The decoy allows you to check the performance of security systems and learn the method of attack of a cybercriminal.
A honeypot is a server or system that serves as a decoy for hackers and is designed to become an attractive target for cybercriminals.
Decoys are deployed next to the actual systems used to allow information security specialists to track the response of security systems and divert an attacker's attack from the most important systems. While a cybercriminal attacks a decoy system, an information security specialist can collect important information about the type of attack and the methods used by the attacker. This can then be used to enhance the overall security of the network.
How the works
In many ways, the decoy looks exactly like a real computer system. It contains applications and data that cybercriminals use to determine the target. For example, a decoy may contain fake confidential consumer data, such as payment or personal information.
Decoys contain vulnerabilities to lure hackers in. For example, they may have open ports. Leaving a port open can attract an attacker, allowing the security team to observe the attack process.
Honeypotting differs from other types of security measures in that it is not designed to directly prevent attacks. The purpose of the decoy 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 decoys focus on identifying internal network compromise, as well as on deceiving an attacker. They are located next to real production servers and perform the same functions;
Research baits collect information about attacks by focusing not only on how threats operate in the internal environment, but also on how they operate in general. This helps administrators develop more robust security systems and figure out what fixes they need first.
Types of baits
There are different types of baits, each designed for different production or research purposes.
Pure Honeypot
This is a full-scale system running on various servers. It completely simulates the production system. Pure decoy pretends to be a system with confidential user data that has a number of sensors used to track and monitor the actions of an attacker.
High - interaction Honeypot
It is designed to allow attackers to spend as much time as possible inside the decoy system. This gives the security team more opportunities to monitor the hacker's goals and intentions and more chances to detect vulnerabilities in the system.
A highly interoperable decoy can have additional systems, databases, and processes that the attacker wants to break into. Researchers can observe how and exactly what information a cybercriminal is looking for, and how they are trying to increase privileges.
Mid - interaction Honeypot
They mimic application-level elements, but do not have an operating system. Their task is to confuse the attacker or delay him, so that information security specialists have more time to respond to the attack.
Low - interaction Honeypot
Such baits are less resource-intensive and collect basic information about the type of threat and its origin. They are relatively simple to set up, and they use the TCP protocol, IP protocol, and network services. However, there is nothing inside this decoy that can hold the attacker's attention for a significant amount of time.
Types of baits
Malware Honeypot
Malware decoys use already known attack vectors that attract malware. For example, they can simulate a USB device. If the computer is under attack, the decoy tricks the malware into attacking the fake USB drive.
Spam Honeypot
Spam baits are designed to attract spammers using open proxies and mail relays. Spammers test email relays by using them to create mass mailings. A spam decoy can identify a spammer's test and block their spam.
Database Honeypot
A fake database is used to attract attacks on databases, such as SQL injections that open access to data. Such decoys can be implemented using a database firewall.
Client Honeypot
Client decoys attempt to lure malicious servers that attackers use to break into clients. They simulate the client and show how the hacker makes changes to the server during the attack. Client baits usually run in a virtualized environment and are protected from detection.
The Honeynet Network
A network of different types of decoys 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
Network security decoy is designed to lure a hacker into fake network environments in order to:
Setting up a Honeypot
Honeypotting involves connecting a fake asset to the Internet or an organization's internal network and allowing hackers to access it. The actual setup can be relatively simple or complex, depending on the type of activity you're trying to learn. Here are some attack scenarios that decoys can be configured for.
Database attack
An energy company can set up a fake Microsoft SQL server that contains information about the location of all power plants. The names of power plants and their geolocation are fictitious.
Network administrators can make the database easy to hack, and then use this decoy to see how hackers are trying to steal information. In many cases, the IT team will create a system that is completely analogous to their actual network setup. Thus, if attackers can get inside, the company will be able to identify vulnerabilities in its real networks.
It is important to keep in mind that network security decoys are developed based on the goals of the organization's IT team. Consequently, bait safety settings can vary greatly from company to company.
Internal attack
Let's assume that an insider in the company is trying to conduct a cyberattack. Cybersecurity specialists can install a fake server with the same strict access control as the one that is supposedly the target of an attacker. In this way, they limit the attack surface to those who can circumvent the strict credential verification system, such as an insider.
Random attacks
An organization can see what random attacks in the wild can target a particular type of system and what hackers are doing inside. In this case, a cybercriminal can easily hack the asset to get more information to use in their intelligence.
Advantages of bait
Decoys have several advantages that information security specialists can use to improve network security.
Suspending the infection chain
The attacker moves around the target environment in search of vulnerabilities, scanning the entire network. However, he may stumble upon the bait. At this point, you can either lure the hacker in or investigate their behavior. Decoys also break the attack chain, encouraging the attacker to spend their time looking for useless information in the decoy, distracting them from the real goal.
Testing incident response systems
Honeypotting is an effective way to check how your security team and system will respond to a threat. You can use the decoy to evaluate the effectiveness of your team's response and address any weaknesses in cyber defense.
Simplicity and low maintenance
Decoys are easy-to-implement and effective tools for providing warnings and information about an attacker's behavior. Your security team can deploy a decoy and just wait for the attacker to fall for it. It is not necessary to constantly monitor the fake environment.
Dangers of the bait network
Despite the fact that cybersecurity bait is an effective tool, it is usually not enough. For example, the honeypot can't detect security breaches on legitimate systems. In other words, while a hacker attacks your fake asset, someone else can attack the real resource, and the bait will not tell you about this in any way.
In addition, the bait can not always identify the attacker. While you can get some information about the hacker's methods, you can't gather the information necessary to detect or prevent an attack.
