Virtual Honeypot

What Does Virtual Honeypot Mean?

A virtual honeypot is a fake network designed by computer experts to catch hackers and examine their methods of attack. A virtual honeypots is tailored to resemble an authentic network, and is an emerging form of information technology security that actually invites hackers to perform illegal activities such as accessing computer systems for which they are unauthorized. Virtual honeypots are without production value and their sole purpose is to wait for hackers to unknowingly access them and, while doing so, for IT security professionals to learn more about hackers’ activities, if not discover their identities.

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Techopedia Explains Virtual Honeypot

Honeypots are unique when it comes to IT security in that hackers can’t cause any real harm to simulated networks. The flexibility and the simplicity of virtual honeypots are considered to be their primary advantages. Virtual honeypots can also operat on limited resources, as even old machines can analyze major hacking activities. That said, it is possible for hackers to overtake honeypot networks, just as they might do with any other system.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…