# 9 : Cybersecurity Detection Home Lab: Installing Splunk

 Cybersecurity Detection Home Lab: Installing Splunk

In this article, I will guide you through the process of installing Splunk free version on a virtual machine. Splunk is a powerful tool for analysing, monitoring and visualising machine-generated data. It helps organisations turn their data into actionable insights, enabling them to make informed decisions and improve their operations. Splunk provides both free and paid versions.

Step 1: Download Splunk Free Version The first step is to download the Splunk free version from the official website. Go to the Splunk website and click on the “Download Free Splunk” button. Choose the version that is compatible with your operating system and download it.

Step 2: Create a Virtual Machine You need to have a virtual machine in which to install Splunk. You can use any virtual machine software, such as VirtualBox, VMware, or Hyper-V. Once you have created a virtual machine, make sure that it has the required specifications to run Splunk. The minimum requirements are a 64-bit operating system, 2GB of RAM, and 20GB of disk space.

Step 3: Install Splunk on the Virtual Machine Once you have created the virtual machine, you can start the installation process. Open the Splunk download file that you downloaded in step 1 and follow the prompts to install Splunk on the virtual machine. During the installation process, you will be asked to accept the Splunk license agreement, choose the installation location, and set up the admin password. Make sure to remember the admin password, as you will need it to log in to Splunk.

Step 4: Launch Splunk and log in After installing Splunk, launch the application and log in using the username and password that you created during the installation process.

Step 5: Add Data To begin analysing data, you need to add data to Splunk. Splunk supports many data sources, including logs, files, and APIs. In this example I used local Application, Security and Systems logs.

Step 6: Search Data Once you have added data to Splunk, you can begin searching it. Splunk has a powerful search engine that allows you to search for specific data using keywords and phrases. To search for data, click on "Search & Reporting" on the Splunk home screen. You will then be presented with a search bar. Enter your search query and click "Search." In this example I searched the event logs.

Step 7: Create Dashboards Dashboards are a great way to visualise data in Splunk. You can create dashboards that display charts, graphs, and other visualisations based on your data. To create a dashboard, click on "Dashboards" on the Splunk home screen. You will then be presented with options for creating a new dashboard. Follow the instructions to create your dashboard.

Splunk is a powerful tool for cybersecurity professionals that allows you to monitor and analyse large amounts of data from various sources. By following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you should have a basic understanding of how to use Splunk for cybersecurity purposes.