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Newbie/Basic Questions

links in php files

Author: H.ServerUpper (28 Nov 13 3:10pm)

I’m a new honeypot user and hopefully this isn’t too newbie of a question.

Is it possible to place a link in a php file to the HoneyPot script? I’ve read on the forum that it can be placed in the home templates php file of vbulletin but not sure if my problem is because my php file is functioning differently.

When I place a link within one of my php files (not vbulletin but just a simple redirect file), the script is not triggered. I placed the link at the top of the file, outside of the php brackets. It’s just a normal html link.

Should I be doing differently? Is it not being triggered because it is a redirect and maybe that function is running first before the link is read? Appreciate any help. Thanks.

Re: links in php files

Author: H.User1325 (29 Nov 13 11:01am)

We all have ask 'newbie' questions. I think your question is more about using php scripts and HTML than about HoneyPot links.

The short answer is "Yes" it is possible to place a link to a HoneyPot in a php file. Almost all of the webpages I maintain are php scripts and they all contain one or more links to HoneyPots.

Assuming you are using a QuickLink or one of the suggested links to your own HoneyPot, that HTML code must be copied into your file(s) in such a way that the obscured HTML anchor (link) is delivered to the client (users browser) as part of a well structured HTML file/stream. From your OP I can't tell if putting the link 'at the top of the file, outside of the php brackets' results in the link being properly placed in the <body> of delivered HTML code.

Rereading your OP again, There may be several issues. (1)If your php file is 'a simple redirect file' i.e
<?php
header('Location: http://... ');
exit();
?>

And you placed the link before the <?php A warning should be added to your error log because you must set the header {call header() } before any of the body is generated.

Depending on your server OS and the client the redirection may still work. If it does, the link to a HoneyPot would be over written be the redirected page.

(2) It may be a mattered of terminology but a HoneyPot is not "triggered" by sending a link to a client (user's browser). The basic idea is to place a link in the HTML sent to a browser (client) that is not visible to a human BUT can be seen/found be a spider/tool used by an email harvester trying to collect email addresses so they can later send spam to those addresses.

To that end, the suggested links to your HoneyPot or a QuickLink are fragments of HTML that "look like" a link (anchor) BUT don't put any thing on the screen that a human can see or click-on. For example,


Because this is a HTML comment ( inclosed in ) nothing will show up on a screen viewed by a human. However, a spider/web crawler going through the HTML code should see the link (<a> </a>) and follow it to a HoneyPot.

Hope this helps you get you HoneyPot link(s) into your files correctly.

P.S. This is an entirely different subject, but it could be argued that if you redirect someone/something to a honeypot that is entrapment. Whereas following a hidden link shows intent on their part. Also how do you ensure that you are only redirecting non-humans? Just my personal though as a fellow user of Project HoneyPot services.

Re: links in php files

Author: H.ServerUpper (29 Nov 13 3:52pm)

Thanks H.User1325. I appreciate the help. Everything is working fine now.

The redirects are hidden. Only bots can find them, which they are about once every 2 minutes. I think may take a couple of weeks before stats appear on the dashboard. Do you how long it takes the IP addresses to be registered in the database?

Thanks again for the information and help.