A honeypot is a server or system that serves as a decoy for hackers and is designed to become an attractive target for cybercriminals.
Decoys are deployed next to the actual systems used to allow information security specialists to track the response of security systems and divert an attacker's attack from the most important systems. While a cybercriminal attacks a decoy system, an information security specialist can collect important information about the type of attack and the methods used by the attacker. This can then be used to enhance the overall security of the network.
How the works
In many ways, the decoy looks exactly like a real computer system. It contains applications and data that cybercriminals use to determine the target. For example, a decoy may contain fake confidential consumer data, such as payment or personal information.
Decoys contain vulnerabilities to lure hackers in. For example, they may have open ports. Leaving a port open can attract an attacker, allowing the security team to observe the attack process.
Honeypotting differs from other types of security measures in that it is not designed to directly prevent attacks. The purpose of the decoy 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 decoys focus on identifying internal network compromise, as well as on deceiving an attacker. They are located next to real production servers and perform the same functions;
Research baits collect information about attacks by focusing not only on how threats operate in the internal environment, but also on how they operate in general. This helps administrators develop more robust security systems and figure out what fixes they need first.
Types of baits
There are different types of baits, each designed for different production or research purposes.
Pure Honeypot
This is a full-scale system running on various servers. It completely simulates the production system. Pure decoy pretends to be a system with confidential user data that has a number of sensors used to track and monitor the actions of an attacker.
High - interaction Honeypot
It is designed to allow attackers to spend as much time as possible inside the decoy system. This gives the security team more opportunities to monitor the hacker's goals and intentions and more chances to detect vulnerabilities in the system.
A highly interoperable decoy can have additional systems, databases, and processes that the attacker wants to break into. Researchers can observe how and exactly what information a cybercriminal is looking for, and how they are trying to increase privileges.
Mid - interaction Honeypot
They mimic application-level elements, but do not have an operating system. Their task is to confuse the attacker or delay him, so that information security specialists have more time to respond to the attack.
Low - interaction Honeypot
Such baits are less resource-intensive and collect basic information about the type of threat and its origin. They are relatively simple to set up, and they use the TCP protocol, IP protocol, and network services. However, there is nothing inside this decoy that can hold the attacker's attention for a significant amount of time.
Types of baits
Malware Honeypot
Malware decoys use already known attack vectors that attract malware. For example, they can simulate a USB device. If the computer is under attack, the decoy tricks the malware into attacking the fake USB drive.
Spam Honeypot
Spam baits are designed to attract spammers using open proxies and mail relays. Spammers test email relays by using them to create mass mailings. A spam decoy can identify a spammer's test and block their spam.
Database Honeypot
A fake database is used to attract attacks on databases, such as SQL injections that open access to data. Such decoys can be implemented using a database firewall.
Client Honeypot
Client decoys attempt to lure malicious servers that attackers use to break into clients. They simulate the client and show how the hacker makes changes to the server during the attack. Client baits usually run in a virtualized environment and are protected from detection.
The Honeynet Network
A network of different types of decoys 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
Network security decoy is designed to lure a hacker into fake network environments in order to:
- Identify the cybercriminal's target;
- Target attack methods;
- Determine how to prevent an attack.
Setting up a Honeypot
Honeypotting involves connecting a fake asset to the Internet or an organization's internal network and allowing hackers to access it. The actual setup can be relatively simple or complex, depending on the type of activity you're trying to learn. Here are some attack scenarios that decoys can be configured for.
Database attack
An energy company can set up a fake Microsoft SQL server that contains information about the location of all power plants. The names of power plants and their geolocation are fictitious.
Network administrators can make the database easy to hack, and then use this decoy to see how hackers are trying to steal information. In many cases, the IT team will create a system that is completely analogous to their actual network setup. Thus, if attackers can get inside, the company will be able to identify vulnerabilities in its real networks.
It is important to keep in mind that network security decoys are developed based on the goals of the organization's IT team. Consequently, bait safety settings can vary greatly from company to company.
Internal attack
Let's assume that an insider in the company is trying to conduct a cyberattack. Cybersecurity specialists can install a fake server with the same strict access control as the one that is supposedly the target of an attacker. In this way, they limit the attack surface to those who can circumvent the strict credential verification system, such as an insider.
Random attacks
An organization can see what random attacks in the wild can target a particular type of system and what hackers are doing inside. In this case, a cybercriminal can easily hack the asset to get more information to use in their intelligence.
Advantages of bait
Decoys have several advantages that information security specialists can use to improve network security.
Suspending the infection chain
The attacker moves around the target environment in search of vulnerabilities, scanning the entire network. However, he may stumble upon the bait. At this point, you can either lure the hacker in or investigate their behavior. Decoys also break the attack chain, encouraging the attacker to spend their time looking for useless information in the decoy, distracting them from the real goal.
Testing incident response systems
Honeypotting is an effective way to check how your security team and system will respond to a threat. You can use the decoy to evaluate the effectiveness of your team's response and address any weaknesses in cyber defense.
Simplicity and low maintenance
Decoys are easy-to-implement and effective tools for providing warnings and information about an attacker's behavior. Your security team can deploy a decoy and just wait for the attacker to fall for it. It is not necessary to constantly monitor the fake environment.
Dangers of the bait network
Despite the fact that cybersecurity bait is an effective tool, it is usually not enough. For example, the honeypot can't detect security breaches on legitimate systems. In other words, while a hacker attacks your fake asset, someone else can attack the real resource, and the bait will not tell you about this in any way.
In addition, the bait can not always identify the attacker. While you can get some information about the hacker's methods, you can't gather the information necessary to detect or prevent an attack.
