A honeypot is a computer system or software intended to attract hostile activity such as cracking or spamming, by masquerading as a vulnerable system. It is a computer security tool used to gather information about attackers and their techniques. Honeypots can distract adversaries from more valuable machines on a network, they can provide early warning about new attack and exploitation trends and they allow in-depth examination of adversaries during and after exploitation of a honeypot.
A honeypot is also a fake website or chatroom set up to trap users with other criminal intent.
The term "honeypot" is believed to come from the Winnie the Pooh stories, in which Pooh finds himself stuck inside a pot of honey which he intended to eat.
