Editing Honeypot (computing) (section)

{{Short description|Computer security mechanism}}

In computer terminology, a '''honeypot''' is a [[computer security]] mechanism set to detect, deflect, or, in some manner, counteract attempts at unauthorized use of [[information systems]]. Generally, a honeypot consists of [[data]] (for example, in a network site) that appears to be a legitimate part of the site which contains information or resources of value to attackers. It is actually isolated, monitored, and capable of blocking or analyzing the attackers. This is similar to police [[sting operations]], colloquially known as "baiting" a suspect.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sans.edu/cyber-research/security-laboratory/article/honeypots-guide|title=Honeypots: A Security Manager's Guide to Honeypots|last1=Cole|first1=Eric|last2=Northcutt|first2=Stephen|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316110416/https://www.sans.edu/cyber-research/security-laboratory/article/honeypots-guide|archive-date=16 March 2017}}</ref>

The main use for this network decoy is to distract potential attackers from more important information and machines on the real network, learn about the forms of attacks they can suffer, and examine such attacks during and after the exploitation of a honeypot.
It provides a way to prevent and see vulnerabilities in a specific network system. A honeypot is a decoy used to protect a network from present or future attacks.<ref name="A Virtual Honeypot Framework">{{cite web |last1=Provos |first1=N |title=A Virtual Honeypot Framework |url=https://www.usenix.org/legacy/event/sec04/tech/full_papers/provos/provos_html/ |website=USENIX |access-date=29 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="dl.acm.org">{{cite book |last1=Mairh |first1=A |last2=Barik |first2=D |last3=Verma |first3=K |last4=Jena |first4=D |title=Proceedings of the 2011 International Conference on Communication, Computing & Security - ICCCS '11 |chapter=Honeypot in network security: A survey |date=2011 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=600–605 |doi=10.1145/1947940.1948065 |isbn=978-1-4503-0464-1 |s2cid=12724269 |url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/1947940.1948065 |access-date=29 April 2023}}</ref> Honeypots derive their value from the use by attackers. If not interacted with, the honeypot has little to no value. Honeypots can be used for everything from slowing down or stopping automated attacks, capturing new exploits, to gathering intelligence on emerging threats or early warning and prediction.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Spitzner |first=L. |chapter=Honeypots: Catching the insider threat |title=19th Annual Computer Security Applications Conference, 2003. Proceedings. |chapter-url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/csac.2003.1254322  |date=2003 |pages=170–179 |publisher=IEEE |doi=10.1109/csac.2003.1254322|isbn=0-7695-2041-3 |s2cid=15759542 }}</ref>

[[File:Honeypot diagram.jpg|thumb|Diagram of an information system honeypot]]