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Local Transforms

Modified on: Tue, 8 Oct, 2024 at 8:16 AM

Local Transforms are pieces of code that run on the same machine which the Maltego Graph (Desktop) application is installed on. 


These are very useful for integrating into machine-specific tasks (such as running a local application on the machine, like NMAP OR a task that is dependent on the machine setup, such as accessing data over a VPN). These Transforms can be written in any programming language and merely rely on the output to be sent via STDOUT (think a command-line application).

Below are the advantages and disadvantages of building local Transforms:


Pros:

  • Machine specific.
  • Can be built to ensure that nothing passes over Maltego's infrastructure unless this is your preference
  • Simple to write in any programming language.
  • Does not require any server infrastructure setup. i.e. no Transform server or iTDS is required.


Cons:

  • Requires setup on each machine you wish to install them, eg. Python + Mechanize + BeautifulSoup
  • It does not delve as deep into the Transform specifications - no slider or settings.
  • Updating a Transform means it needs to be updated on every machine.
  • Sensitive data such as usernames and passwords could reside on the computer of the analysts.


Instructions for setting up Local Transforms can be found here: Local Transforms

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