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What Kippo does—and why the deployment is unusual
Kippo is a medium-interaction SSH honeypot. It presents an attacker with a fake Debian-like filesystem, records brute-force attempts and the shell commands entered after login, can replay sessions through UML-compatible tty recordings, and captures files downloaded with wget. Its configuration also supports fake file contents and SSH command trickery.
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The project is no longer maintained. Community documentation describes Cowrie as its successor, but there is no current, authoritative compatibility matrix covering every Ubuntu release. Treat Kippo as a controlled legacy experiment rather than a normal production service. A failed dependency build, an unexpected Python interpreter, or an unsafe port change can leave you without administration or expose the VPS in ways you did not intend.
Plan the VPS and the safety boundary first
Use a disposable host
- Provision a separate Ubuntu VPS that contains no production applications, credentials, customer data, private keys, API tokens, or cloud-init secrets.
- Use a provider firewall to allow only the administrative port and the honeypot port you intentionally expose. Keep an out-of-band console enabled so you can recover from an SSH or firewall mistake.
- Assume that every file an attacker uploads is hostile. Do not execute downloads on the honeypot or copy them to a workstation that contains sensitive data; move samples to an isolated analysis environment.
- Create a dedicated service account for Kippo. The process should not run as root and should not have access to other users’ home directories.
Choose how SSH traffic will be separated
Kippo’s upstream default listener is port 2222. Binding directly to port 22 normally requires root privileges, which conflicts with the least-privilege design. The safest first deployment is therefore to leave the real SSH daemon on a separate high port and expose Kippo on 2222. If you need to attract scans aimed at port 22, use a carefully tested forwarding rule or a privileged-port helper such as authbind; do not improvise this while your only SSH session is open.
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Preserve administrative SSH access before touching Kippo
Perform port changes from the provider console or with a second, already-tested session available. Open the new administrative port in the provider firewall before changing sshd.
- Edit the SSH daemon configuration and add a second high port while the existing port remains available.
- Validate the file before reloading it:
sudo sshd -t
sudo systemctl reload ssh- From another machine, open a new session to the high port and confirm that authentication, privilege escalation, and your normal administration tools work.
- Only after that test succeeds, remove the old public SSH port from the daemon configuration, validate again with
sudo sshd -t, and reload SSH. - Keep the high administrative port permitted in the provider firewall. Reserve port 22 for Kippo only if you have a tested binding or forwarding design and a console recovery path.
Never close the original session until the replacement session is working. If a reload fails, the existing daemon may continue running, but you should use the console to inspect the error rather than repeatedly guessing at configuration changes.
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Check whether the legacy runtime exists on your Ubuntu image
The upstream README lists Python 2.5 or newer, Twisted from 8.0 through 15.1.0, PyCrypto, and Zope Interface. The optional kippo-extra package narrows that practical requirement to Python 2.7 or later and explicitly does not support Python 3.x.
| Component | Requirement documented by the project | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Python | 2.5 or newer | kippo-extra requires Python 2.7 or later and does not support Python 3.x. |
| Twisted | 8.0–15.1.0 | This is an old, bounded range rather than a recommendation to install the newest Twisted release. |
| PyCrypto | Required | The cited documentation does not specify a current package version. |
| Zope Interface | Required | The Ubuntu package name can vary by release. |
Ubuntu package names and repositories differ substantially between releases. Start with the image’s supported repositories and verify that the required interpreter and libraries can actually be installed together. Do not paste an installation command written for an obsolete Ubuntu release into a current image. If the distribution no longer ships a compatible Python 2/Twisted combination, stop and choose a preserved, isolated environment or a maintained successor rather than weakening the host to force an old dependency chain.
Some Ubuntu images also need OpenSSL and PyASN1 packages for their available Python/Twisted build. Install only packages from repositories you trust, record the exact versions that resolved successfully, and test the interpreter used by Kippo before proceeding.
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Create the Kippo account and obtain the source
Create a service account without an interactive password and give it ownership of a dedicated installation directory:
sudo adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" kippo
sudo install -d -o kippo -g kippo /opt/kippoObtain the Kippo source from the upstream project or a trusted archive, and place it under that directory. Because the project is unmaintained, pin the source revision you selected and keep a copy of the dependency information used to build it. Avoid running the source checkout as root; use the kippo account for configuration and startup.
sudo -u kippo -H bash
cd /opt/kippo
cp kippo.cfg.dist kippo.cfgDo not start the daemon until the configuration file has been reviewed. The upstream instructions specifically require editing kippo.cfg before startup.
Configure the listener, fake host, and capture locations
Listener and administration settings
Set the listener port in kippo.cfg. Keeping the default 2222 is the least complicated option because it avoids privileged binding. If you choose another port, open only that port in the provider firewall and confirm that no real service is already listening there.
Set the fake hostname and the credentials that will appear to attackers. Never reuse a real password, SSH key, token, or username/password combination from another system. A honeypot credential should be disposable and should not unlock anything outside the fake environment.
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Filesystem and logging options
Review the configuration entries for the fake filesystem, fake file contents, log destinations, and download capture. Keep those directories on the dedicated Kippo installation and ensure the kippo account can write to them. If you change a path, create it first and check ownership before launching the daemon.
Keep enough disk space for tty recordings and downloaded samples. Configure external log collection only after local logging works; a remote collector must not become a new credential or network dependency inside the trap.
