A honeypot is an active trap that mimics a real system and attracts attackers in the hopes of gathering useful intelligence. Network administrators can use honeypots to distract an attack from actual network assets, gain early warning about an ongoing attack before critical systems are compromised, or to gather forensic and legal evidence without risking the organization’s real data.
The most popular type of honeypot is a simple fake system that mimics some aspect of the target network. This can include software apps, APIs, and databases that attackers may attempt to access in order to steal information from the system. Other types of honeypots are designed to lure spiders and other automated web crawlers into a controlled environment that can be monitored by security teams for signs of malware or other threats.
One of the most important aspects of any security monitoring solution is the ability to alert users immediately when a threat is detected. Varonis’ real-time notifications can quickly notify Incident Response teams of potential unauthorized activity and allow them to act fast to prevent sensitive data from being compromised.
For example, an IT team can set up a fake database that contains information about the company’s power plants. They can then make this system easy to hack into, and monitor how hackers respond to the challenge. They can then use the data that is gathered from these attacks to improve their own cybersecurity strategies without ever risking their real-world systems.
A more complex honeypot may simulate a complete operating system or more complex application environment. These are more difficult to set up, but they can provide more valuable information about an attacker’s behavior by allowing researchers to see how the attacker approaches a potential breach. This can reveal what kind of information they prioritize, how they attempt to infiltrate the network, and how they try to escalate their access privileges.
This information can also help an IT team develop better anti-malware tools and to understand what a potential threat looks like before it has a chance to spread throughout the network. Additionally, if an attacker is caught in the trap of a high-interaction honeypot, it can be easier to catch them in the act and alert law enforcement agencies.
CoinScan’s unique Honeypot Detector feature uses a combination of standard indicators and extra checks to determine whether a given token is a honeypot or not. These proprietary checks are augmented by the Detector’s strong network of security infrastructure partners, which nudges the Detector’s accuracy closer to perfection. This feature ensures a safer DeFi environment for all by identifying and eliminating DeFi scams that may otherwise slip through the cracks. Learn more about this innovative, free feature here.