In today’s cybersecurity landscape, early threat detection and attack analysis are crucial for securing networks and systems. T-Pot, an open-source honeypot platform developed by Telekom Security, stands out as one of the most comprehensive solutions, offering a multi-honeypot deployment system with real-time attack monitoring and visualization through Elastic Stack, CyberChef, and interactive attack maps.
This all-in-one platform supports over 20 honeypots and provides extensive security tools, making it a powerful solution for security analysts, researchers, and organizations looking to monitor, analyze, and mitigate cyber threats proactively.
What is T-Pot and How Does It Work?
T-Pot is a multi-honeypot platform designed to run multiple honeypots on a single system, enabling comprehensive attack analysis. It leverages Docker and Docker Compose to isolate each honeypot in a containerized environment, maximizing hardware utilization and ensuring scalability.
In addition to honeypots, T-Pot integrates various cybersecurity tools that allow users to monitor and analyze real-time cyber threats, including:
✅ Kibana for visualization
✅ CyberChef for data processing
✅ SpiderFoot for Open Source Intelligence (OSINT)
✅ Elastic Stack for data aggregation
✅ Live attack maps for threat visualization
Key Features of T-Pot
🚀 Supports multiple architectures: Available for AMD64 and ARM64, including Raspberry Pi 4.
🔍 Real-time attack monitoring: Visualizes cyberattacks using Elastic Stack dashboards.
📊 Automated deployment with Docker: Seamless honeypot management through containerized services.
🌍 Live cyberattack map: Displays attack attempts and their geographical sources.
🧠 AI-powered honeypots: Supports LLM-based deception tools like Ollama and ChatGPT.
☁️ Cloud deployment ready: Compatible with cloud services like Azure and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
System Requirements for T-Pot
To run T-Pot effectively, the following minimum system specifications are recommended:
| Installation Type | RAM | Storage |
|---|---|---|
| Hive (Full Deployment) | 16GB | 256GB SSD |
| Sensor (Lightweight Mode) | 8GB | 128GB SSD |
T-Pot requires a static or DHCP-assigned IPv4 address and an unfiltered internet connection. It is compatible with various Linux distributions but requires a minimal installation without a graphical user interface.
T-Pot Installation Guide
1. Download a Supported Linux Distribution
T-Pot supports multiple Linux distributions, and it’s recommended to install a minimal, netinstall, or server version without a desktop environment to prevent port conflicts.
| Compatible Distributions |
|---|
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS |
| Debian 12 |
| Rocky Linux 9.5 |
| Alma Linux 9.5 |
| Fedora Server 41 |
| Raspberry Pi OS (for ARM64) |
2. Install T-Pot
After installing the OS, use the following command to install T-Pot:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install curl -y
env bash -c "$(curl -sL https://github.com/telekom-security/tpotce/raw/master/install.sh)"
Follow the on-screen instructions, resolve any port conflicts, and reboot the system to complete the installation.
3. Accessing T-Pot
Once installed, T-Pot can be managed via SSH and its web interface:
🔹 SSH Access: ssh -p 64295 user@server-ip
🔹 Web Interface: https://server-ip:64297
Honeypots Available in T-Pot
T-Pot includes over 20 honeypots, each designed to simulate various attack surfaces and capture intrusion attempts. Some of the most notable honeypots include:
| Honeypot | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Cowrie | Emulates SSH and Telnet to log unauthorized access attempts. |
| Dionaea | Captures malware distributed through network exploits. |
| Snare | Monitors IoT traffic for security anomalies. |
| Log4Pot | Detects attempts to exploit the Log4Shell vulnerability. |
| ElasticPot | Simulates database environments and logs attacks. |
| Beelzebub | AI-powered honeypot for autonomous deception. |
| Galah | Leverages Large Language Models (LLMs) to dynamically respond to attackers. |
Threat Visualization and Monitoring Tools
T-Pot provides an array of tools to analyze cyberattacks in real-time, including:
✅ Kibana Dashboards: Provides detailed visualizations of attack trends and data logs.
✅ CyberChef: Enables data encryption, encoding, and decoding for forensics.
✅ Live Attack Map: Showcases real-time attack attempts and their geographic origins.
✅ SpiderFoot: Gathers OSINT data to correlate security threats.
These tools enable security professionals to monitor attack vectors, assess threats, and implement countermeasures efficiently.
Deploying T-Pot in Production Environments
T-Pot can be deployed on physical hardware, virtual machines, or cloud platforms. To enhance security in production environments, it’s recommended to:
🔒 Place T-Pot in a DMZ to monitor external threats without exposing internal networks.
🔒 Restrict SSH access to trusted IP addresses.
🔒 Enable centralized logging to maintain historical attack data.
For advanced setups, T-Pot supports distributed deployments, where multiple sensor nodes send logs to a central Hive for large-scale cybersecurity monitoring.
Conclusion: A Must-Have Tool for Cybersecurity
T-Pot is one of the most advanced and easy-to-use honeypot platforms available today. Its comprehensive honeypot selection, real-time monitoring tools, and AI-powered deception capabilities make it an invaluable asset for:
🔹 Cybersecurity researchers analyzing attack behaviors.
🔹 SOC teams monitoring and preventing security breaches.
🔹 Organizations enhancing threat intelligence and defense strategies.
If you’re looking for an all-in-one honeypot solution that is powerful, scalable, and easy to deploy, T-Pot is the ultimate choice for threat detection and cybersecurity research. 🚀
