Staying Ahead of Threats: How a Municipality Secured Sensitive Data with SecurityHive

The Challenge Exposed by Pen Testing

To strengthen its cybersecurity posture, the municipality engaged an external penetration testing firm. The results were alarming: testers could move through the network relatively smoothly and were detected far too late. Their clear recommendation: implement stronger detection measures.

The pen testers advised the municipality to evaluate honeypot technology and specifically recommended contacting SecurityHive.

The Trial and Deployment

SecurityHive worked directly with the municipality’s IT team to set up a trial. Deployment, however, was not straightforward. Because the IT environment was heavily locked down with strict security controls, SecurityHive collaborated closely with the municipality’s network engineer to identify which ports needed to be opened for the honeypots to communicate properly.

This collaborative approach highlighted one of SecurityHive’s strengths: technical flexibility and the ability to work side by side with customers to ensure smooth, secure deployments.

How the Honeypot Works

The honeypot was deployed as a decoy Windows Server 2012—representing a legacy system that might still exist in many environments and could be an attractive entry point for attackers. To lure malicious actors, SecurityHive set up a file share on this server that accepted arbitrary login attempts. The system was designed to appear vulnerable and contained fabricated sensitive data.

This setup made it possible to detect not only external attackers but also insider threats—something traditional defenses often miss.

Insider Threat Detected

Shortly after implementation, the honeypot flagged a suspicious case: an insider logging in with valid credentials but attempting to access files unrelated to his role. A trainee was trying to retrieve sensitive information stored in the decoy system.

Because SecurityHive’s honeypot technology logs detailed behavioral data, the IT team could immediately identify the individual, trace the activity, and understand his intent. This incident validated the investment: without the honeypot, such behavior might have gone unnoticed.

Benefits for the Municipality

Since going live, the honeypots have been running autonomously for several years. They require minimal maintenance, thanks to SecurityHive’s regular updates for both the operating system and SecurityHive’s proprietary software. The municipality’s IT department only needs to respond when a notification is raised—SecurityHive’s experts remain available to assist with deeper analysis whenever needed.

The municipality now benefits from:

• Proactive detection of threats, including insider misuse.
• Peace of mind that sensitive citizen data is protected.
• Reduced workload for its small IT team, thanks to SH’s low-maintenance design.
• Confidence that new threats will be detected, with expert support available when needed.

Conclusion

By implementing SecurityHive’s honeypots, this municipality transformed a major security concern into a manageable process. What began as a worrisome pen test result evolved into a long-term security strategy, providing trust, peace of mind, and resilience in an environment where public reputation and citizen privacy are non-negotiable.