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Kippo can still be installed on an Ubuntu VPS, but it is legacy software. Its upstream README targets Python 2.5 or newer, Twisted 8.0–15.1.0, PyCrypto and Zope Interface; the optional kippo-extra package requires Python 2.7 or newer and does not support Python 3. DigitalOcean describes Kippo as no longer maintained and identifies Cowrie as its successor.
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Use a separate, disposable VPS, keep your real SSH administration path on a different port or through carefully tested forwarding, and treat every file downloaded by an attacker as hostile. The procedure below shows the safe deployment pattern, what to configure, how to test it and where to find the resulting evidence.
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Decide whether Kippo is appropriate
Kippo is a medium-interaction SSH honeypot. It presents a fake Debian-like filesystem, accepts configurable fake file contents, records attacker shell sessions in replayable UML-compatible logs, captures files fetched with wget and implements command-line tricks intended to keep an intruder interacting with the decoy. The upstream project describes its purpose as logging brute-force attacks and the entire shell interaction that follows a successful login.
That functionality is useful for observing automated scans and attacker behavior, but the software’s age changes the installation decision. The dependency range is tied to Python 2-era packages, and kippo-extra explicitly excludes Python 3. Modern Ubuntu images may no longer package the required interpreter or libraries. Before opening a public listener, confirm that the chosen image can run the exact source revision and dependencies you intend to use.
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Use a disposable host
- Provision a VPS used only for the honeypot. Do not share it with production applications, personal data or administrative tooling.
- Keep real SSH keys, passwords, API tokens, cloud credentials and private network routes off the machine.
- Assume that anything downloaded during a session is malicious. Collect it, then inspect it on an isolated analysis system rather than on the VPS.
- Enable the provider’s out-of-band console before changing SSH settings. It is your recovery path if a port change or firewall rule cuts off remote access.
Check the Ubuntu image first
Do not assume that a current Ubuntu release can install Python 2, the historical Twisted range, PyCrypto and Zope Interface from its normal repositories. Package names and availability vary by release. If the image does not provide a compatible runtime, stop and choose a controlled legacy image or a maintained honeypot instead of forcing untrusted packages into a production-like system.
Plan the SSH ports before installing
Kippo’s upstream default listener is port 2222. The README warns that binding directly to port 22 requires root privileges. Running the service as root defeats the isolation goal, so plan the port layout before starting the daemon.
Keep administrative SSH separate
Your real SSH daemon must remain reachable on a separate high port, or traffic for public port 22 must be forwarded to Kippo while administrative traffic is routed elsewhere. Make one change at a time and keep an already authenticated console or SSH session open until a second session has successfully connected through the new path.
- Record the current administrative SSH address and authentication method.
- Choose a separate high port for the real SSH daemon, or design a forwarding rule that leaves the administrative port untouched.
- Apply the change using the provider console or an existing SSH session.
- From a different machine, verify that the real daemon accepts your key or password on its new path.
- Only after that test, expose the Kippo listener to the Internet.
Do not expose both services accidentally
A firewall rule that opens port 22 while the real daemon is still bound there can either prevent Kippo from starting or expose the administration service instead of the honeypot. Confirm which process owns each listening socket before announcing the VPS address. Provider-level firewall rules should allow only the intended public listener and your restricted administration path.
Install the legacy runtime dependencies
Kippo’s upstream README lists these requirements:
| Component | Requirement stated by the project |
|---|---|
| Python | 2.5 or newer |
| Twisted | 8.0 through 15.1.0 |
| Cryptography | PyCrypto |
| Interfaces | Zope Interface |
| kippo-extra | Python 2.7 or newer; Python 3.x is not supported |
The exact Ubuntu package names, OpenSSL packages and PyASN1 packages depend on the image and source revision. Install only versions that match the revision you selected. Historical tutorials often contain commands for obsolete Ubuntu releases; copying those commands unchanged can install the wrong interpreter, fail to resolve dependencies or leave a partially configured environment.
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Verify the interpreter and libraries
Before fetching the source, verify that the selected runtime actually launches and that the required modules can be imported. Use the package manager and the interpreter supplied by your chosen image, then check the versions against the ranges above. If the system offers only Python 3, do not attempt to run Kippo under it: kippo-extra states that Python 3.x is unsupported.
Keep the dependency scope narrow
Install dependencies for the dedicated honeypot account or isolated environment where possible. Avoid adding development credentials, source repositories containing secrets or unrelated services to the VPS. A honeypot should have the smallest practical software footprint because every additional component increases the impact of a compromise.
