Cybersecurity is going through a paradigm shift, with the focus now shifting from keeping adversaries out to the assumption that they might already be within the network. This shift has led to the development of advanced strategies that prioritize rapid detection, immediate response, and efficient recovery. One of these strategies includes adopting an “attacker mindset” and leveraging deception technology.
In a recent interview with Help Net Security, Xavier Bellekens, CEO of Lupovis, discusses how the implementation of deception-as-a-service can provide an extra layer of defense for organizations. This approach aids the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and their team by providing early warning indicators of potential breaches.
Assuming that an adversary has already established a presence within a network influences cybersecurity strategies to prioritize rapid detection, immediate response, and efficient recovery. This approach promotes continuous monitoring, anomaly detection, and incident readiness. By emulating the tactics of adversaries, organizations can anticipate their strategies, challenge their defenses, and proactively address security gaps. This dual approach of breach anticipation and thinking like an attacker results in a more dynamic and robust strategy.
Deception technology plays a crucial role in strengthening both paradigms. It uses decoys, traps, and misinformation to efficiently detect and divert intruders, providing early warning of a breach and disrupting the adversary’s operations. It also helps organizations gain insight into the mindset of attackers. Deception becomes a powerful tool in the continuous cycle of anticipating, detecting, and responding to ever-evolving cyber threats.
CISOs can use deception to protect an organization’s sensitive data and high-value intellectual property in several ways. One strategy is to employ highly interactive decoys that lure attackers into spending more time interacting with the systems, allowing the security team to observe and understand the adversary’s methods. Another strategy involves deploying breadcrumbs and low hanging fruit decoys at choke points to enable early alert detection, triggering immediate alerts in the Security Operations Center (SOC).
Deception technology has evolved significantly and can be deployed rapidly, often within minutes. It provides an additional layer of defense that assists both the CISO and their team by offering early warning signs of a potential breach. This immediate alert capability allows for faster decision-making and response. Deception strategies can involve the deployment of deceptive services, lures, networks, fake environments, or even creating a digital twin architecture. It is no longer restricted to fortune 500 organizations, and any security team, regardless of size, can use deception to their advantage.
While financial services organizations have historically focused more on protecting against outsider threats, insider threats have been on the rise. Deception technology doesn’t distinguish between insider or outsider threats, making it an effective early warning system for any unauthorized access. Its adaptability and ease of deployment make it a valuable addition to the cybersecurity strategy of financial organizations. Deception can be swiftly set up both inside and outside the network perimeter, adding a valuable layer of security without increasing false positives.
In manufacturing, where any disruption can have a costly impact, deception technology can be deployed across operational environments to tackle threats such as industrial espionage, state-sponsored attacks, and ransomware. Decoys can be tailored to different types of threats, such as Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) or ransomware groups. By utilizing deceptive traps and decoys, organizations can protect their operations and make the adversaries’ tasks more challenging.
Increasing the attacker’s cost is a key aspect of cybersecurity. Deception technology plays a crucial role in this strategy by creating decoy systems and data that lead attackers away from real assets, wasting their time and resources. Deception, when combined with Automated Moving Target Defense (AMTD), constantly changes the attack surface, making it harder for adversaries to navigate the system or gain a foothold. This strategy of increasing the attacker’s cost becomes more effective with the emergence of Deception as a Service, which makes setting up and deploying deception environments faster and easier. Security teams can implement deceptive environments at scale within minutes, enhancing their defensive and offensive capabilities without draining resources.
In conclusion, the paradigm shift in cybersecurity has led to the development of strategies that prioritize rapid detection, immediate response, and efficient recovery. Deception-as-a-service offers an additional layer of defense, aiding both the CISO and their team with early warning indicators of potential breaches. Deception technology is a powerful tool that can be used to protect sensitive data, lure attackers away from valuable assets, and increase the attacker’s cost. Its versatility and ease of deployment make it applicable in all sectors and across all networks, providing a dynamic solution to the evolving threat landscape. By integrating deception technology into their cybersecurity strategies, organizations can effectively protect their systems and keep the upper hand in the face of sophisticated cyber threats.