Honeypot Traffic: A Simple Guide

TL;DR

This guide shows you how to get more useful data from your honeypot by attracting targeted traffic. We’ll cover making it look real, advertising it subtly, and logging everything.

1. Make Your Honeypot Look Real

1. Realistic Services: Don’t just run a single SSH service. Offer a mix – maybe an old version of FTP, Telnet, or even a simple HTTP server with some dummy pages.
2. Fake Data: Populate your honeypot with believable-looking files and directories. Think usernames, passwords (weak ones!), configuration files, etc.
3. Error Messages: Configure realistic error messages that mimic common software issues. This makes it harder for attackers to immediately identify it as a trap.
4. Timestamps: Ensure file timestamps are consistent with the fake data’s creation date.

2. Advertise Your Honeypot (Subtly)

You need to get attackers *to* your honeypot. Direct advertising is a bad idea; you want it discovered organically.

1. Misconfigured Services: Intentionally leave common vulnerabilities exposed in your services. This is the primary attraction method.
2. Log Files: Create log files with plausible entries that suggest other users are active on the system (even if they aren’t).
3. Publicly Accessible IP: Ensure your honeypot has a publicly accessible IP address.
4. Shodan/Censys: Services like Shodan and Censys scan the internet for open ports and banners. Leaving vulnerable services running will make your honeypot appear in these scans, attracting attention. Be aware of the risks!

3. Logging – The Most Important Part

Detailed logging is crucial to understanding attacks.

1. Comprehensive Logs: Log *everything* – connection attempts, commands executed, files accessed, data transferred, etc.
2. Timestamping: Accurate timestamps are essential for correlating events.
3. User Tracking (if possible): Try to capture information about the attacker’s source IP address and any usernames they attempt to use.
4. Command Logging: Log every command executed by an attacker, even if it’s just a simple ls.

   tail -f /var/log/auth.log

   is your friend.

5. Network Traffic Capture (PCAP): Consider capturing full network traffic using tools like tcpdump or Wireshark. This provides the most detailed information but requires significant storage space.

   tcpdump -i eth0 -w capture.pcap

4. Monitoring and Analysis

1. Regular Review: Regularly review your logs for suspicious activity. Automated tools can help, but manual analysis is often necessary.
2. IP Reputation Checks: Check the source IP addresses of attackers against known threat intelligence databases (e.g., AbuseIPDB).
3. Pattern Recognition: Look for patterns in attacks – common commands, targeted files, etc. This can help you identify new threats and improve your honeypot’s defenses.

5. Security Considerations

Running a honeypot inherently involves risk.

1. Isolation: Isolate your honeypot from your production network to prevent attackers from pivoting to other systems. Use virtual machines or separate physical hardware.
2. Limited Access: Minimize the access you have to the honeypot itself. Avoid using SSH keys; use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication if possible.
3. Legal Considerations: Be aware of any legal implications of running a honeypot in your jurisdiction.