SD-WAN and Cowrie Honeypot Synergy in Modern Networks - From Traffic Optimization to Threat Trapping

Modern networking systems demand the realization of a symbiotic equilibrium between security operations and operational performance. For optimal traffic control and detection of potential threats, this study incorporates the Cowrie honeypot into Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) concepts. SD-WAN enables advanced routing of critical traffic while concomitantly routing anomalous activity into Cowrie, a decoy environment that purports to replicate vulnerable services. A pioneering implementation of a new hybrid detection technique involving SD-WAN and Cowrie demonstrates the security effectiveness increasing by 5% without diminishing performance metrics common in such operations as jitter, latency, and packet loss. Through this synergy, SD-WAN becomes a dual-purpose infrastructure that improves hybrid network scalability while economically tricking opponents. The findings point to a paradigm change in favor of self-defending, adaptive networks.