Anand Akela

🚨 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐈 AI guardrails have largely focused on controlling what goes into and out of AI models. But what happens after an AI agent begins interacting with enterprise credentials, APIs, tools, and infrastructure? That is the next frontier of AI security. The recent Hugging Face AI agent incident reinforced an important reality: once autonomous AI agents are operating in production, organizations need visibility into their runtime behavior—not just their prompts and responses. That's why industry experts from the 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐒 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐂 have recommended deception—including fake identities, credentials, honey APIs, and decoy infrastructure—as a critical layer of defense against compromised AI agents. Today, we're excited to introduce 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐬. 📖 Read the announcement: prnewswire.com/news-releases… Our new patent-pending capability brings these recommendations to life by surrounding AI agents with a deceptive runtime environment that detects misalignment, exposes malicious behavior, and disrupts attacks 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝. As organizations accelerate the adoption of agentic AI, security must evolve from 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 to 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞. 📍𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐇𝐚𝐭 𝐔𝐒𝐀? Visit Acalvio in the AI Zone (Booth #8606) to learn more and schedule time in our meeting room, BMR6505 (behind the Startup City Stage), for a live demonstration of Deception Guardrails and to see how organizations can secure agentic AI with preemptive runtime defense. 👉 Schedule a Meeting at Black Hat: acalvio.com/resources/events… #AgenticAI #AISecurity #Cybersecurity #AIAgents #RuntimeSecurity #CyberDeception #BlackHat #EnterpriseAI #PreemptiveCybersecurity

🚨 AI-orchestrated cloud exploits are compressing the attack timeline—from hours to minutes. acalvio.com/cyber-deception/… An article published earlier today by Sysdig sysdig.com/blog/ai-assisted-…) shows how an autonomous AI agent moved from initial access to administrative privileges in 8 minutes, hijacking cloud AI infrastructure in a multi-stage exploit commonly referred to as LLMjacking. This marks a fundamental shift from human-driven attacks. With AI automating reconnaissance, credential access, privilege escalation, and persistence at machine speed, traditional detection approaches that rely on baselining and post-event analysis are increasingly ineffective. 🔍 What’s the takeaway for defenders? Security strategies must assume compromise and shift toward preemptive defense. The blog outlines why cyber deception becomes foundational in this new threat model. By placing deception artifacts—such as IAM honeytokens, deceptive credentials, and cloud decoys—along early MITRE ATT&CK stages, defenders can detect and stop AI agents during reconnaissance or role enumeration, long before execution or impact. ⚡ Early, intent-based detection is the only way to keep pace with autonomous attackers. Read the full blog to understand how deception-driven preemptive defense can stop AI-orchestrated cloud exploits before real damage occurs. acalvio.com/cyber-deception/… hashtag#CyberDeception hashtag#AIinSecurity hashtag#CloudSecurity hashtag#PreemptiveDefense hashtag#LLMjacking hashtag#CyberSecurity hashtag#ThreatDetection

As the year comes to a close, we want to pause and say thank you. The threat landscape does not take time off, and neither do the teams responsible for protecting what matters most. We see the work you do every day, often behind the scenes, to stay ahead of increasingly automated and AI-driven attacks. At Acalvio, we remain focused on what we do best: helping defenders stay one step ahead through preemptive security and deception. While the holidays are a time for rest and reflection, our technology continues to do what it was designed to do: quietly distract attackers, expose their intent, and keep real systems out of harm’s way. As a leader in Deception Technology, we are grateful for the trust you place in us and proud to stand alongside you. We wish you a peaceful holiday season and a strong, resilient start to the year ahead. If the new year prompts you to reassess your security posture, we would welcome the opportunity to explore how deception can further strengthen your defenses in 2026. Thank you for your trust and partnership. Wishing you peace, rest, and resilience this holiday season and beyond. #HappyHolidays #CyberDeception #Preemptive #Cybersecurity #ThankYou

