Welcome to my WarZone

There is another side of the internet that we don’t see everyday or talk about, the silent war. The keyboard cowboys in the digital wild west.

Today I setup a honeypot scanner today and within the first few minutes was able to visualize the constant bombardment internationally. Everyday I got people trying passwords, attempting to exploit me, nosey scanners who just want a peek, botnets trying to get a foothold, etc. These actors are not all bad, but most of them should seriously ask why they are watching me.

I installed a honeypot setup called T-Pot which has many options for a network hive of honeypots all collecting data on the guys trying to collect my data. With this honeypot you can study criminal behavior or the latest botnet behavior from a distance without spilling the beans. I’ve set this up in the past with older versions of the software. I’ll post an update in a few weeks after I’ve collected a larger sample size for data analysis.

In the late 90’s and early 2000s I worked in data security for a few banks and computer manufacturers. Had the feds slap my hand for running an uncoordinated pentest after hours at one of the banks. Computers haven’t changed all that much since then though, the people have. We have the centralized Facebook and Twitter which everyone gets to share their opinion instead of read and learn. Other than cpu core counts, the underlying technology is mostly the same. Corporate wise, the only real difference is these days people rent timeshares for cpu time instead of own their own frame. Which in my opinion, resembles a big vacation condo scam instead of home builders. Malicious wise then, the worst that could happen to you is catch the I Love You virus. These days we have corporate data held for ransom by malware, looming threats of power grid failure, scam after scam on a daily basis of scammers trying to steal your information or money by various means, dating sites of catfish liars who might want your wallet and not your love, we want your information. Yet we love the internet and can’t go offline. We’re like a bunch of battered housewives who won’t leave their abusive husband. How long will this toxic generation of the web last? Will we outgrow this behavior in future decades? Or is the internet really that much of a reflection of the human spirit? Is the internet shaping us or are we shaping the web?

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