Hackers systematically scan the
Internet for vulnerable systems with the help of self-spreading malware. On
average, accessible systems are the target of an attack every three minutes
whereby security loopholes are often exploited. In order to protect systems
better, cyber experts study their opponents' work. One possibility is the use
of "Honeypots." These are computers integrated into the Internet and
are only there to record attempted attacks.
Researchers at the Fraunhofer
Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE
evaluate these attacks and collect valuable information about the hackers'
current methods and the malware they use.
In the "HoneypotMe" project
they have developed this approach further. For example, they redirect attacks
on regular systems to an external analysis computer. As the attacking system is
unaware of this forwarding, attacks on monitored systems can actively be made
more difficult.