🚨 AI-orchestrated cyber attacks are no longer theoretical — they’re here. acalvio.com/cyber-deception/… Anthropic’s latest research shows how autonomous agents can now execute 80–90% of the cyber kill chain, from reconnaissance to exfiltration, with minimal human involvement. As attackers leverage agentic AI to chain together tools, exploit paths, and OT/IT environments at machine speed, traditional defenses struggle to keep up. Baseline-driven anomaly detection and rule-based alerts simply cannot react fast enough to the volume, velocity, or variability of AI-generated exploit chains. 🔍 What does this mean for defenders? A fundamental shift in strategy: from reactive detection to proactive, intent-based defense. 💡 Cyber deception plays a central role. By pre-positioning honeytokens and decoys around high-value assets and early-stage MITRE tactics (Reconnaissance, Credential Access, Lateral Movement), defenders can detect an AI agent before exploitation succeeds. Even a simple AD query — which an autonomous agent uses to map critical systems — can be turned into a trap. Any interaction with these deceptive assets becomes an immediate, high-fidelity signal of malicious intent. This early visibility allows security teams to stop the exploit long before it reaches exfiltration. 🔐 Bottom line: Agentic attacks break the assumptions behind reactive detection. Early, proactive, deception-driven detection gives defenders the time, clarity, and advantage needed to counter AI-automated threats. #CyberSecurity #AIThreats #CyberDeception #PreemptiveDefense #AcalvioTechnologies #MITREATTACK #ThreatDetection #AnthropicReport

We’re honored to welcome Tushar Kothari to our Advisory Board. Tushar has a long track record of recognizing transformative shifts early and helping companies turn technical breakthroughs into meaningful market impact. His support for Acalvio reflects his belief that cyber deception and preemptive security are becoming essential layers in modern defense. Tushar has been vocal about the limitations of reactive security and the need for approaches that expose attacker intent early, before damage occurs. His perspective aligns strongly with our mission. He understands how identity misuse, lateral movement, and AI-accelerated attacks are reshaping the threat landscape, and he sees deception as one of the few technologies capable of turning those attacker advantages back on the adversary. Beyond his technical insight, Tushar brings a grounded, operator’s mindset. He focuses on clarity, execution, and building durable value. His guidance will help us scale intelligently as demand grows and as enterprises shift toward preemptive cybersecurity strategies. We’re grateful to have him in our corner. Please join us in welcoming Tushar to the Acalvio Advisory Board. #CyberDeception #Preemptive #Cybersecurity

CrowdStrike Fal.Con 2025 Partner Theater | Defending Against Adversarial Misuse of AI: Preemptive Defense Strategies [1521] lnkd.in/gHwmazbq Adversaries are leveraging the advancements in GenAI to exploit novel vulnerabilities and generate polymorphic malware variants. To combat this threat, cyber defense needs a paradigm shift from traditional reactive approaches to preemptive defense approaches. Join Suril Desai, our VP Detection Engineering, for an engaging session to learn more about: ✅️ How are adversaries weaponizing GenAI for exploits? ✅️ What makes these challenging to detect? ✅️ What is preemptive security, and how can it help defend against evolving threats? 👉  Add to your conference schedule - lnkd.in/gHwmazbq #CyberDeception #Preemptive #Cybersecurity #AIPoweredDeception #FalCon2025

Podcast - Preemptive Defense with AI-powered Deception: Outsmarting the AI-driven Adversary em360tech.com/podcasts/preem… In the recent episode of The Security Strategist podcast, Christopher Steffen, the Vice President of Security Research at Enterprise Management Associates (EMA), sits down with our CEO Ram Varadarajan, to talk about how deception is changing threat detection in compromised enterprise environments. 💡Assume Compromise! Both Varadarajan and Steffen agree that modern-day cybersecurity is not a matter of if an attacker will get in, but it's about anticipating when the attacker will get in. This mindset, referred to as "assumed compromise," means that a determined attacker will eventually find a way inside your network, especially with AI in the picture. 🍯Deception: A Preemptive Strike This is where deception technology becomes an effective, proactive defense strategy. Instead of waiting for a breach to happen and then trying to fix the damage, deception actively engages and misleads the attacker. 👉 Key Takeaways ✅️ Deception technology is a natural and effective strategy in cybersecurity. ✅️ Traditional perimeter defenses are no longer sufficient against modern threats. ✅️ The 'assumed breach' mindset is essential for contemporary cybersecurity strategies. ✅️ Operationalizing deception technology can significantly enhance threat detection. ✅️ AI can streamline the creation and management of deception environments. ✅️ Preemptive defense is more effective than reactive strategies in cybersecurity. #CyberDeception #Preemptive #Cybersecurity #AIPoweredDeception EM360Tech

