The Primary Goal of Setting Up a Honeypot

D.

The primary purpose of a honeypot is to study the attack methods of an attacker for the purposes of understanding their methods and improving defenses.

"To lure hackers into attacking unused systems" is incorrect.

Honeypots can serve as decoys but their primary purpose is to study the behaviors of attackers.

"To entrap and track down possible hackers" is incorrect.There are a host of legal issues around enticement vs entrapment but a good general rule is that entrapment is generally prohibited and evidence gathered in a scenario that could be considered as "entrapping" an attacker would not be admissible in a court of law.

"To set up a sacrificial lamb on the network" is incorrect.While a honeypot is a sort of sacrificial lamb and may attract attacks that might have been directed against production systems, its real purpose is to study the methods of attackers with the goals of better understanding and improving network defenses.

References - AIO3, p.

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A honeypot is a decoy system set up to attract and deceive attackers into interacting with it. The primary goal of setting up a honeypot is to gain intelligence on the methods, tactics, and tools used by attackers, so that defensive strategies can be improved to better protect the actual network.

Option A is partially correct as honeypots are designed to attract attackers and make them think they have found an unprotected or valuable system to exploit. However, the main goal of setting up a honeypot is not to lure hackers into attacking unused systems, but rather to detect and analyze their attack techniques and strategies.

Option B is not entirely accurate as the primary goal of a honeypot is not to entrap or track down possible hackers, but rather to observe and learn from their activities to better protect the actual network. Honeypots are not intended to be used as legal traps or for law enforcement purposes.

Option C is also partially correct, as a honeypot can be seen as a sacrificial lamb on the network, designed to be compromised in order to divert the attention of attackers away from the real systems. However, the main purpose of setting up a honeypot is to learn about the methods and tactics used by attackers, not just to divert their attention.

Option D is the most accurate and complete answer. The main goal of setting up a honeypot is to gain knowledge about attack techniques and strategies in order to improve the security of the actual network. By analyzing the behavior of attackers within the honeypot, security administrators can gain insight into the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the network and take proactive measures to strengthen its defenses. Additionally, honeypots can also be used to detect and prevent attacks in real-time, as well as to test and validate security tools and policies.