The U.S This article explores cyber decoys strengthen. . Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has issued guidance, published on September 16, 2026, urging organizations to utilize cyber decoys to expose intruders who have gained a foothold in networks.

The document positions cyber decoys as a complement to Zero Trust programs, focusing on surfacing lateral movement conducted with legitimate credentials and administrative tools. CISA's "Using Cyber Decoys to Strengthen Detection and Response" addresses a persistent defensive gap: attackers increasingly avoid obvious malware and instead employ living-off-the-land (LOTL) techniques. CISA Recommends Organizations Deploy Cyber Decoys Once inside, they can enumerate systems, probe Active Directory, access file shares, and move between hosts using valid accounts, remote-management utilities, and normal network protocols.

For example, a defender could create a monitored service account that is never used for production work, place its apparent access details in a controlled location, and alert on any authentication attempt. Teams should identify the assets and adversary behaviors they want to detect, ensure decoys are realistic but segmented, define alert triage and incident-response procedures, and validate that the decoys remain visible to attackers but inaccessible for pivoting. The agency maps the approach to the MITRE Engage and MITRE ATT&CK frameworks, enabling defenders to link decoy placement to anticipated adversary behaviors and assess detection coverage.

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