Researchers watched 100 hours of hackers hacking honeypot computers

In a recent study, researchers monitored the activities of more than 100 hackers over a period of 100 hours as they attempted to hack into honeypot computers. The findings have been significant as the researchers were able to observe not just the methods used by the hackers, but also the forensics of the attacks.

Honeypots, which are computers designated as a target of malicious activity, are designed to look like legitimate computers in order to fool unsuspecting hackers. When a hacker believes they are attacking an innocuous computer, they are actually being monitored while attempting to gain access.

In the research, the hackers were successful in around 15% of the attempts. The types of successful attacks varied from lateral movement (moving from one system to another), common data breach methods (such as SQL injection), and malicious exploitations of administrative privileges. While these attacks are not commonplace amongst hackers, the quantity of successful attacks in a relatively short time period is shocking.

Moreover, the researchers gathered statistics on the average time it took the hackers to successfully hack into the honeypot computers. The average was 54 minutes. The paper also discussed how they were able to track the movements of the hackers, including the malicious files they tried to inject into the honeypot systems.

Interestingly, the research found that a vast proportion of the attempted attacks were sourced from only a few countries. Whilst it is not clear from the report whether these countries were deliberately targeted or randomly chosen, these findings further reinforce the need for preventative measures to be taken in order to protect businesses and organizations from cyber threats.

Overall, the research has indicated a worrying trend in the level of sophistication of cyber attacks, and it is absolutely essential for organizations to ensure they are well-protected and up-to-date with the latest security measures. The results of the study have shown that hackers are continually looking for new ways of breaching security measures, and businesses must ensure that they are proactive in protecting themselves from these increasingly sophisticated tactics.