FBI launches Illicit Data Loss Exploitation (IDLE) program to helps companies confuse hackers
Cyberattacks that cause massive data loss have become more common. Hackers target everything from stores to large hospitals and social media platforms, putting people at risk of identity theft, financial fraud, and more. The FBI’s IDLE program is designed to help solve this problem, focusing on using decoy data to make it difficult for malicious hackers to deal with it.
Long T. Chu, acting assistant director of the FBI’s Network Engagement and Intelligence Unit, said in a recent interview with Ars Technica that the agency is taking a more “holistic” approach to the growing cyberattack. The FBI is now not only alerting large companies but also responding to security breaches as they occur. It also helps companies take proactive steps to prevent these data theft attempts by masking the data.
“Bloomington FBI”by Amy Guth is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The work is being done under a project called “IDLE”, which represents Illicit Data Loss Exploitation, described as an attempt to obfuscate by using decoy data. Sources interviewed by Ars Technica said that IDLE is not a trap or classic “honeypot”, but is similar to mixing a pile of fake puzzle pieces into a box filled with the correct puzzle pieces.
Hackers will have to work very hard to distinguish fake data from real data, making the overall idea of disrupting these companies less attractive. The idea is not to attract attackers by posting enticing (but fake) information. Instead, this is to help protect the data that hackers are already looking for.
