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🛡️ HoneyNet - Real-Time Cyber Threat Intelligence Platform

I built a system that captures actual hackers attacking fake servers and shows where they're from, what they're trying to do, and how dangerous they are. All visualized on a live dashboard.

What Does This Do?

Simple version: Sets up "honeypot" servers that look vulnerable. When hackers attack them, I capture everything - their location, techniques, commands typed, malware uploaded. Then I display it all on a real-time map and dashboard.

Technical version: Distributed honeypot network with automated threat intelligence pipeline. Captures attacks via Cowrie (SSH), Dionaea (SMB/FTP/HTTP), and Snort (IDS). Processes logs through ELK stack with GeoIP enrichment and MITRE ATT&CK mapping. Serves analytics via FastAPI backend to React dashboard.

Why Did I Build This?

To learn how real cyber attacks work and build a complete security monitoring system from scratch. After deploying this on AWS, I captured 300+ attacks in 24 hours from hackers worldwide trying to break in.

Tech Stack

Honeypots & Detection:

  • Cowrie - Fake SSH server that logs login attempts and commands
  • Dionaea - Emulates FTP, HTTP, SMB, MySQL to catch malware
  • Snort - Network intrusion detection system

Data Pipeline:

  • Filebeat → Logstash → Elasticsearch (ELK stack)
  • Automatic GeoIP location lookup (IP → Country/City)
  • MITRE ATT&CK technique classification
  • Threat scoring algorithm (0-100 scale)

Application:

  • Backend: Python FastAPI (REST API)
  • Frontend: React + Vite (real-time dashboard)
  • Databases: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis
  • Infrastructure: Docker (13 containers), Nginx, AWS EC2

Features

Live Attack Map - See attacks happening on a world map with pins
Real-Time Feed - Watch hackers trying to break in as it happens
Geographic Tracking - Know exactly where attacks are coming from
Attack Analysis - See what commands hackers are typing, what they're looking for
Threat Scoring - Automatic danger level calculation
Auto-Refresh Dashboard - Updates every 10-30 seconds

Quick Start

# 1. Clone and enter directory
git clone https://github.com/bashSunny101/VulnServer.git
cd VulnServer

# 2. Start everything (13 containers)
docker-compose up -d

# 3. Wait 2 minutes, then open dashboard
# http://localhost:3000 - Main dashboard
# http://localhost:8000 - API endpoints
# http://localhost:5601 - Kibana (optional)

Test It Out

Attack your own honeypot to see it working:

# Try to "hack" your SSH honeypot
ssh root@localhost -p 2222
# (Try any password, type some commands)

# Wait 10 seconds, refresh dashboard - you'll see your attack appear!

What I Learned

DevOps Skills:

  • Orchestrating 13+ Docker containers
  • ELK stack configuration and log parsing
  • Production deployment on AWS with security groups

Security Concepts:

  • How real attacks happen (brute force, scanning, exploitation)
  • MITRE ATT&CK framework for classifying threats
  • Network traffic analysis and intrusion detection

Full-Stack Development:

  • Built async REST API with Python FastAPI
  • Created real-time React dashboard with auto-refresh
  • Integrated multiple databases (SQL, NoSQL, cache)

Architecture

Hacker Attack → Honeypot → Logs → Filebeat → Logstash (adds location data) 
→ Elasticsearch (stores everything) → Backend API → React Dashboard (you see it)

Sample Results

After 24 hours live on the internet:

  • 🎯 362 total attacks captured
  • 🌍 Attacks from India, USA, Russia (and counting)
  • 🔐 150+ SSH login attempts with various passwords
  • 🗺️ All mapped on dashboard with exact locations

License

MIT - Do whatever you want with it

Author

Built by Sunny to learn cybersecurity and full-stack development

GitHub: @bashSunny101


Star this repo if you find it interesting! Every star motivates me to keep learning.

Deployed on AWS EC2. Capturing real attacks 24/7.

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