Local Transforms are pieces of code that run on the same machine which the Maltego Desktop Client 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