Project factsheet information

Project Title Deployment of Collaborative Modern HoneyNet to improve Regional Cybersecurity Landscape (CMoHN)
Full name and acronym Dr. Muhammad Yousaf
Address

Riphah Institute of Systems Engineering (RISE)

Suite Number 7, Ground Floor, Evacuee Trust Complex

Agha Khan Road, Sector F-5/1

Islamabad

Pakistan
 

Phone +92 3216007922
Fax +92 518442725
Website http://www.sites.google.com/site/muhyousaf
Dates covered by this report: 20-11-2017 – 20-04-2018 –
Report submission date 20-07-2018
Country where project was implemented Pakistan
Project leader name Dr. Muhammad Yousaf
Email
Project Team Mr. Tariq Saraj [email protected]
Mr. Sohaib Jamil [email protected]
Partner organization 1) Faculty of Computing, Riphah International University, Islamabad, 2) Associated Press of Pakistan, 3) National Engineering and Scientific Commission
Total budget approved AUD 29,300
Project summary

Firewalls, IDS/IPS, SIEM Solutions, Anti-virus, and other such information security products have been efficient to detect and prevent the known cybersecurity attacks. However, these devices have the built-in limitation in identifying new attack strategies and mechanisms. Along with these security products, honeynets are an integral part of the emerging secure network infrastructure of the modern age enterprises. Honeypot concept has been around for many years for engaging and learning about the hacker's attack strategies. This project aimed to achieve the following objectives:

  1. To establish core competency in deployment and integration of different honeypots and honeynets,
  2. To establish core competency in designing new honeypots for countering the current cyber-attacks,
  3. To establish an Internal Research Honeynet,
  4. To establish an External Production Honeynet,
  5. To establish a multi-site collaborative Honeynet Network,
  6. To connect with other honeynets in the region to form a regional collaborative honeynet network,
  7. To promote R&D activities around the secure network infrastructures by publishing our work in the reputed international conferences and journals,
  8. To promote secure network infrastructure practices by conducting community awareness seminars.

In order to achieve the objectives of the project, we established two teams. Team-one consisted of research engineers that got expertise in deploying and integration of different honeypots and honeynets. This team successfully deployed the internal research and a couple of external production honeynets. Team-two consisted of the graduate research students who voluntarily took interest in the project activities and contributed in designing new honeypots for embedded Linux devices to counter the attacks against the Internet of Things (IoT) devices and establishing the interface between honeynet and the other security devices like firewalls.

With our deployed honeypots and honeynets at a number of locations, we are now able to observe thousands of cyber-attacks daily on our sites. This is helping us to identify the extent and variety of the attacks being faced by the organizations in this region.

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