Deception
Deception techniques are designed to mislead attackers, slowing down their progress, diverting their focus, or exposing their methods. The goal is to create an environment where attackers reveal their tools, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) while being misled into believing they are achieving their objectives.
Key Aspects of Deception:
Honeypots:
- Simulated systems or files designed to attract attackers.
- They mimic legitimate resources but contain no actual operational data.
- Used to study attack patterns, gather intelligence, and distract attackers.
Honeynets:
- Networks of honeypots that simulate an entire environment.
- Useful for observing coordinated attacks or complex exploitation techniques.
Decoy Systems:
- False systems or services within the network, such as fake databases, web servers, or application servers.
- Designed to divert attackers away from real assets.
Deceptive Credentials:
- Fake credentials deliberately left in accessible locations (e.g., files or memory) to attract attackers to decoy systems.
Deceptive Responses:
- Automated responses designed to mislead attackers during active reconnaissance or exploitation attempts.
Benefits of Deception:
- Early Detection: Alerts defenders when attackers engage with decoys.
- Intelligence Gathering: Provides insight into the attacker's tools, techniques, and motives.
- Risk Mitigation: Reduces exposure to real systems while attackers focus on decoys.
- Disruption of Attack Progress: Wastes attacker resources and time.
Disruption
Disruption techniques focus on interrupting or halting an attack in progress to minimize damage and mitigate risks. These actions are defensive and aim to stop malicious actors from achieving their goals.
Key Aspects of Disruption:
Network Segmentation:
- Isolates compromised systems or segments to prevent lateral movement.
- Commonly achieved using VLANs, firewalls, and access control lists (ACLs).
Traffic Filtering:
- Blocks malicious traffic using intrusion prevention systems (IPS) or firewalls.
- Signature-based or anomaly-based systems can identify and block threats.
DDoS Mitigation:
- Techniques like rate limiting, IP blocking, and use of Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) to handle Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
Kill Switch Implementation:
- Stops specific services, processes, or communications to neutralize threats (e.g., halting ransomware encryption processes).
Session Termination:
- Ends unauthorized sessions or connections to prevent further exploitation.
Patching in Real-Time:
- Quick deployment of patches or temporary fixes (hotfixes) to address known vulnerabilities being exploited.
Active Response Systems:
- Tools like Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) and Network Detection and Response (NDR) identify and neutralize threats in real-time.
Deception and Disruption in Practice
Integration into Zero Trust Architecture:
- These techniques align with Zero Trust principles by verifying every interaction and assuming no trust within the network.
Role in Incident Response:
- Deception aids in threat intelligence, while disruption focuses on containment and eradication.
Examples in Action:
- Using a honeypot to lure a ransomware operator, gathering intelligence on their behavior, and using disruption tactics like isolating the infected system.
These techniques are critical components of a layered defense strategy and contribute to an organization's resilience against advanced persistent threats (APTs) and other cyberattacks.
