How to add extra security to Django admin using fake admin login?

Adding extra security to Django admin can be achieved using a fake admin login page. This technique creates a "honeypot" that logs unauthorized access attempts while hiding the real admin interface on a secret URL.

The django-admin-honeypot package creates a fake Django admin page that captures login attempts with IP addresses, regardless of whether correct or incorrect credentials are used.

Installation

First, install the required package ?

pip install django-admin-honeypot

Configuration

Settings Configuration

Add the honeypot app to your INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py ?

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    'django.contrib.admin',
    'django.contrib.auth',
    'django.contrib.contenttypes',
    'django.contrib.sessions',
    'django.contrib.messages',
    'django.contrib.staticfiles',
    'admin_honeypot',  # Add this line
]

URL Configuration

Update your project's urls.py to redirect the default admin URL to the honeypot and move the real admin to a secret endpoint ?

from django.contrib import admin
from django.urls import path, include

urlpatterns = [
    path('admin/', include('admin_honeypot.urls', namespace='admin_honeypot')),
    path('secret/', admin.site.urls),  # Real admin interface
]

This configuration replaces the standard /admin/ URL with the fake honeypot and moves the actual admin interface to /secret/.

Database Migration

Run the following commands to create the necessary database tables ?

python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

How It Works

The honeypot creates a table that stores all login attempts including:

• IP addresses of attempted logins
• Session IDs for tracking
• Timestamps of each attempt
• Username/password combinations used

Access Points

Security Benefits

This setup provides several security advantages:

• Obscurity: Real admin URL is hidden from attackers
• Monitoring: All unauthorized attempts are logged
• Deception: Attackers waste time on the fake interface

Conclusion

The Django admin honeypot adds an extra security layer by creating a fake login page that captures unauthorized access attempts. This allows you to monitor potential security threats while keeping your real admin interface safely hidden on a secret URL.