In the evolving landscape of cyber threats, the old adage holds true: it's not a matter of if, but when. And when threat actors do breach your network, the real question becomes—how fast can you detect them?
The average time an attacker lurks within a network undetected is a staggering 200 days. That’s over six months of silent reconnaissance, lateral movement, and data exfiltration. This dwell time gives adversaries an extended opportunity to understand your systems, evade traditional defences, and orchestrate devastating attacks.
That’s why more security-conscious organisations are turning to deception technology, particularly the Thinkst Canary and Canarytokens, as a low-cost, high-fidelity method of early breach detection. At Nexclowd, we deliver and manage these powerful tools alongside our full suite of best-in-class cybersecurity services.
What Makes Thinkst Canary So Effective?
Unlike traditional security tools that aim to block attackers, Canaries are designed to trap and detect. Deployed as decoys within your environment—be it servers, routers, file shares, or cloud infrastructure—Thinkst Canaries look and behave like valuable assets.
Here’s why they’re different:
- High-Fidelity Alerts: Canaries rarely false alarm. If a Canary chirps, it's because someone tripped over a system they shouldn’t even know exists.
- Minimal Maintenance: No agents, no constant tuning. Canaries work quietly in the background, requiring near-zero upkeep.
- Quick Deployment: With a range of personalities (Windows, Linux, Cisco router, SCADA, SharePoint), a Canary can blend into any part of your infrastructure in minutes.
- Breadth of Coverage: Place them in DMZs, user VLANs, server farms, or cloud environments like AWS and Azure—anywhere a bad actor may roam.
Introducing Canarytokens: Digital Tripwires with Massive Reach
Where Canaries emulate systems, Canarytokens are booby-trapped files, credentials, or links designed to catch attackers red-handed. They’re perfect for detecting unauthorised access to:
- Office docs (Word, Excel, PDFs)
- AWS or Azure credentials
- Slack API keys
- Google Drive or Dropbox files
- QR codes on sensitive documents or hardware
- Intranet websites or email inboxes
If a token is opened, used, or scanned—it phones home. Quietly. Instantly. And with actionable intelligence.
Why Deception Matters More Than Ever
Attackers are stealthy and patient. They’re bypassing firewalls, slipping past EDR, and living off the land. Detection gaps are the new risk, and deception bridges that gap. When an attacker finds a Canary or triggers a token, they’re revealed early—often before real damage is done.
And because deception tools don’t rely on signatures or behaviour analytics, they remain immune to evasion techniques that trip up traditional defences.
Why Nexclowd is Your Trusted Partner
At Nexclowd, we don’t just provide the tools—we integrate and operationalise them. As specialists in ISO/IEC 27001, Cyber Essentials, penetration testing, and remote SOC services, we understand where and how Canaries and tokens add value in real-world, budget-conscious environments.
When you work with Nexclowd, you benefit from:
- ✅ Strategic placement of Canaries across trust zones and critical segments
- ✅ Automated token deployment across endpoints, emails, and cloud shares
- ✅ Continuous monitoring and triage from our expert-led SOC
- ✅ Seamless integration with your broader detection and response workflows
- ✅ Ongoing support and tuning to match your threat landscape
Ready to Catch the Intruder—Before They Catch You?
Whether you’re a lean startup or a global enterprise, the earlier you detect a breach, the better your odds of survival. Let Nexclowd deploy, manage, and monitor Thinkst Canaries and Canarytokens as part of your cyber resilience strategy.
Your network will be touched—make sure it chirps back!