Impact of Disabling Offloading Features in T-Pot on Data Collection Quality

[shark4ce]

Hello TPot Community,

I'm currently exploring the T-Pot framework and came across the configuration where ethtool is used to disable offloading features such as GSO, GRO, RX, and TX offloading. I understand this might be aimed at improving data collection accuracy and network analysis by handling packet processing at the CPU level, rather than relying on network interface card (NIC) optimizations.

I have a couple of questions regarding this approach:

• Data Collection Changes:

  • Have there been observations or studies showing differences in the data collected by T-Pot when offloading is disabled? Specifically, I'm interested in whether this leads to more accurate or detailed capture of malicious activities and attack patterns.

• Dependency on Offloading:

  • Is there a specific tool or honeypot within T-Pot that actually benefits from or depends on these offloading features being enabled? If so, how does the disabling of offloading affect its functionality or efficiency?

I'm keen on understanding how it influences the overall effectiveness of T-Pot.

Thank you in advance for your insights and assistance.

[t3chn0m4g3]

Disabling NIC offloading is key for network security tools like p0f, fatt and Suricata, and for quite a few honeypots because it ensures they get accurate, unaltered packet data for thorough analysis. Offloading features can modify packets, and thus the tcp packet checksums, in ways that obscure threats or anomalies, potentially bypassing security inspections. This step is crucial for the precise operation of these tools, as it allows for the direct examination of traffic as it truly appears on the network, enhancing the detection and analysis of security events.

[shark4ce]

Ok, that make sense. Thank you for the response!

To provide more context to my initial question, I should mention that my inquiry was motivated by a new approach I am exploring. Specifically, I am looking into deploying the T-Pot framework within a container environment, essentially creating a Docker-in-Docker scenario. My aim is to execute this by leveraging a dedicated runtime for containers, ensuring that the T-Pot framework can run effectively in this nested setup.

The question of offloading becomes significant due to the complexities in network configuration within such an environment. Specifically, when the outer container's network setup uses a driver like macvlan, configuring network offloading is not straightforward. Moreover, the current implementation of the macvlan driver does not allow for manipulating offloading settings directly.

Given this context, I am curious if there has been any consideration or prior attempts to encapsulate T-Pot within a container?