be governed by U.S. Federal Law
and any litigation relating to this Agreement and such licensee shall be subject
to the jurisdiction of U.S. Federal Courts.The application of the United Nations
Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods is expressly excluded.
Any law or regulation which provides that the language of a contract shall be
construed against the drafter shall not apply to this Agreement. The Rules are
subject to export controls under the laws of the United States and other countries.
You shall comply with all such laws governing export, re-export, transfer and
use of the Rules. You agree not to use or transfer the Rules for any use relating
to the operation of nuclear facilities, chemical or biological weapons or missile
technology, unless authorized by the U.S. Government by regulation or specific
written license. Headings and section references are used for reference only
and shall not be used define, limit or describe such section.