🛡️ Brainstorming Covert Protection Methodologies for FortiPath 🛡️

[cywf]

Hello FortiPath community,

As we continue to innovate and enhance our platform, we're exploring the integration of covert protection methodologies. These methodologies aim to subtly safeguard our systems and data without drawing attention. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the following ideas:

1. Honeypots: Deploying decoy systems to detect, deflect, and study potential threats.
2. Steganography: Concealing messages or information within non-secret text or data.
3. Watermarking: Embedding undetectable marks in data to trace unauthorized usage.
4. Behavioral Biometrics: Analyzing user behavior patterns like keystroke dynamics or mouse movements for authentication.
5. Chaffing and Winnowing: Introducing noise (chaff) into genuine data (wheat) and using cryptographic techniques to separate them.
6. Zero-Knowledge Proofs: Authenticating without revealing the actual piece of information.
7. Covert Channels: Creating hidden communication paths within legitimate channels to transfer information secretly.
8. Dynamic Code Execution: Altering code patterns during runtime to make reverse engineering difficult.
9. Ghost Users: Creating fake user accounts to confuse potential attackers and divert their attention.
10. Adaptive Redaction: Dynamically redacting sensitive information based on the user's context and access level.

We believe that integrating covert protection can significantly bolster FortiPath's security. But we want to ensure that our methodologies align with our community's needs and expectations.

🤝 Join the Discussion!

Share your thoughts on these ideas, suggest improvements, or introduce new methodologies we might have missed. Together, we can make FortiPath even more secure and resilient!

[cywf]

1. Honeypots:

• How can we deploy this in a practical sense?

We can deploy honeypots using virtual machines or containers within our infrastructure. These systems would mimic our real systems but would contain no actual sensitive data. They would be designed to appear vulnerable to entice potential attackers.

• What type of systems are we talking about?

These could range from web servers, database systems, to even mock user endpoints. The idea is to cover a variety of potential entry points an attacker might target.

• How would these systems study potential threats?

Honeypots would be equipped with monitoring tools to log all activities. This includes IP addresses, access times, attempted exploits, and any other malicious activity. Over time, this data can be analyzed to understand attack patterns and improve our defenses.

[cywf]

2. **Steganography:

• How do we determine data classification?

Data classification can be determined based on its sensitivity, source, and intended audience. For instance, public, internal, confidential, and top-secret.

• How can we build a steganography tool into FortiPath?

We can integrate existing steganography libraries or develop a custom module that allows users to embed and extract information from various file types.

• What encryption methods would be best to use?

AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) would be a strong choice due to its widespread acceptance and proven security.

[cywf]

3. Watermarking:

• How would we embed marks into data to detect unauthorized usage?

We can use digital watermarking techniques to embed invisible or barely noticeable marks within data. This could be in the form of patterns, metadata, or slight alterations.

• What practical application does this have within FortiPath?

Watermarking can be used to trace data leaks. If data with a specific watermark is found outside of its intended location, it can help trace the source of the leak.

• How would we be able to detect unauthorized usage?

By using monitoring tools that scan for our specific watermarks across the web and other platforms.

[cywf]

4. Behavioral Biometrics:

• What practical application does this have within FortiPath?

Behavioral biometrics can be used as an additional layer of user authentication, ensuring that even if credentials are compromised, unauthorized users can be detected based on behavior.

• This implies that we have access to the system that the user is utilizing, please expand on your thought process here.

This would be more applicable for endpoints where FortiPath has a client application or interface. It wouldn't be about accessing the user's system but analyzing the behavior on our application.

• How relevant would the deployment of this be to our objectives?

It adds a layer of security, making unauthorized access more difficult and providing an early warning system for potential breaches.

[cywf]

5. Chaffing and Winnowing:

• How is this applicable to FortiPath?

When transmitting data, especially over unsecured channels, this method can be used to ensure data integrity and confidentiality without traditional encryption.

• Could you please expand on this topic and explain how this works?

Chaffing involves adding noise (fake data) to the actual data. Winnowing is the process of removing this noise at the receiving end using cryptographic techniques.

• How would we deploy this?

It can be implemented as a data transmission protocol within FortiPath, especially for sensitive data transfers.

[cywf]

6. Zero-Knowledge Proofs:

• Could you please expand on this topic and explain how this works?

Zero-Knowledge Proofs allow one party to prove to another that they know a value, without revealing the value itself. It's a cryptographic method where the verifier gets convinced that the prover has a specific knowledge without seeing the actual knowledge.

• How is this applicable to FortiPath?

It can be used in authentication processes, ensuring that user credentials or sensitive data are never exposed, even during the verification process.

• How would we deploy this?

It can be integrated into the authentication and data verification processes within FortiPath.

[cywf]

7. Covert Channels:

• How would we create hidden communication paths? What do you mean by this?

Covert channels refer to methods of communication that use mediums not intended for communication. For example, manipulating packet timings or using unused header fields in protocols to transmit data.

• Could we utilize ZeroTier to achieve this?

ZeroTier creates encrypted peer-to-peer networks, which can be a foundation. On top of this, covert channels can be established to further hide the communication.

• What type of information would we want to utilize this covert method for?

Any highly sensitive information that needs to be communicated without detection, especially in environments that are heavily monitored.

[cywf]

8. Dynamic Code Execution:

• Could you please expand on this topic and explain how this works?

Dynamic code execution involves changing the patterns of code during its runtime. This means that even if someone tries to reverse engineer the software, they won't see the actual logic as it appears during execution.

• How is this applicable with FortiPath?

It can be used to protect proprietary algorithms or sensitive operations within FortiPath from reverse engineering attempts.

• Where could we utilize this in FortiPath?

Particularly in modules that handle data processing, encryption, and other critical operations.

[cywf]

9. Ghost Users:

• How is this applicable to FortiPath?

Ghost users can be used to detect unauthorized access or to mislead potential attackers by presenting them with fake data.

• Is this regarding disinformation campaigns?

Yes, it's a form of disinformation within the system to confuse and divert attackers.

• How is this a covert tactic exactly?

It's covert because these users appear legitimate to attackers but are controlled and monitored by FortiPath, allowing us to gather intelligence on the attacker's actions without them knowing.

[cywf]

10. Adaptive Redaction:

• How could we do this?

By dynamically analyzing the user's context, role, and access permissions, and then redacting information that they shouldn't access.

• Would it be timed, or on command?

It would be on-demand, based on the user's request or when accessing specific data.

• Could we utilize this via Terraform?

Terraform can be used to set up the infrastructure and permissions, but the actual redaction logic would likely be implemented within FortiPath's application layer.