The bait allows you to check the performance of protection systems and study the attack method of a cybercriminal.
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A honeypot is a server or system that is a bait for hackers and designed to be an attractive target for cybercriminals.
Honeypots are deployed close to the systems actually in use to allow security professionals to monitor the response of security systems and divert an attacker's attack from the most important systems. While the cybercriminal is attacking the honeypot system, the cybercriminal can gather important information about the type of attack and the methods the attacker is using. This can then be used to enhance overall network security.
How honeypot works
In many ways, the honeypot looks exactly like a real computer system. It contains applications and data that cybercriminals use to determine the target. For example, the bait may contain fake sensitive data about the consumer, such as billing or personal information.
Lures contain vulnerabilities to lure hackers. For example, they may have open ports. A port left open can attract an attacker, allowing the security team to observe the progress of the attack.
Honeypotting differs from other types of security measures in that it is not designed to directly prevent attacks. The purpose of the honeypot is to improve the Intrusion Detection System (IDS) and threat response so that it can better manage and prevent attacks.
There are two main types of baits: production and research .
Production honeypots focus on identifying internal network compromise as well as tricking the attacker. They are located next to real production servers and perform the same functions;
Research honeypots collect information about attacks, focusing not only on how threats operate in the internal environment, but also on how they operate in general. This helps administrators develop stronger protection systems and figure out what fixes they need first.
Lure types
There are various types of lures, each designed for a different production or research purpose.
Pure Honeypot
It is a full blown system running on various servers. It completely mimics the production system. The net honeypot masquerades as a system with sensitive user data that has a series of sensors used to track and monitor the attacker's activities.
High-interaction Honeypot
It is designed to ensure that attackers spend as much time as possible inside the honeypot system. This gives the security team more visibility into the hacker's goals and intent, and a better chance of discovering vulnerabilities in the system.
A high-interaction honeypot might have additional systems, databases, and processes that an attacker might want to infiltrate. Researchers can observe how and what kind of information a cybercriminal is looking for, and how he tries to elevate privileges.
Mid-interaction Honeypot
They mimic the elements of the application layer, but do not have an operating system. Their task is to confuse the attacker or delay him so that the information security specialists have more time to respond to the attack.
Low - interaction Honeypot _
Such honeypots are less resource intensive and collect basic information about the type of threat and its origin. They are relatively easy to set up and use TCP protocol, IP protocol and network services. However, there is nothing inside this decoy that can hold the attention of an intruder for a significant amount of time.
Types of lures
Malware Honeypot
Malicious honeypots use already known attack vectors that attract malware. For example, they can simulate a USB device. If the computer is attacked, the lure tricks the malware into attacking the fake USB drive.
Spam Honeypot
Spam honeypots are designed to attract spammers through open proxies and mail relays. Spammers are testing mail relays, using them to create mass mailings. The spam honeypot can identify the spammer test and block their spam.
Database Honeypot
The fake database is used to attract database attacks, such as SQL injections, which expose data. Such honeypots can be implemented using a database firewall.
Client Honeypot
Client honeypots attempt to lure malicious servers that attackers use to hack into clients. They imitate the client and show how the hacker makes changes to the server during the attack. Client honeypots typically run in a virtualized environment and are protected from detection.
Bait network (Honeynet)
A network of various types of honeypots allows you to study several types of attacks - DDoS attacks or ransomware attacks. Although Honeynet is used to study various types of attacks, it contains all traffic, both incoming and outgoing, to protect the rest of the organization's system.
Honeypot in network security
Bait in network security is designed to lure a hacker into fake network environments in order to:
Determine the purpose of the cybercriminal;
Target attack methods;
Determine how to prevent an attack.
Bait in the context of an organization's cybersecurity involves creating an environment filled with potentially attractive digital assets to monitor a hacker's attempts to access them and his actions once he's inside the system.
Honeypot setup
Honeypotting is the act of connecting a fake asset to the Internet or an organization's internal network and allowing hackers access to it. The actual setup can be relatively simple or complex, depending on the type of activity you are trying to learn. Here are a few attack scenarios that honeypots can be configured for.
Database attack
A power company can set up a fake Microsoft SQL server that contains information about the location of all power plants. The names of the power plants and their geolocation are fictitious.
Network administrators can make the database easy to hack and then use this honeypot to see how hackers try to steal information. In many cases, the IT team will create a system that is exactly the same as their actual network setup. This way, if attackers can get inside, the company will be able to identify vulnerabilities in their actual networks.
It is important to keep in mind that network security honeypots are developed based on the goals of an organization's IT team. Therefore, honeypot security settings can vary greatly from firm to firm.
Internal attack
Suppose an insider in a company is trying to carry out a cyberattack. Security professionals can install a fake server with the same strict access controls as the one that is supposedly the attacker's target. Thus, they limit the attack surface to those who can bypass the strict credential checking system, such as an insider.
Random attacks
An organization can see what random attacks in the wild might target a particular type of system and what hackers are doing inside. In this case, the cybercriminal can easily hack into the asset to gain more information to use in their intelligence.
Bait Benefits
Honeypots have several benefits that security professionals can use to improve network security.
Pausing the chain of infection
The attacker moves through the target environment in search of vulnerabilities by scanning the entire network. However, he may stumble upon the bait. At this stage, you can both lure the hacker inside and investigate his behavior. Honeypots also break the attack chain, prompting the attacker to waste their time looking for useless information in the honeypot, distracting them from the real target.
Testing Incident Response Systems
Honeypotting is an effective way to test how your security team and system will respond to a threat. You can use the honeypot to evaluate the effectiveness of your team's response and address any weaknesses in cyber defenses.
Simplicity and low maintenance
Honeypots are easy-to-implement and effective tools for providing warnings and information about an attacker's behavior. Your security team can deploy the decoy and just wait for the attacker to fall for it. At the same time, it is not necessary to constantly monitor the fake environment.
The dangers of a bait net
While cybersecurity honeypot is an effective tool, it is usually not enough. For example, a honeypot cannot detect security breaches on legitimate systems. In other words, while a hacker is attacking your fake asset, another can attack the real asset without the honeypot telling you.
In addition, the honeypot may not always be able to identify the attacker. While you may be able to obtain some information about the hacker's methods, you may not be able to gather the information necessary to detect or prevent an attack.