Create the Kippo account and obtain the source
Use a dedicated non-root account. The historical Ubuntu installation procedure calls this account kippo; the name is conventional rather than a requirement.
- Create the dedicated account with no administrative role.
- Log in as that account for source retrieval, configuration and normal operation.
- Place the Kippo source in a directory owned by the service account.
- Select a source revision whose dependency requirements you have verified against the Ubuntu image.
Do not run the honeypot from a home directory that contains real SSH keys or other personal files. Keep the service tree separate from operating-system configuration and from any directory used to stage downloaded samples.
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From the source directory, copy the distributed configuration file and edit the copy:
cp kippo.cfg.dist kippo.cfgThe upstream project instructs operators to edit kippo.cfg before startup. Review every available setting rather than accepting defaults blindly.
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Listener and identity settings
- Set the listener to the internal port you selected, with the upstream default of
2222as the reference point. - Choose a hostname that makes the decoy believable without copying the name of a real production system.
- Define the fake credentials and shell behavior that attackers will encounter. Never reuse a real password, key or account name that grants access elsewhere.
Filesystem and content settings
Configure the fake filesystem and fake file contents so that the environment contains no genuine credentials or sensitive documents. The goal is to provide believable interaction while ensuring that every apparent secret is synthetic.
Logging settings
Keep file logging enabled. You need both the general debug log and the per-session recordings to investigate activity. Confirm that the service account can write to the configured log and download directories before exposing the port.
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Expose Kippo without losing SSH access
There are two safe patterns: keep Kippo on its non-privileged port and forward public traffic to it, or move the real SSH daemon to a separate high port and arrange for Kippo to receive the public SSH port. The exact forwarding mechanism depends on your VPS provider and firewall, so test it from a second machine before closing the original session.
Pattern A: leave Kippo on port 2222
- Configure Kippo to listen on
2222or another unprivileged port. - Open only that port at the provider firewall while testing.
- Connect from a separate machine and confirm that the fake SSH banner and login flow appear.
- If you later add forwarding from public port 22, ensure the forwarding target is the Kippo process and that the real SSH daemon remains on its separate administrative port.
This pattern avoids granting Kippo root privileges simply to bind a low port.
Pattern B: move real SSH and reserve public port 22 for Kippo
- Using the provider console or a currently working SSH session, configure the real SSH daemon to use a high port.
- Reload or restart the daemon only after validating its configuration.
- Open a second connection to the high port and authenticate successfully.
- Configure Kippo or the provider’s forwarding layer to receive public port 22.
- Test from outside the VPS. Keep the console session available until both services have been verified.
Binding Kippo directly to port 22 as root is technically possible according to the README, but it is a poor isolation trade-off. Prefer forwarding or another design that lets Kippo run as the dedicated account.
Start Kippo and verify the listener
Start in the foreground first. It makes dependency, permission and binding errors visible:
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twistd -y kippo.tac -nWhen troubleshooting is complete, the project’s background launcher is:
./start.shRun these commands from the Kippo source directory and as the dedicated service account. A successful start is not enough; verify the connection from a separate machine, because a local process can be running while a provider firewall, forwarding rule or port collision blocks Internet traffic.
Perform a controlled connection test
- From a separate system, connect to the configured public address and port with an SSH client.
- Use only synthetic test credentials.
- Confirm that the session reaches Kippo’s fake shell rather than the real operating-system shell.
- Issue a few harmless commands, then end the session.
- Check that the session and debug records were written before allowing unsolicited traffic.
Never test with a key that is authorized on another host. A honeypot test should be unable to unlock anything outside the decoy.
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Kippo’s upstream README identifies three important locations:
log/kippo.logcontains debug output and operational messages.log/tty/contains tty session recordings that can be replayed or processed using UML-compatible tooling.dl/contains files fetched through the honeypot’swgethandling.
Use the records as separate evidence streams
The debug log helps explain startup failures, authentication attempts and service behavior. Tty recordings preserve the attacker’s command sequence and timing. The download directory contains payloads that may explain what the attacker intended to run. Preserve timestamps and filenames when exporting evidence so that the session record and downloaded object can be correlated.
Handle downloads as hostile samples
Do not execute anything from dl/ on the VPS. Copy samples to an offline or separately isolated analysis environment, calculate hashes there and restrict any network access used for analysis. The honeypot is an observation point, not a malware laboratory.
