Fake Data and Fake Information: A Treasure Trove for Defenders

Fake Data and Fake Information: A Treasure Trove for Defenders
Cybersecurity professionals are using false data to deceive cybercriminals, enabling them to protect networks in new and innovative ways.

No one wants to believe that fake data can influence them, but evidence of its impact is all around us. Studies have shown that fake news can influence how we vote, what we buy, who we support, and what we do. This can transpire through dedicated misinformation campaigns, deceptively edited videos, and the use of technologies like social media bots and deepfakes, which make it difficult to decipher what is real from what is fake.


However, while the impact that fake information can have is often concerning, it can also be a tool used for good. Today's cybersecurity professionals are using false data to deceive cybercriminals, enabling them to protect networks in new and innovative ways. 


Attackers Want Data, So Why Not Give It to Them?Attackers don't inherently know the details of a network or have the privileges they need to steal or encrypt information. Conventional wisdom says to do everything possible to deny an attacker access to any data, but cyberattackers are persistent and will keep coming back until they gain the data they seek. Today's cybersecurity professionals are increasingly employing a new strategy, which includes the hiding of real information and the sending of false information designed to get attackers to reveal their attack secrets, disclose their presence, and control their paths away from critical assets and into the trap of a decoy.


By allowing attackers and their automated tools to believe they are getting what they are after, defenders can lead attackers into a deception server that appears to contain the database, web server, application, o ..

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