Honeypots are an intriguing tool. They were designed to defend servers from hacker attacks. But as bots and data collection got more popular, network honeypots acquired another use: to protect websites from web scraping.
Honeypots are decoys that seem like a compromised system to malefactors, making them appear to be an easy target. The use of honeypots makes it easy to divert hackers’ attention away from the real target. Moreover, cybersecurity experts use this application to investigate cybercriminal behavior and identify and resolve vulnerabilities.
However, as we all know, every problem has a solution. And, just as honeypots solved many issues, data gatherers discovered a solution to honeypots. In this post, you will learn all you need to know about this tool and how to avoid honeypots.
Also read: Web Scraping With Proxies
How Do Network Honeypots Work?
For a honeypot to function, the system must look genuine. In addition to performing the same operations that a production system would perform, it should also include fake files that seem essential. Any machine equipped with sniffing and logging capabilities may serve as a honeypot. Additionally, it is a good idea to place a honeypot inside a corporate firewall. Not only does it provide vital logging and alerting features, but it can also block outbound traffic, preventing a hacked honeypot from pivoting toward other internal assets.
For a honeypot to be effective, it must mimic a real system closely enough that attackers will believe it to be genuine, complete with fake files that appear essential to its operation.
Source: Spitzner, L. (2003). Honeypots: Catching the insider threat. In Information Security Management Handbook (pp. 213-223). CRC Press
There are various types of honeypots based on their use and size. Rather than overwhelm you with extraneous information, we will only cover the most important and relevant categories. Also, there are different honeypot technologies that we will cover below. You can’t avoid something that you don’t know how to do.
Also read: Five Tips for Outsmarting Anti-Scraping Techniques
Honeypot Varieties
- Pure honeypot. It is a full-scale, production-like system that runs on several servers. It is packed with sensors and includes fake confidential data and user information. Although they might be complicated to manage, the information they produce is priceless.
- High-interaction honeypot. As a pure honeypot, it runs several services, but it is not as complicated or holds as much data. The purpose of high-interaction honeypots is not to be produced at full scale. However, they seem to handle all the services of a production system, including an operating system. With this type of honeypot, the business can monitor aggressors’ practices and techniques. High-interaction honeypots require a bunch of resources and are hard to handle, but the by-products may be worth it.
- Mid-interaction honeypot. These mimic parts of the application layer but lack their own operating system. The goal is to slow or confound attackers to give businesses more time to determine how to respond.
- Low-interaction honeypot. Most honeypots used in production settings are of this type. Low-interaction honeypots operate a few services and function primarily as an early warning and detection tool. Security teams install honeypots throughout their networks because they are easy to build and manage.
Also read: Data Parsing with Proxies
Honeypot Technologies
- Client honeypots. The bulk of honeypots are servers that are skimming for links. Client honeypots actively search for malicious servers that attack clients, keeping an eye out for any strange or unusual changes to the honeypot. Systems like these usually use virtualization technology and include containment mechanisms to protect the research team.
- Database honeypots. Firewalls frequently ignore SQL injections, for instance. Therefore, some businesses deploy database firewalls that include honeypots to generate fake databases.
- Honeynets. A honeynet is another type that demands its own description. It is a network of honeypots used to monitor large-scale systems that require the use of more than one honeypot. Firewalls protect honeynets, which monitor all incoming traffic and route it to honeypots. In addition to gathering information on criminal activity, this counterfeit network safeguards the genuine network. For analyzing DDoS attacks and ransomware attacks, researchers use honeynets. Cybersecurity professionals also use them to defend business networks since a honeynet includes all incoming and outgoing traffic.
- Malware honeypots. To identify malware, they use well-known replication and attack pathways. Honeypots mimic USB storage devices. If a system becomes infected with malware that spreads via USB, the honeypot will fool the infection into infecting the emulated device.
- Spam honeypots. They are utilized to forge open mail relays and open proxies. Spammers will first dispatch themselves an email to sample the open mail relay. If they are successful, they will send out a tremendous amount of spam. In this way, the honeypot can detect and identify the spam that follows, as well as effectively block it.
Also read: Business Growth Using Proxies
How to Avoid Network Honeypots?
Anti-crawler honeypots are similar to anti-spam honeypots. They exist to keep websites safe from data theft. However, there is a drawback: they cannot distinguish between harmful and authorized crawlers. Even if you just obtain publicly accessible information for legal purposes, honeypots will still affect you.
The remedy is simple. Change your IP address with each request, and you will be far less likely to get a ban. You can accomplish that effectively and simply by using residential proxies. Because these are IP addresses of real-world devices, honeypots will not mistake your crawler for a bot. Your crawler’s request will be sent to one of the devices and subsequently to the destination server. Thus, the target server will see the IP address of the proxy, making it believe that the user is unique.
You should also be aware that some honeypot URLs will have the CSS style display:none. That might be a method for detecting a honeypot. Other honeypots may blend in links with the background color, so ensure that your crawler only follows visible connections.
Also read: Free Libraries to Build Your Own Web Scraper
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is decoy honeypot?
A decoy honeypot is a fake system designed to lure in attackers, making them think they’ve found something valuable to exploit. It’s like setting a trap. These honeypots can be anything from fake servers to decoy databases, giving attackers something to target while keeping your real systems safe.
When an attacker launches a malware attack or tries to hack into a system, they might end up in a production honeypot instead of a real, sensitive system. The honeypot logs all their actions, helping you understand how they operate and what they’re after, without putting your actual data at risk.
So, the next time a hacker thinks they’re onto something, they’re really just messing around in a decoy honeypot, letting you monitor their behavior while keeping your systems safe!
Q2. What are honeypots in networking?
In networking, honeypots are fake systems set up to attract attackers and gather information on their tactics. They look like part of the real network, but they’re actually isolated and carefully monitored.
When hackers try to infiltrate a system, they may stumble upon these honeypots. They think they’re accessing real data or systems, but instead, they’re interacting with a trap designed to record their actions.
- Research honeypots are often used to study new hacking methods and understand how attackers operate.
- Spam traps are a specific type of honeypot used to catch spammers by luring them into sending unsolicited messages, which can then be analyzed.
So, while attackers are busy playing in the honeypot, the actual real network remains secure, and you gain valuable insights into potential threats.
Also read: Residential Proxy Use Cases
Conclusion
You should also follow the guidelines for effective web scraping, such as using diverse headers and avoiding sending too many queries. All of these approaches will make your crawler seem to be a genuine user rather than a bot, enabling you to collect all of the necessary data.
Avoid network honeypots, outsmart anti-scraping techniques, and make sure your web scraping project delivers on time.
