A honeypot is a security tool designed to trick attackers by appearing as a vulnerable system or network. It’s isolated, monitored, and protected to gather information about attackers’ methods and goals without risking real systems. Honeypots can be high-interaction, mimicking entire systems, or low-interaction, emulating specific services.
What is a Honeypot?
A honeypot is a security tool that creates a virtual trap to lure attackers. By intentionally exposing a system to vulnerabilities, you can study attackers’ methods to enhance security. Honeypots can be applied to various computing resources like software, networks, and servers.
These tools, part of deception technology, help understand attacker behaviour and gather intel on cyber breaches. They offer fewer false positives compared to traditional security measures because they’re unlikely to attract legitimate activity. Honeypots come in different designs and deployment models but all serve as decoys, mimicking real but vulnerable systems to attract cybercriminals.
Production vs. Research Honeypots
There are two main types of honeypots:
- Production honeypots: These are decoy systems within fully operational networks or servers, usually as part of an intrusion detection system (IDS). They divert attention from real systems and analyze malicious activity to improve security.
- Research honeypots: These are used for educational and security improvement purposes. They contain traceable data that can be analyzed to understand and mitigate attacks.
Types of Honeypot Deployments
There are three types of honeypot deployments for different levels of malicious activity:
- Pure honeypots: These are complete production systems that monitor attacks by tapping into the network link. They’re basic and unsophisticated.
- Low-interaction honeypots: These mimic frequently targeted services and systems. They’re useful for gathering data from blind attacks like botnets and malware, but they’re limited in interaction.
- High-interaction honeypots: These are complex setups that closely resemble real production infrastructure. They offer deep insights into cybersecurity threats but require more maintenance and expertise. Additional technologies like virtual machines are often used to ensure attackers can’t access real systems.
Honeypot Limitations
Honeypot security has limitations: it can’t detect breaches in real systems or always pinpoint attackers. There’s also a risk of attackers moving from the honeypot to the real network. To prevent this, the honeypot must be well isolated.
To enhance security operations, combine honeypots with other techniques. For instance, the canary trap strategy detects information leaks by sharing different versions of sensitive data with suspected moles or whistleblowers.
Honeynet: A Network of Honeypots
A honeynet is a fake network with one or more honeypots. It resembles a real network with multiple systems but is hosted on just a few servers, each representing a different environment. For example, there could be a Windows, Mac, and Linux honeypot machine. A “honey wall” monitors the network traffic and sends it to the honeypots. Vulnerabilities can be deliberately injected into the honeynet to lure attackers into the trap.
In a honeynet, any system can be an entry point for attackers. It collects information on attackers and redirects them away from the real network. Compared to a single honeypot, a honeynet feels more like a genuine network and covers a larger area. This makes Honeynet ideal for large networks, as it offers attackers an alternative corporate network that can be just as enticing as the real one.
Spam Trap: An Email Honeypot
Spam traps are tools used by ISPs to catch and block spammers, making email inboxes safer. They work by using fake email addresses to lure spammers. Legitimate emails rarely go to these fake addresses, so when an email is received, it’s likely spam.
There are different types of spam traps:
- Username typos: These trap emails with misspelled addresses caused by human or machine errors.
- Expired email accounts: Some traps use old or abandoned email accounts or expired domain names.
- Purchased email lists: These often have invalid addresses and can trigger spam traps because senders lack permission to email these addresses.
However, spam traps have risks. They may generate backscatter or label legitimate email addresses as spam. Once exposed, spammers can exploit them. Accidentally sending to a spam trap can harm your organization’s reputation and deliverability, leading to blocking or blacklisting by ISPs.