Which type of cybersecurity threat does a honeypot aim to mitigate?

A honeypot is a cybersecurity mechanism designed to deceive potential attackers by creating an artificial environment that appears to be vulnerable or valuable but is, in fact, monitored and controlled. By doing so, a honeypot aims to gather intelligence on attackers, including their methods, tools, and strategies. This information can be invaluable for understanding attack patterns and enhancing an organization’s security posture.

Using a honeypot allows security teams to observe how attackers exploit vulnerabilities and the techniques they employ during an attack. This proactive approach helps organizations refine their defenses by identifying weaknesses in their actual systems and developing targeted strategies to strengthen them against real threats.

In contrast, data loss from internal breaches typically concerns vulnerabilities that originate within an organization rather than involving external attackers. Denial of Service attacks involve overwhelming systems and are not usually mitigated by honeypots, which are more focused on deception rather than direct defense. While phishing attacks target users directly, honeypots are not specifically designed to counter these threats, as their primary function is to monitor and learn from interactions with attackers rather than to serve as a frontline defense against user-targeted scams.