Utilizing Deception Technology to Detect Data Exfiltration

What is Deception Technology?

Deception technology is a cybersecurity technique that involves setting up decoy systems, databases, files, and credentials to lure cyber attackers and detect malicious activity on a network. The goal is to misdirect and confuse attackers by making them waste time and effort on fake assets so that the real assets remain secure.

Some key aspects of deception technology are:

• Honeypots – These are decoy servers and systems designed to mimic real assets. They attract attackers so that their methods and tools can be studied.

• Honeynets – This refers to an entire network of honeypots used together to create an elaborate trap for cybercriminals.

• Decoy documents – Fake files are planted within a network containing bait content to tempt data exfiltration. They act as canaries to detect stolen data.

• Decoy credentials – Fake usernames and passwords are seeded across a network intrap attackers who steal and try to reuse credentials.

Why Use Deception for Detecting Data Theft?

Deception technology has the following key benefits for detecting data exfiltration:

• Early warning system – Decoys alert defenders as soon as data is accessed or moved without authorization. This enables rapid incident response.

• Increased visibility – Detailed forensic data is captured once a decoy is accessed by an attacker. This reveals tactics, tools and procedures.

• Reduced costs – Deception solutions are relatively inexpensive compared to other data security tools. The focus is on detection rather than prevention.

• Attacker distraction – Cybercriminals waste effort on decoys rather than finding real valuable data. This slows down an attack.

• Reduced false positives – Alerts from decoys provide high fidelity detection compared to other anomaly detection systems.

Deploying Deception for Data Exfiltration Detection

Here are some best practices for deploying deception technology to catch data exfiltration:

Seed Decoy Documents

• Plant fake files with alluring names like “CustomerRecords.xlsx” on file shares and cloud apps attackers may target.

• Embed decoy content that looks real but is harmless if stolen.

• Monitor document access to detect suspicious read patterns.

• Encode files so that altered versions act as indicators of theft.

Set Up Deception Servers

• Deploy fake application servers for services like SSH, FTP and databases.

• Ensure decoys mimic production environments but have no real data.

• Log all access attempts to deception servers as probable unauthorized entry.

• Use honeypots to capture malware used by attackers for lateral movement.

Create Decoy User Accounts

• Configure fake user credentials across systems like Active Directory, cloud apps and VPNs.

• Give decoy accounts visibility but no real access permissions.

• Detect credential abuse when attackers authenticate using decoy credentials.

• Generate alerts when decoy accounts are added to any privileged groups.

Monitoring Deception Technology

To gain value from deception technology, the deployment needs to be actively monitored:

• Tune detection rules to minimize false positives from legitimate system activity.

• Analyze attacker activity on decoys to improve defenses on real assets.

• Expand deployment to widen attack surface coverage across endpoints, networks and cloud environments.

• Vary deception lures periodically to attract a broad range of cybercriminals.

• Integrate with SOCs so that alerts seamlessly initiate threat hunting and incident response.

Challenges of Using Deception Technology

While powerful, deception technology has some limitations organizations should be aware of:

• Skilled attackers may be able to fingerprint and avoid obvious decoys through reconnaissance.

• Generating a large number of high-fidelity deceptions is resource intensive.

• Deception alerts may suffer from false positives requiring triage and SOC integration.

• Attackers who avoid decoys can still find and exfiltrate real data undetected.

• Implementation requires expertise to emulate production environments convincingly.

Case Study: CyberSponse’s Data Exfiltration Use Case

CyberSponse provides a deception platform specifically focused on data protection. Here is how they leverage deception to detect data exfiltration:

• Users mark sensitive files in the file system using a right-click context menu.

• The platform makes an encrypted decoy copy which is seeded across user devices.

• When an attacker finds and exfiltrates the decoy file copy, CyberSponse generates an alert.

• Forensics identify the unauthorized recipient of the stolen decoy document based on network and endpoint telemetry.

• The detailed incident response trail enables actions like legal takedowns of command and control servers.

This surgical use of deception helps detect and respond to data breaches faster than typical data loss prevention solutions.

Conclusion

Deception technology provides intelligent traps to detect malicious cyber activity within networks. For data exfiltration detection, decoys like documents, credentials and systems create sensitively monitored lures to alert on unauthorized data access. When deployed comprehensively, deception solutions generate high-fidelity alerts to reveal data breaches early on without excessive false positives. If integrated well with SOC workflows, deception technology significantly improves the ability to respond to incidents of data theft. However, decoys may be fingerprinted and evaded by advanced attackers, so organizations need layered security including data-centric protections. Overall, deception is a powerful paradigm that enhances visibility, detection and response capacities for data exfiltration attacks.