Legerdemain: An Illusion-based system to thwart covert access and exfiltration

The integration of software and components from multiple sources, the interconnection of systems via the internet, and the rapid pace of change in the computer industry as a whole virtually guarantee the continued emergence of threats to systems and information via new and undetected vulnerability vectors. Moreover, malicious insiders and social engineering can also be involved in cases of covert access, as can access points that must be kept open for normal system operations. Even in cases where software and hardware exist and remediation is possible, vendors often cannot be counted on to provide solutions in a timely manner. Taken together, these factors present an opportunity to attackers, giving them numerous avenues of attack, and consequently, “first move” advantage. There is therefore a need to restore initiative to the legitimate administrators of systems that are vulnerable to attack. Sentar, Inc. and Lockheed Martin have teamed to develop Legerdemain. Legerdemain protection strategies consist of combinations of deceptive techniques that can be either anticipatory or reactive. The Legerdemain approach applies illusionist “sleight of hand” techniques to manipulate both the items to be protected and the protection mechanisms in order to secure CPI against network-based attacks, host-based attacks, and reverse engineering.