Why every security-conscious organization needs a honeypot

  • 27 August 2014
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by Corey Nachreiner - WatchGuard’s Director of Security Strategy and Research - Wednesday, 27 August 2014.
 
You’ve probably heard the phrase about “canaries in a coal mine.” In the mid 1900s, a guy named John Haldane figured out that birds die pretty quickly when poisoned by carbon monoxide, after which coal miners started using them as early warning systems for toxic gas. We need the same for computer security. No defense is infallible, so organizations need digital canaries to warn us about poisoned networks.

When you think about the layers of security your business needs, you probably think about firewalls, authentication systems, intrusion prevention, antivirus, and other common security controls. However, I suspect few think about honeypots. That’s a shame, as honeypots make perfect network security canaries, and can improve any organization’s defense.

As an infosec professional, you’ve probably heard of a honeypot—a digital trap set to catch computer attacks in action. In essence, honeypots are systems that mimic resources that might entice an attacker, while in reality they’re fake systems designed to contain and monitor attacks. In the same vein, a honeynet is just a collection of different honeypots.
 
Help Net Security/ full article here/ http://www.net-security.org/article.php?id=2110
 
 

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