Deception technology employs a layered security approach to identify and isolate malicious actors within a network, and by deploying honeypots and other decoy assets that mimic real system elements, attackers are misled into wasting time on irrelevant targets.
It not only buys security teams valuable time for incident response but also gathers threat intelligence on attacker behaviour and tactics. Deception technology complements traditional perimeter defences by providing in-depth visibility into lateral movement within the network, enabling the detection of both external and internal threats.
Deception tools are a type of cybersecurity technology that utilizes honeypots and other decoy systems to mislead attackers. They are designed to mimic real assets and network activity, tricking attackers into wasting time on fake systems.
When attackers interact with these decoys, security teams are alerted and can gather valuable intelligence on the attacker’s methods and tools, which can be used to improve defences and protect real systems from future attacks.
Deception technology in cybersecurity utilizes a deception server to deploy honeypots and other decoy systems throughout a network, which are designed to mimic real assets and lure attackers into interacting with them.
When a decoy is triggered, the deception server gathers intelligence on the attacker’s behaviour and path within the network, as this real-time information allows security teams to actively manipulate the deception environment, further constrain the attacker, and ultimately gain valuable insights to thwart the cyberattack.
Deception techniques in cybersecurity can be categorized into six types:
- perturbation (altering data),
- obfuscation (obscuring data),
- moving target defense (dynamically changing system configurations),
- mixing (combining real and fake data),
- honey-X (creating fake systems to lure attackers), and
- attacker engagement (interacting with attackers to deceive them).
These techniques can be active, where false information is fed to attackers to manipulate their actions, or passive, where partial or misleading information is provided to lead attackers into traps.
Top 5 deception tools
1: Acalvio ShadowPlex
Acalvio ShadowPlex is an autonomous deception platform designed for enterprise IT, IoT, and ICS environments that utilizes patented deception techniques to proactively detect threats. It offers scalable deception objects, including decoys, lures, and breadcrumbs, to mimic real assets and expose attacker movements.
The platform connects to other security programs via APIs, letting organizations manage deception campaigns and analyze threats from a single location, which lets them use low-cost deception strategies to find threats early and improve their security.
2: Fidelis Deception
Fidelis Deception employs deception techniques to proactively lure attackers, insiders, and malware into interacting with decoy systems mimicking real assets, exposing their tactics and delaying their progress, allowing defenders to swiftly identify and neutralize threats.
It automates the deployment of these deceptive environments, including simulated services, operating systems, and Internet-of-Things devices, which provide high-fidelity information for security teams to take action. By strategically placing breadcrumbs on real assets, Fidelis transforms deception into a deterministic approach for threat detection and mitigation.
https://fidelissecurity.com/solutions/deception
3: Logrhythm
LogRhythm offers a Security Intelligence Platform (SIEM) that incorporates SIEM, log management, network and endpoint monitoring and forensics, and security analytics with host and network forensics.
Their XDR Stack, comprised of AnalytiX, DetectX, and RespondX, centralizes log and machine data for analysis with threat intelligence to detect and respond to security incidents, allowing security operations teams to leverage out-of-the-box content and threat research to gain situational awareness and take appropriate actions.
4: GuardiCore
Guardicore Centra leverages a combination of agent-based sensors, network data collectors, and VPC flow logs to gain comprehensive visibility into data centres and cloud environments, which enables micro-segmentation policies that isolate critical applications and infrastructure by controlling communication at the process level.
By analyzing application dependencies and network flows, Guardicore Centra can swiftly detect breaches and halt the lateral movement of ransomware through real-time threat detection and enforcement, allowing organizations to proactively secure high-risk endpoints and servers before attackers can infiltrate their systems.
5: ForeScout
The Forescout Continuum Platform automates asset discovery and classification for all devices (IT, OT, IoT, and IoMT), providing a complete inventory for security segmentation and Zero Trust implementation. It continuously assesses asset compliance with security policies and regulations and automatically remediates non-compliant devices.
The platform integrates with enforcement tools to enforce segmentation policies and prevent lateral movement. By automating these processes, Forescout eliminates manual efforts and blind spots, ensuring comprehensive asset visibility and continuous security hygiene.
What does deception technology catch?
The following types of threats can be found using deception technology:
- Credential theft
- Lateral movement
- Attacks on directory systems
- Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks
- Unauthorized access of sensitive data
- Geo-fencing
To be effective, deception technology needs to be convincing enough to fool a knowledgeable attacker and fit in easily with your current threat detection plan.
Current security systems overload security teams with numerous, often false positive alerts requiring investigation, which necessitates a shift towards prioritizing the reduction of false positives, even at the slight risk of missing true threats (false negatives).
Deception technology excels in this scenario and by deploying honeypots—fake systems mimicking real assets—security teams can focus on any interaction with these decoys, significantly reducing the workload associated with investigating irrelevant alerts and pinpointing actual intrusion attempts.
While deception platforms aim to expose attackers through decoy systems, their own security is critical. Ideally, attackers interacting with decoys shouldn’t leverage them to pivot to real systems but poorly designed platforms can be vulnerable.
Insecure decoy creation (like containerization) or architectural flaws (VLAN routing) could allow attackers to compromise the deception platform itself, potentially gaining access to the broader network.
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