Cybersecurity: Leveraging Deception for Enhanced Cyber-Attack Sensing

Cyber-attacks are becoming more frequent and damaging, leading to significant disruptions and data losses. One promising countermeasure is deception—strategically promoting false beliefs to mislead attackers. This study introduces a deception simulation designed to evaluate hacker decision-making when faced with deceptive tactics. We conducted an experiment with 100 participants, examining two critical factors: the intensity of deception (low vs. high) and the timing of its implementation (early vs. late). Our findings reveal a notable trend: in scenarios where deception was both intense and deployed later in the simulation, hackers were more likely to refrain from attacking. These results indicate that well-timed and substantial deceptive strategies can effectively deter cyber-attacks. This research underscores the potential of deception as a robust defensive mechanism, offering valuable insights into optimizing cyber defence strategies through psychological manipulation of adversaries.