Software Technology for Methods and systems to detect and alert devices that are within close proximity

Rapid7 , Inc. (Boston, MA)

Disclosed herein are methods, procedures, and systems that are used for securing compromised credentials with deception systems. In a honeypot, a request is issued to authenticate a credential. It is found that context information is contained in the request, which links the credential with network components. A host that is protected in the network that has the credential is identified , and the credential is authenticated through validating the credential with the host protected. A determination is made that the credential is compromised , and the credential is deactivated.

Field of the Disclosure

This disclosure is related to deception systems used in cybersecurity computing environments. This disclosure is related to the use of deception systems to conceal compromised credentials.

Description of the Related Art

Honeypots are security devices that are implemented in cyber-security computing environments which can be targeted and/or hacked by malicious attackers (e.g., hackers, and the like). Honeypots can be monitored actively and are able to be discovered, interactive and deceiving. Honeypots can be configured to mimic protected hosts, for example, production systems. Most of the time, systems need authentication prior to (external) access is provided and/or gained. In honeypot ecosystems hackers can be fooled into thinking that a honeypot is a target. They’ll try to authenticate to the honeypot using credentials (e.g. an account username or a password) that might or might not be valid to gain access to the system they are trying to attack.

Typically, authentication attempts involving honeypots are logged and no additional action is taken. However, the presentation of legitimate credentials to a honeypot from an attacker with malicious intent to gain access is a high-fidelity indicator ofcompromise. It is important to immediately disable compromised credentials to ensure that attackers are unable to use the compromised credentials elsewhere on the network. The credentials that malicious attackers use to authenticate can be opaque or plaintext. Accounts connected to compromised plaintext credentials are deactivated by validating the plaintext credentials (e.g., using manual logreview), validating opaque credentials (e.g., secured credentials, hashed credentials, and the like) with honeypots is the challenge of technical difficulty.

Methods, systems, and processes are described herein to conceal compromised credentials through deception systems. One of these methods involves receiving an authentication request for a credential at a honeypot, determining that the request includescontext information that identifies the credential with network components that are part of the network, and identifying an authorized host on the network that has the credential, authenticating the credential by validating the host protected by the credential, finding out that the credential is compromised, and removing the credential.

One instance shows that the request was made by an attacker as part of an attack of malicious intent. The context information indicates that the attack is designed by the attacker to target the protected host and deactivatingthe credential blocks the movement of the malicious attack in the network.

The method may include sending an alert to honeypots in a network to notify them that the credential is compromised. In addition, they transmit an instruction to those honeypots to make the credential to be valid in light of the malicious attack that has been launched on the network. In other embodiments the context information comprises domain metadata, which includes a domain identity associated with the domain controller and/or data to determine a credentialstore, an authentication mechanism, an application, a host, or another system the credential was intended to use against or be valid for.

The method could include sending a message to the honeypot management system to inform them that the credential is compromised. A network component is an identity. To authenticate and deactivate the credential, you need to access an application programming interface or custom agent which executes in the honeypot.

This summary contains simplified, generalizations and exclusions. Those who are skilled in the field will recognize that this summary is only illustrative and not meant to be restrictive. The description of the non-limiting details below will reveal other aspects, advantages and features of the disclosure described hereinafter in the manner that they are described in the claims.

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