Honeypot Hijinks: How I Stopped 16,790 Cyber Attacks with Free Tools

Over 20 weeks, Owen Slubowski monitored a honeypot during his SANS Internet Storm Center Internship. Shockingly, 16,790 unique devices attempted unauthorized access, revealing the dire state of unsecured internet devices. Slubowski discusses free technical controls for Ubuntu Linux to mitigate these attacks, emphasizing that there’s…

Hot Take:

Who knew playing with honeypots could be this enlightening? Apparently, all it takes is 16,790 unique devices trying to break in, and suddenly you’re the cybersecurity equivalent of a bouncer at the hottest club in town. Spoiler alert: Passwords alone aren’t enough, and TCP Wrappers and MFA are your new best friends.

Key Points:

  • Intern deploys a honeypot and attracts over 16,790 unique devices from 49 countries.
  • TCP Wrappers: A free tool to restrict access to SSH services.
  • MFA via Google Authenticator: A free and effective extra layer of security.
  • Simple configurations make significant improvements in security.
  • Cost-effective strategies can be highly effective for hobbyists and small organizations.

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