Honeypots and Honeynets

Alex Dietz

Purpose

• To discover methods used to breach a system• To discover new root kits• To learn what changes are made to a system

and their effects• To not be discovered• To discourage an attack

Production honeypot vs Research honeypot

• Production honey pots are easy to use and capture only limited amount of information

• Research honeypots are complex and expensive to maintain

Honeypots vs Honeynets

• Honeypots are usually a complete system or virtual machine and are low-interaction.

• Honeynets are second generation honeypots and are very high-interaction

Both must provide

• Data capture• Data control• Data analysis

Data capture and Staying undetected

• Log information to a remote server• Use software to detect changes to files• Use a rootkit to hide all logging services– Implements its own TCP/IP stack to prevent

logging traffic from being detected

Data control

• Try to prevent outgoing malicious traffic– Use a honey wall

Traditionally a layer 2 bridging device thathas no IP stack, meaning the device should be invisible to anyone interacting with the honeypots or honeynets.

img: http://honeynet.org/papers/honeynet/

Data analysis

• Typically done by people viewing logs– Realtime– Logs

Img: Kent State University

Legality and Liability

• The operator can be held accountable if the honeypot is compromised and used to launch additional attacks.

-Varies state by state• Can violate the Federal Wiretap Act

-Under most situations they are exemptEx. Attacker sets up an IRC server and users connect without knowing the system has been compromised

Honeypots and honeynets are flexible

• Using virtual machines honeypots and honeynets can be set up with many different configurations– Using a virtual machine lowers its security

img: google.com/support

• Can also connect to webservers to determine their malicious nature– Most search engines do this as they crawl

webpages

Summery

• Honeypots are a great detection mechanism• Honeynets are an excellent research tool• Can be configured to fit any need or cost• Poorly controlled honeypots and honeynets

can get you in trouble

SoftwareOpen source Commercial

HoneyDwww.honeyd.org

Symantec Decoy Serverenterprisesecurity.symantec.com/products/products.cfm?ProductID=157

LaBrea TarpitLabrea.sf.net

Specterwww.specter.com

SebekProject.honeynet.org/tools/sebek

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