IP Library Granted Patent US 10,284,598
Granted Patent B2
US 10,284,598 · App. 15/010,783 · Granted May 7, 2019

Honeypot network services

Inventor: Daniel Stutz (Karlsruhe, DE)
Assignee: Sophos Limited
H04L63/1491H04L63/1416H04L63/1433
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,284,598
App. No.
15/010,783
Granted
May 7, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

In general, in one aspect, a system for providing honeypot network services may monitor network activity, and detect network activity indicative of network service discovery by a first device, for example, port scanning. The system may present a temporarily available network service to the first device in response to detecting the activity indicative of port scanning, for example, by redirecting traffic at an unassigned network address to a honeypot network service. The system may monitor communication between the first device and the presented honeypot network service to determine whether the monitored communication is indicative of a threat, and determine that the first device is compromised based on the monitored communication between the first device and the presented honeypot network service. The system may initiate measures to protect the network from the compromised first device.

Claims (37)

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions executable by a processor for detecting a compromised device on a network, the instructions when executed causing the processor to perform steps, comprising:

at a threat management facility, monitor network activity within an enterprise network;

detect network activity indicative of network service discovery by a first device within the enterprise network, the network activity comprising requests to the same port at different addresses accessible through the enterprise network;

detect traffic from the first device to an unassigned network address within the enterprise network;

in response to detecting the network activity comprising requests made to the same port at different addresses and detecting traffic directed from the first device to the port at an unassigned network address within the enterprise network, present a honeypot network service with a known security flaw specific to the service typically provided at the port to the first device within the enterprise network by redirecting the traffic directed to the port at the unassigned network address to the honeypot network service for a limited period of time;

monitor communication between the first device and the honeypot network service to determine whether the monitored communication is indicative of compromise of the first device;

determine that the first device is compromised based on the monitored communication between the first device and the honeypot network service; and

based on a determination that the first device is compromised, initiate measures to remediate the first device.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the measures initiated comprise isolating communication from the first device from the network.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the measures initiated comprise notifying a threat detection facility.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the measures initiated comprise generating an alert about the compromised first device.

5. A method for detecting a compromised device on a network, the method comprising:

at a threat management facility, monitor network activity within an enterprise network;

detecting network activity indicative of network service discovery by a first device within the enterprise network separate from the threat management facility, the network activity comprising requests to the same port at different addresses accessible to the first device through the enterprise network;

detecting traffic from the first device to an unassigned network address within the enterprise network;

in response to detecting the network activity comprising requests made to the same port at different addresses and detecting traffic directed from the first device to the port at an unassigned network address within the enterprise network, presenting a honeypot network service with a known security flaw specific to the service typically provided at the port to the first device within the enterprise network by redirecting the traffic directed to the port at the unassigned network address to the honeypot network service for a limited period of time;

monitoring communication between the first device and the honeypot network service to determine whether the monitored communication is indicative of compromise of the first device;

determining that the first device is compromised based on the monitored communication between the first device and the honeypot network service; and

based on a determination that the first device is compromised, initiate measures to remediate the first device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the honeypot network service is not accessible to the first device prior to the presenting.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the honeypot network service is presented by making the honeypot network service available at a previously unassigned network address.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the honeypot network service is presented by forwarding traffic directed to the unassigned network address to a second network device, the second network device different from the first network device.

9. A system for detecting a compromised device, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory comprising instructions executable by the processor, the instructions when executed causing the processor to perform steps, comprising:

at a threat management facility, monitor network activity within an enterprise network;

detect network activity indicative of network service discovery by a first device within the enterprise network separate from the threat management facility, the network activity comprising requests to the same port at different addresses accessible to the first device through the enterprise network;

detect traffic from the first device to an unassigned network address within the enterprise network;

in response to detecting the network activity comprising requests made to the same port at different addresses and detecting traffic directed from the first device to the port at an unassigned network address within the enterprise network, presenting a honeypot network service with a known security flaw specific to the service typically provided at the port to the first device by redirecting the traffic directed to the port at the unassigned network address to the honeypot network service for a limited period of time;

monitor communication between the first device and the honeypot network service to determine whether the monitored communication is indicative of compromise of the first device;

determine that the first device is compromised based on the monitored communication between the first device and the honeypot network service; and

based on a determination that the first device is compromised, initiate measures to remediate the first device.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to initiate measures to remediate the first device by causing the processor to prevent communication from the first device to the enterprise network.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to initiate measures to remediate the first device by notifying a threat detection facility that the first device is compromised.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to initiate measures to remediate the first device by identifying a process on the first device that generated the detected network activity.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to initiate measures to remediate the first device by terminating the process on the first device that generated the detected network activity.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to initiate measures to remediate the first device by isolating the process on the first device that generated the detected network activity.

Assignments (4)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS AT R/F 053476/0681 Recorded Mar 9, 2021
From: OWL ROCK CAPITAL CORPORATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
To: SOPHOS LIMITED
Reel/Frame 056469/0815 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT FIRST LIEN Recorded Jul 6, 2020
From: SOPHOS LIMITED
To: GOLDMAN SACHS BANK USA, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053124/0350 →
PATENT SECURITY AGREEMENT SECOND LIEN Recorded Jul 6, 2020
From: SOPHOS LIMITED
To: OWL ROCK CAPITAL CORPORATION, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 053476/0681 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 29, 2016
From: STUTZ, DANIEL
To: SOPHOS LIMITED
Reel/Frame 037623/0698 →
Continuity (1)
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