Though some legal issues still surround "honey pots," their use within the security industry is fairly common and is considered a critical weapon in fighting malicious hackers and viruses.

"They're an incredibly valuable tool," said Rich Mogull, research director at analyst firm Gartner Inc. of Stamford, Conn. "You can't really know what's happening without monitoring what's going on in the world. Honey pots and honey nets do a good job of this."

Setting up an unprotected server or network invites attackers to infect or examine the system. The honey pots are then used to track the hackers and collect data on the way the intruders operate. Information collected in honey pots is typically used to power early warning and prediction systems.

"It's not something every organization needs, but I expect all security vendors to do be doing something [like this]," Mogull said. "That's how you're going to find out what the new threats are, without compromising your real systems."

The link for this article located at Michael Myser is no longer available.