Whitepaper: Strengthening Telecommunication Cybersecurity through Proactive Defense acalvio.com/resources/white-… The telecommunications industry is under siege from increasingly sophisticated cyber threats that exploit advanced malware, stealth tactics, and persistent vulnerabilities to evade detection. Traditional defenses, often anchored in rule-based approaches, struggle to counter the evolving strategies of attackers. To address these challenges, organizations must adopt Active Defense strategies that go beyond passive detection, enabling proactive engagement with adversaries. “As attackers leverage advanced tactics and persistence mechanisms, organizations must rethink their approach to cybersecurity,” says Ed Amoroso, CEO of Tag Infosphere. “Deception technologies are proving to be a game-changer, enabling early detection and offering insights into adversary behaviors that were previously unattainable.” Cyber Deception empowers defenders to anticipate, detect, and disrupt threats before significant damage occurs. By deploying realistic traps such as honeytokens and network decoys, defenders can lure attackers into controlled environments, gain critical insights into their tactics, and neutralize threats with precision. #CyberDeception #Telecommunication #Telecom #AIPoweredDeception #Preemptive #CyberSecurity #IdentityProtection #RansomWare #ZeroDays #InsiderThreat

🔥 Hot Off The Press 🔥 Acalvio Summer Newsletter: Deception-Driven Preemptive Defense insights.acalvio.com/index.p… This edition covers insights from our recent collaborations, research initiatives, and thought leadership in deception technology. ✅ AI-driven attacks: Gartner’s research chief calls for a paradigm shift in security ✅ Honeywell launches Proactive Defense for OT ✅ Cloud security: defending against cluster compromise and cloud breakout ✅ Securing financial services: defending against data exfiltration and insider risk ✅ Securing healthcare: protecting medical devices #CyberDeception #Preemptive #CyberSecurity #IdentityProtection #InsiderThreats #Ransomware #IdentitySecurity #OTSecurity

Acalvio Customer Reference - Acalvio significantly strengthened this airport management organization’s cybersecurity posture, closing critical detection gaps and providing robust protection against sophisticated cyber threats. acalvio.com/resources/case-s… By incorporating deception technology into their security strategy, the organization has greatly improved both threat detection and response times while enhancing resilience against evolving attacks. The successful implementation of Acalvio’s solutions underscores the essential role of advanced cyber deception in safeguarding critical airport systems, ensuring the continuity of operations, and maintaining the trust of passengers and staff. #CyberDeception #AIPoweredDeception #Preemptive #CyberSecurity #IdentityProtection #RansomWare #ZeroDays #InsiderThreat

We will sponsor and exhibit at the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Summit in New York City on July 16th, 2025. aws.amazon.com/es/events/sum… Stop by booth #657 and learn how ShadowPlex Cloud Security (SCS) protects cloud-native workloads and IAM infrastructure in the AWS and multi-cloud environments, exposing threats early without adding complexity, leveraging AI-powered deception and honeytokens. #CyberDeception #CloudSecurity #Preemptive #CyberSecurity

