In the world of IT security, there is one area in particular that is benefiting from the development of artificial intelligence (AI): Honeypots. These digital decoy traps, which mislead attackers, play a crucial role in gathering valuable information about attacks. The use of AI now makes them more efficient and powerful than ever before, making a big difference in the fight against cyber threats.
What is a honeypot?
A honeypot is a system that is deliberately designed with vulnerabilities to attract attackers. The idea is that the attackers believe they have hit a real target, when in fact they are interacting with a trap. Honeypots come in different varieties, from simple low-interaction honeypots that only simulate basic services to more complex high-interaction honeypots that mimic a realistic but risky environment.
Low-interaction honeypots are easy to implement and maintain, but offer only limited insight into the attackers’ techniques and tactics. High-interaction honeypots, on the other hand, are realistic and complex, but also offer more attack possibilities, which increases the risk. The challenge so far has been to take advantage of the more complex models without incurring the associated resource and security risks.
AI as a game changer for honeypots
This is where artificial intelligence comes into play. With AI-controlled honeypots, the strengths of high-interaction models can be utilized without the high effort and risks. AI takes on the role of the “actor” in the honeypot setup and enables dynamic and realistic interaction with the attackers. This keeps them engaged for longer and provides valuable data on their attack methods.
One example of this is the AI-supported honeypot “Galah”. Galah uses an AI language model to respond to web requests and deliver dynamic, realistic-looking responses. This keeps the attacker in the system for longer, as they believe they are making progress even though they are only talking to a bot.
Another example is “Beelzebub”, a honeypot based on protocols such as the SSH protocol, which is used for remote maintenance of devices. Beelzebub deceives the attacker by issuing worthless information that at first glance appears to be real data.
Advantages of AI-controlled honeypots
AI-driven honeypots offer a number of advantages. They are less resource-intensive than traditional high-interaction honeypots, but still provide a realistic environment that keeps attackers engaged for longer. This allows security researchers and organizations to gain valuable insights into attackers’ tactics, techniques and tools. These insights are crucial for improving IT security and preventing future attacks.
In addition, AI-supported systems enable significantly better scalability and flexibility, which makes them attractive for use in various IT infrastructures.
Outlook: The future of honeypots
AI will undoubtedly shape the future of honeypots and further expand their role in IT security. By improving efficiency and reducing operational overheads, AI-driven honeypots enable a much more effective defense against cyberattacks. In the future, we could see increasingly sophisticated models that respond even better to different attack strategies.
The development of AI-controlled honeypots is still in its infancy, but progress is promising. More information on these innovative security solutions will be presented at the Mobile World Congress 2025 in Barcelona, where examples of the use of AI in IT security will be shown.
