Cloud Decoy Templates for Scalable High-Interaction Deception

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing deception systems face challenges such as high costs, complex deployment, and high false positives due to the need for skilled professionals and regular maintenance, especially in high-interaction decoys, which are difficult to configure and maintain in local networks.

Innovation Solution

A Deception-as-a-Service (DaaS) system that deploys high-fidelity, high-interaction decoys on a cloud server, centrally managed by a cloud service provider, providing customizable decoy templates and automatic deployment, management, and integration with third-party security tools for scalable deception services.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If high-interaction decoys are deployed in local networks with physical or virtual appliances, then deception effectiveness and fidelity are improved, but hardware costs and initial investment increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedeception effectivenessVSAvoidhardware costs
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses virtualization to create virtual copies of decoy systems that can be deployed in the cloud instead of requiring physical hardware appliances for each deployment. Multiple virtual decoy instances can be created from a single virtual appliance image, eliminating the need for expensive duplicate hardware while maintaining high-interaction deception capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent consolidates multiple deception functions and decoy types into a single cloud-based platform that can serve multiple organizations. By merging resource management, deployment, and maintenance functions into a centralized cloud service, the system reduces per-organization hardware costs while maintaining high-interaction capabilities through shared infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Adaptability or versatility

If high-interaction decoys are configured and deployed locally, then customization and control are improved, but deployment complexity and configuration difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecustomization capabilityVSAvoiddeployment complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements pre-configured virtual appliance images that contain pre-installed decoy templates, security configurations, and operational settings. This preliminary preparation allows organizations to deploy customized decoys by simply selecting from pre-built templates rather than configuring complex systems from scratch, reducing deployment complexity while maintaining adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a cloud-based management platform that acts as an intermediary between the organization's security team and the complex virtualized deception infrastructure. This platform provides simplified interfaces for deploying, configuring, and managing high-interaction decoys, abstracting away the underlying complexity while preserving customization options through template selection and parameter adjustment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If high-interaction decoys are deployed locally with full OS support, then interaction fidelity is improved, but maintenance burden and labor costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinteraction fidelityVSAvoidmaintenance effort
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements automated self-service capabilities including self-healing mechanisms that detect and repair decoy system issues, automatic update deployment that patches vulnerabilities without manual intervention, and self-monitoring that tracks decoy performance and health. These features maintain high interaction fidelity through full OS support while dramatically reducing ongoing maintenance burden through automation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent incorporates continuous feedback loops that monitor decoy system health, performance metrics, and security status. This feedback enables automated response actions such as restarting failed services, updating configurations, or alerting operators only when genuine issues require attention. The feedback mechanism maintains high-fidelity interactions while reducing maintenance effort by filtering out routine issues that can be handled automatically.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

4Reliability

If skilled IT professionals are used to deploy and maintain local deception systems, then system reliability and security are improved, but human resource costs and operational overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem reliabilityVSAvoidhuman resources
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements comprehensive automated management capabilities that enable non-expert users to deploy and maintain high-interaction decoys through simplified cloud interfaces. The system performs automated provisioning, configuration validation, security hardening, and performance optimization without requiring skilled IT professionals, thereby maintaining system reliability while dramatically reducing human resource requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intelligent cloud-based management layer that acts as an intermediary between users and the complex virtualized deception infrastructure. This intermediary provides expert-level guidance through automated workflows, validates configurations to prevent errors, and handles complex operational tasks automatically. Users gain reliable system performance without needing deep deception technology expertise, as the intermediary compensates for skill gaps through automation and guidance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20260067333A1Deception as a service (DAAS) system with large scale deployment of template-based decoys
Publication Date: 2026.03.05 FORTINET INC
  • US20260067333A1 patent drawing
  • US20260067333A1 patent drawing
  • US20260067333A1 patent drawing

AI summary

A deception as a service (DaaS) system configures a decoy to generate a decoy instance, and projects the decoy instance into a user network. The DaaS system receives, by the decoy in the deception system, from an edge point in the user network, an attack request on the decoy instance by an attacker, generates an attack response by the decoy based at least in part on the attack request; and sends the attack response to the attacker. The attack response may include erroneous information, such as a lure file or lure credentials.