Privilege Deception: fake credentials, real security

Deception is defined as “the action of deceiving someone”. What does that have to do with Endpoint Privilege Management? Great question. Privilege deception can be seen as a secret weapon of the agents of EPM to protect your business and services to the fullest. Privilege Deception in EPM (Endpoint Privilege Management) involves creating and monitoring fake user credentials to detect unauthorized access attempts.

Curious? Read all about below:

Endpoint Privilege Management Bait Tactics

Next to Application Control and Credential Theft Protection, there’s a third important part of Endpoint Privilege Management. CyberArk’s Endpoint Privilege Management creates policies that place user credentials in popular places. Cyberark’s EPM then monitors the different attempts to use these user credentials. Simply put, EPM uses fake privileged credentials to act like bait for attacks. Endpoint Privilege Management will detect these different types of attacks so agents can learn from those digital threats. It’s a better safe than sorry kind of story. Just imagine the kind of advantage you’ll have when you’re prepared!

How does EPM do this?

First of all, EPM policies will place user credentials in popular locations. Those popular locations can be added yourself, like the local administrator group from the server/workstation or any other critical local group from your environment. The EPM agent then creates a Local Admin user as a lure, generating an unique password that is endpoint-specific. That agent monitors login attempts with these credentials, either blocking or permitting and monitoring them based on the policy settings. All logins to other endpoints are monitored and reported to the server. 

The attacks will be divided into two groups of mode: detect and block. In the detect mode, the lures are identified and the use of those lures will be tracked. Whereas in block mode, the attempts to use the credential lure will be blocked.

Why Privilege Deception works

What are the key advantages of Privilege Deception? 

1.

You’re able to monitor the initial point of attacking. This is a huge advantage to have an insight into what happened and how it could have happened.

2.

By using a fake administrator to understand the behavior of these attacks, you’ll be able to oversee the rules of this attack.

3.

You’re prepared just in case an attack happens and that preparation is based on knowledge. It’s a secret weapon that gives you the advantage to track everything and prepare everything before a real attack could possibly happen.

4.

It’s part of the Cyberark EPM license. No extra costs, just smarter protection.

“CyberArk Privilege Deception is a matter of two or three clicks, it’s focused on quick wins. Quick wins that are also wins of quality nevertheless”
– Jorge Machadao Feitosa Filho, Cybersecurity expert –

EPM’s secret weapon

In conclusion, Privilege Deception in Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM) serves as a crucial strategy to protect your business from unauthorized access attempts. By creating and monitoring fake user credentials, CyberArk’s EPM allows organizations to anticipate and understand potential threats before they manifest as real attacks. This proactive approach not only provides valuable insights into the methods of attackers but also prepares your defenses, ensuring you are always a step ahead. With no additional costs and the promise of quick, high-quality wins, incorporating Privilege Deception into your security strategy is a no-brainer. 


Interested in equipping  your business with this secret weapon? Contact us!

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