Compliance, Data Sovereignty & Canary Alternatives
When deploying honeypots, where they’re hosted matters. EU organizations face strict data protection rules (GDPR, NIS2) and growing scrutiny over data sovereignty. Hosting honeypots in the EU ensures legal compliance, lowers risk, and strengthens trust. While popular solutions like Canary Tools are widely known, many are hosted outside the EU, raising compliance questions. SecurityHive, based in the Netherlands, offers innovative, EU-hosted honeypots designed for compliance, performance, and customer intimacy—making it a strong alternative for organizations that want cutting-edge cybersecurity without data sovereignty concerns.
The Compliance Challenge: Why Location Matters
Cybersecurity is no longer just about stopping threats—it’s also about how and where data is handled. Regulations such as:
- GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
- NIS2 Directive (EU-wide cybersecurity framework)
- Sector-specific laws (finance, healthcare, public services)
…all emphasize data sovereignty, logging practices, and incident reporting obligations.
If your honeypot logs attacker IPs, payloads, or even metadata outside the EU, you may face regulatory hurdles—or worse, fines. Data sovereignty means your organization must control sensitive data within EU jurisdiction.
Why Honeypots Need EU Hosting
Honeypots generate highly sensitive data:
- Attackers’ IP addresses, commands, and payloads
- Indicators of compromise (IOCs) tied to criminal groups
- Network telemetry that may include personal data (GDPR relevant)
If this information is processed in a non-EU jurisdiction, it may fall under foreign surveillance laws (e.g. U.S. CLOUD Act). For regulated industries, this creates risk.
By hosting honeypots in the EU, organizations can:
- Ensure GDPR compliance for security logs and threat intelligence
- Avoid data export issues tied to non-EU hosting
- Build trust with auditors and stakeholders
- Demonstrate a proactive stance on data sovereignty
Canary Alternatives: The Case for EU Options
Thinkst Canary (also known as Canary Tools) is one of the best-known honeypot providers. Their technology is respected, but there’s a catch: hosting and data handling often take place outside the EU. For many European organizations, that raises compliance and sovereignty questions.
This has opened the door for EU-based honeypot solutions that match or exceed Canary’s functionality—while staying inside European jurisdiction.
SecurityHive: EU-Hosted, Customer-Focused Honeypots
At SecurityHive, we’ve built honeypot technology from the ground up with European compliance and innovation in mind.
Here’s what sets us apart:
- EU-Hosted by default: All logs and data remain within the European Union, supporting GDPR and NIS2 requirements.
- Fast deployment: Honeypots can be set up in minutes—whether on-premises, in private EU-based clouds, or hybrid environments.
- Rich telemetry: Beyond simple alerts, our honeypots capture detailed attacker behavior for intelligence and forensics.
- Low maintenance: Automated updates and adaptive deception keep your honeypots fresh without constant manual tuning.
- Customer intimacy: Based in the Netherlands, we work closely with clients across industries (government, manufacturing, finance) to tailor solutions to their specific compliance and security needs.
- Part of a broader platform: Honeypots integrate with SecurityHive’s DNS Guard, Mail Spectator, and vulnerability management tools for complete cyber resilience.
In short: SecurityHive combines Canary-level effectiveness with the compliance confidence that comes from EU hosting.