Start Kippo and verify it from another machine
Background operation
Once dependencies and configuration are ready, start Kippo as the dedicated account:
cd /opt/kippo
./start.shThe script starts Kippo in the background. Confirm that the process remains alive and that the expected listener is bound before treating the deployment as operational.
Foreground troubleshooting
For first launch or dependency debugging, run the Twisted application in the foreground:
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cd /opt/kippo
twistd -y kippo.tac -nThe foreground mode keeps errors visible in the terminal. Resolve import failures, permission errors, and port conflicts there before returning to background operation.
Test externally
From a separate machine—not from the VPS itself—connect to the honeypot port and confirm that the fake SSH service responds. A local process check alone cannot prove that provider firewall rules, routing, and the public listener are correct. Keep the test credentials disposable and record the exact time of the test so you can distinguish your own session from unsolicited activity.
Find sessions, debug output, and downloaded files
| Artifact | Path | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| Debug and runtime log | log/kippo.log |
Operational messages and connection-related events. |
| TTY recordings | log/tty/ |
Replayable records of attacker shell interaction. |
| Captured downloads | dl/ |
Files fetched through the honeypot’s wget handling. |
Watch the main log while testing:
tail -f /opt/kippo/log/kippo.logPreserve the original files when exporting evidence. Hash samples, keep timestamps, and analyze copies offline. Do not add execution permissions or run a captured binary merely to identify it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Expose port 22 only after the safer layout works
Option 1: publish Kippo on 2222
This keeps the real SSH daemon on a high administrative port and lets Kippo run without root-level port access. It is the recommended first milestone because a mistake affects the honeypot listener rather than your management channel.
Option 2: forward port 22 to an unprivileged Kippo port
A host-level forwarding rule can accept connections on 22 and pass them to Kippo on 2222. The rule must be tested from the console and from an external client, and it must not redirect your high administrative port. Provider firewall rules, host firewall rules, and persistence across reboot all need separate verification.
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Option 3: use authbind or another privileged-port helper
The historical Ubuntu guidance documents authbind as a way for a dedicated account to bind a privileged port. If you use it, grant access only to the Kippo executable and verify the effective permissions after every source update. A helper that accidentally permits arbitrary programs to bind low ports defeats the isolation goal.
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Kippo exits with an import or interpreter error
Check which Python executable launches kippo.tac, then compare its version and installed modules with the documented Python 2/Twisted requirements. Python 3 is not supported by kippo-extra. Installing a modern Twisted release on top of an old Kippo checkout is not a reliable fix; use a compatible, isolated environment or abandon the legacy deployment.
The port is already in use
Identify the process occupying the selected port and verify that the real SSH daemon is not still bound there. Keep administration on the tested high port, stop only the conflicting service you recognize, and restart Kippo as the kippo account. Never kill an unknown process on a remote host without console access.
The daemon starts but files are missing
Check ownership of the installation, log, log/tty, and dl directories. Confirm that the paths in kippo.cfg match the directories you created and that the filesystem is not full. A successful network connection with no records usually indicates a path or permission problem rather than an SSH-client problem.
External clients cannot connect
Test in order: Kippo’s local listener, the VPS host firewall, the provider firewall, and the public address or forwarding rule. A local listener check proves only that the process started; it does not prove that the selected port is reachable from the Internet.
You lose SSH after changing ports
Use the provider’s out-of-band console, restore the last known-good SSH configuration, run sshd -t, and reload the daemon. Keep a second administrative session open during future changes and do not remove the old port until the replacement has been tested.
Operate the honeypot without turning it into a liability
- Patch the Ubuntu host where possible, but test changes against the legacy runtime before applying them to the exposed instance.
- Restrict outbound traffic so a compromised process cannot reach production networks or cloud metadata services.
- Rotate and archive logs before disk exhaustion; preserve evidence separately from the live service.
- Review downloaded files offline and treat filenames, scripts, and shell commands as untrusted input.
- Document the exact source revision, interpreter, dependency versions, listener port, firewall rules, and configuration backup.
- Destroy and rebuild the VPS if you can no longer explain its state. A disposable honeypot is safer than an indefinitely modified server.
Should you use Kippo or a successor?
Kippo remains useful when your objective is specifically to reproduce its fake Debian-like shell, legacy session format, and download-capture behavior. Its cost is maintenance risk: the documented runtime is Python 2-era software, the project is no longer maintained, and current Ubuntu images may not carry a compatible dependency set.
A successor such as Cowrie is the more sensible starting point for a new Internet-facing deployment when you need actively maintained code and current-OS installation guidance. The available documentation establishes Kippo’s legacy status and Cowrie’s successor relationship, but it does not establish a complete, apples-to-apples matrix for runtime support, protocol emulation, export integrations, or resource use. Make that comparison against the specific release and isolation model you intend to operate.
Quick Recap
Final pre-exposure checklist
- The VPS is separate from production and has console recovery.
- The real SSH daemon works on a tested high port.
- The provider firewall exposes only intended ports.
- Kippo runs under the dedicated
kippoaccount. - The selected Python, Twisted, PyCrypto, and Zope Interface combination is available and tested.
kippo.cfguses fake, disposable credentials and reviewed paths.log/kippo.log,log/tty/, anddl/are writable and monitored.- An external connection test succeeds before public exposure.
- Outbound access and downloaded-file handling are restricted.
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