Threat intelligence powered by deception is quickly gaining traction in the CISO community for its proactive approach to cyber threat detection. The benefits are many, including rapid threat detection and specific, actionable insights on threat actors that can safeguard your organization in the future. However, reaping these rewards requires careful strategic planning.
In this article, we’ll share the seven most vital cybersecurity questions CISOs should ask themselves, their teams, and potential vendors as they explore threat intelligence powered by deception. We’ll also get you started on the answers. Let’s go.
#1) What is Threat Intelligence Powered by Deception?
First up, let’s explain how threat intelligence powered by deception works.
When you deploy a deception tool, the technology creates a replica, or digital twin, of your network that runs parallel to your live network. By leaving a breadcrumb trail in the attackers’ path, the technology lures in cyber attackers who believe they’re working on your real network. In reality, they’re only in the deception environment, not impacting your organization in any way.
While the attackers are in the parallel network, deception technology monitors their every activity so you can anticipate their next moves. The data generated during this time is specific, actionable threat intelligence delivered before the attackers infiltrate your actual network. These are the notifications your security teams can treat as an immediate priority: timely, relevant, and free of false positives. If you take action on one thing, it should be this type of insight.
The great thing about threat intelligence powered by deception is that it’s a change from traditional reactive methods of cyber attack prevention. It enables teams to detect, deflect, and defend before a breach even happens.
#2) Will Threat Intelligence Powered by Deception Integrate With My Existing Security Infrastructure?
Implementing threat intelligence should be easy, without having to rip your existing tech stack apart or retrain your team on entirely new processes. Ideally, you want it to operate in parallel, creating a deceptive layer that adversaries encounter before reaching critical assets. Think of it as an early warning system that doesn’t interfere with your existing defenses.
CounterCraft integrates easily with your existing security stack. Our threat intelligence powered by deception is one of the most advanced threat protection methods available, and it can be quickly deployed.
When talking to vendors, make sure you ask how their tool integrates with the tech you’re currently using. Failure to consider integration could lead to you slowing down your existing security stack and not gaining the many benefits of deception-powered threat intelligence.
#3) What Does Success Look Like With Deception Technology?
How will you know if making deception technology part of your security threat management strategy has been a success?
The answer to this lies in how you already measure the effectiveness of cyber attack prevention in your organization. Before you roll out this technology, take a baseline reading of your key metrics and KPIs, then analyze the impact of deception in the next quarter, half-year, and year. Most organizations, after deployment, see lower Mean Time To Detect (MTTD) and Mean Time To Remediate (MTTR)
You will also see a difference in the way your security team carries out their work. If your security professionals consistently discover that when they get an alert from the threat intelligence powered by deception platform, it’s a clear signal of something requiring immediate action, rather than a false positive or information that’s come too late, you can see that your new approach to threat intelligence is working.
And, of course, every attacker lured into your replica network is one that doesn’t get to your actual network, while the intelligence you gather can help you thwart similar attacks in the future.
#4) How Scalable and Flexible Is Your Threat Intelligence Powered by Deception Solution?
As things change in your business, what you need from your cybersecurity solutions could change too. As a result, you need a deception solution that can adapt to your requirements. Ensure you talk about flexibility with any vendors you may be evaluating as your deception solution partner.
For example, you could be migrating your legacy, on-prem IT environment to the cloud and need a solution that works equally well in every possible setup. You may also anticipate a high growth period, and you need a simple and cost-effective solution for adding and removing users.
#5) How Does Threat Intelligence Enhance Incident Response?
Any vendor you speak to should be able to demonstrate how their platform would improve the way you currently respond to cyber threat events.
Where threat intelligence powered by deception excels is in rapid cyber threat detection. Deception is the most effective way to identify an attack quickly, divert it away from your critical systems, and gather intelligence to neutralize those attackers in the future.
Deception is the most effective way to identify an attack quickly, divert it away from your critical systems, and gather intelligence to neutralize those attackers in the future.
By detecting threats early, your platform gives your security teams the vital intel they need powerful information to inform their incident response plan, keeping them one step ahead.
#6) Who Is the Best Vendor To Work With?
There are several vendors out there, all offering slightly different threat intelligence powered by deception solutions. Who do you know who is the best one for your organization and your unique needs?
There are many criteria you could use when evaluating potential vendors. Of course, their approach to innovation and technology is important, but everyone will tell you that they have the most advanced threat intelligence solution.
But consider this: Which organizations have the most critical IT infrastructures that should be protected at all costs? Which organizations are the most tempting targets for the most sophisticated, nation-state-affiliated cyber attackers?
Those organizations trust CounterCraft to deliver the most effective threat intelligence powered by deception. We work with the biggest names in:
- National security & defense
- Financial services & banking
- Energy
- Healthcare
- Telecom
- and many more
If the U.S. Department of Defense trusts and uses CounterCraft’s threat intelligence technology, you can too.
#7) Does Deception Throw Up Compliance or Legal Issues?
No matter the nature of your organization, compliance with laws and industry-specific regulations is essential.
Be sure to ask any potential vendor about how their tools operate within legal boundaries, including privacy and data protection laws. The methods they use to deceive attackers should also be ethical, otherwise they’re participating in a race to the bottom.
Conclusion
When you implement threat intelligence powered by deception in your organization, you gain several long-term benefits, including:
Rapid threat detection
neutralize attacks before they even breach your network.
Specific actionable threat intelligence
to thwart current and future attacks.
An enhancement to your existing security stack
not a replacement.
Cyber threat detection solutions
that scale with your organization.
A proactive approach to cybersecurity
instead of reactive.
For any CISOs tasked with safeguarding their company’s IT infrastructure, threat intelligence powered by deception should be an integral part of your cybersecurity strategy. However, before you run into the marketplace, take time to evaluate your current setup, get a sense of how deception technology will fit in, and ask the right questions.
The answers will point you in the right direction, so instead of waiting for attackers to come to you, you go out and find them, and safeguard your essential IT systems.
See it for yourself.
Spend 20 minutes with us to see why the world’s most sophisticated organizations, including the U.S. government, are using our deception technology platform for active cyber defense, freeing up resources and staying ahead of threat actors.