Announcing Health-ISAC Navigator Program Webinar on Securing Medical Devices with Phil Englert, VP of Medical Device Security at Health-ISAC, and Suril Desai, VP of Detection Engineering, on July 9th. acalvio.com/resources/webina… Medical devices represent critical infrastructure for healthcare organizations. Their security has a direct correlation to patient safety. Join us in this insightful webinar to learn more about: ✅  The threat vectors targeting medical devices in healthcare ✅  Why medical device security is challenging ✅  Actionable strategies to protect these devices #MedicalDevices #OTSecurity #HealthTech #CyberDeception #Preemptive #CyberSecurity

Join GigaOm lead analyst and author of the GigaOm Radar report for Deception Technology, Chris Ray, in a webinar on May 28th on the modern deception strategies for 2025 and beyond. Register 👉 acalvio.com/resources/webina… Chris will delve into: ✅  How has the threat landscape shifted in 2025? ✅  What are the key criteria for selecting deception platforms ✅  The primary use cases for deception-based threat defense #CyberDeception #Preemptive #CyberSecurity #IdentityProtection #InsiderThreat #Ransomware

As a proud sponsor of the 2025 Health-ISAC Spring Americas Summit, we invite you to join us in Naples next week. health-isac.org/summit-meeti… 🏥 The healthcare industry is no stranger to the escalating variety of cyber threats. From significant financial losses and organizational reputational damage to the dire implications for individuals whose data is compromised, cyberattacks represent a complex blend of challenges. ☣️ The Health Industry Cybersecurity Practices (HICP) Technical Volume 2, released by the Healthcare and Public Health Sector Coordinating Council, posits cyber deception as an essential part of a comprehensive security posture, guiding how Healthcare Delivery Organizations (HDOs) can implement cyber deception techniques like honeypots, honeytokens, and other decoys to strengthen their defense strategy. ✅ Acalvio’s ShadowPlex Advanced Threat Defense and Identity Protection solutions offer a proven approach to protect healthcare organizations from cyberattacks. With no agent requirements, ShadowPlex guarantees easy deployment across healthcare enterprises. Pre-integrated with platforms like EDR, SIEM, and SOAR, ShadowPlex ensures interoperability with the enterprise ecosystem and provides healthcare-specific deception templates and strategies, ensuring immediate value. Visit us at booth #8 to learn more. #CyberDeception #Preemptive #CyberSecurity #IdentityProtection #HealthcareIT #InsiderThreat #Ransomware

🎩✨ Happy Smoke and Mirrors Day! ✨🪞 Today we celebrate the art of illusion—and defenders who use it to turn the tables on attackers. Cyber deception isn’t just stagecraft—it’s tradecraft. From fake credentials to phantom file shares, attackers fall for it every day. Check out our latest blog on the Top 5 Deception Tricks That Actually Fool Attackers—and why Acalvio’s ShadowPlex makes cyber magic real: acalvio.com/resources/blog/s… Curious how cyber deception fits into your defensive strategy? Let’s talk. acalvio.com/schedule-a-demo/ #SmokeAndMirrorsDay #CyberDeception #ThreatDetection #ActiveDefense #Acalvio #ShadowPlex #CyberSecurity #MagicForBlueTeams

We are excited to announce that Acalvio is named a leader in Deception Technology for the third year in a row by the GigaOm Radar Report for Deception Technology. ***Read Complimentary Report*** acalvio.com/deception-techno… 👉 This GigaOm Radar report examines 13 of the top deception technology solutions and compares offerings against the capabilities (table stakes, key features, and emerging features) and nonfunctional requirements (business criteria). 🛡️ The report highlights, "From a business perspective, strategic deployment of deception technology significantly reduces the risks of data breaches, system intrusions, and resulting downtime. It can also provide comprehensive insights into adversaries’ tactics and an organization’s vulnerabilities, enabling the sculpting of a more resilient defense system." ✅  Acalvio was classified as an outperformer for its ability to continuously enhance existing features, expand its capabilities, and rapidly develop new services - demonstrating strong market momentum and innovation potential. 👉 A summary of the report is also published on our blog - acalvio.com/resources/blog/a… #CyberDeception #GigaOm #RadarReport #PreemptiveCybersecurity #IdentityProtection #ZeroDays #InsiderThreat #Ransomware