What is the purpose of honeypots in network security?

Honeypots play a critical role in network security by serving as decoy systems designed specifically to attract and engage potential attackers. By doing so, they create an illusion of a vulnerable system that encourages intruders to interact with it rather than with actual, sensitive systems. This interaction can provide valuable insights into attack strategies, methodologies, and the behavior of cyber adversaries. The data harvested from these encounters can be used to improve the security posture of the organization by identifying vulnerabilities and informing the design of defensive measures.

In contrast, the other options focus on unrelated aspects. While user satisfaction, network throughput enhancement, and daily performance documentation are important in their contexts, they do not align with the primary function of honeypots, which is strictly concerned with the active defense and intelligence-gathering aspect of cybersecurity.