Harden the VPS around the honeypot
- Use provider firewall rules to expose only the intended listener and a narrowly restricted administration path.
- Keep out-of-band console access enabled and test that you can use it.
- Run Kippo under the dedicated non-root account.
- Do not mount production storage, attach shared credentials or permit routes into private networks.
- Limit outbound access where your provider and collection goals allow it; unrestricted egress can let a compromised service participate in attacks.
- Monitor disk usage because tty recordings, debug logs and downloaded files grow over time.
- Export evidence regularly to a secured location, then remove samples from the VPS according to your retention policy.
Troubleshoot common installation failures
The process exits because a dependency is missing
Read the first import or version error in the foreground output. Compare the installed interpreter and Twisted version with the upstream requirements, then verify PyCrypto and Zope Interface. Do not solve a Python 3 incompatibility by installing random compatibility shims; kippo-extra explicitly does not support Python 3.x. If the Ubuntu image cannot supply the required legacy stack, use a controlled image or select a maintained alternative.
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A low port such as 22 may require root privileges, and another daemon may already own the port. Return to the separate-port plan, confirm which process is listening, and prefer forwarding or an unprivileged port for the dedicated account. Do not repeatedly launch Kippo as root without understanding the isolation consequences.
The service starts but remote clients cannot connect
- Confirm the process is listening on the configured address and port.
- Check the VPS provider firewall and any host firewall rules.
- Verify that forwarding targets Kippo rather than the real SSH daemon.
- Test from a network outside the VPS.
- Review
log/kippo.logfor startup and connection errors.
You lose administrative SSH access
Use the provider’s out-of-band console. Restore the previously tested administrative port, verify the daemon configuration and reconnect from a second machine before attempting another port change. This is why a disposable VPS and console access are prerequisites, not optional conveniences.
No session recordings appear
Check that logging is enabled in kippo.cfg, that the service account owns or can write to log/ and log/tty/, and that your test actually reached Kippo. Foreground mode usually reveals permission errors immediately.
The download directory contains unexpected files
Treat every object in dl/ as hostile. Preserve it without execution, correlate it with the tty recording, and move it to an isolated analysis system. A downloaded payload is evidence of attacker behavior, not a package to install on the VPS.
Should you use Kippo or a successor?
Kippo’s legacy status is the central decision point. DigitalOcean’s tutorial says it is no longer maintained and has been superseded by Cowrie. The available material does not establish a current, authoritative compatibility matrix, performance benchmark or feature-by-feature comparison, so choose on operational evidence rather than assuming that one installation will work on every Ubuntu release.
Compare these factors before committing:
- Runtime support: whether the project supports the interpreter and libraries available on your Ubuntu image.
- Maintenance activity: whether security fixes and current installation guidance are published.
- Protocol emulation: whether the project provides the SSH and shell behavior your observation goal requires.
- Logging and export: whether recordings, authentication events and downloaded files integrate with your monitoring system.
- Isolation model: whether the deployment can run as a least-privilege account on a disposable host.
- Documented current-OS procedure: whether the installation steps are written for the release you intend to deploy.
If you need a maintained honeypot on a current operating system, investigate the successor rather than forcing Kippo’s Python 2-era stack onto an unsupported image. If historical Kippo behavior is specifically required, pin the environment, isolate it aggressively and document the exact source revision and packages used.
Operational checklist
- Disposable Ubuntu VPS provisioned.
- Provider console access tested.
- Real SSH administration path separated from the honeypot listener.
- Dedicated non-root Kippo account created.
- Python, Twisted, PyCrypto and Zope Interface versions verified against the selected source revision.
kippo.cfg.distcopied tokippo.cfgand listener, hostname, synthetic credentials, logging and fake filesystem reviewed.- Foreground startup tested with
twistd -y kippo.tac -n. - Background startup tested with
./start.shonly after the foreground run is clean. - External connection confirmed from a separate machine.
log/kippo.log,log/tty/anddl/monitored.- Downloaded files quarantined for offline inspection.
- Firewall, disk usage and evidence-export procedures documented.
What a successful deployment looks like
A correct installation is not merely a process that stays running. The real SSH service remains reachable through its protected administration path; Kippo accepts connections on the intended public listener without root privileges where possible; synthetic credentials lead to the fake environment; tty and debug records are written; and downloaded files are captured without exposing production assets. If any of those conditions is missing, keep the listener closed until the fault is corrected.
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