  Moving Target Defense and Cyber Deception emerged in recent years as two key
proactive cyber defense approaches, contrasting with the static nature of the
traditional reactive cyber defense. The key insight behind these approaches is
to impose an asymmetric disadvantage for the attacker by using deception and
randomization techniques to create a dynamic attack surface. Moving Target
Defense typically relies on system randomization and diversification, while
Cyber Deception is based on decoy nodes and fake systems to deceive attackers.
However, current Moving Target Defense techniques are complex to manage and can
introduce high overheads, while Cyber Deception nodes are easily recognized and
avoided by adversaries. This paper presents DOLOS, a novel architecture that
unifies Cyber Deception and Moving Target Defense approaches. DOLOS is
motivated by the insight that deceptive techniques are much more powerful when
integrated into production systems rather than deployed alongside them. DOLOS
combines typical Moving Target Defense techniques, such as randomization,
diversity, and redundancy, with cyber deception and seamlessly integrates them
into production systems through multiple layers of isolation. We extensively
evaluate DOLOS against a wide range of attackers, ranging from automated
malware to professional penetration testers, and show that DOLOS is highly
effective in slowing down attacks and protecting the integrity of production
systems. We also provide valuable insights and considerations for the future
development of MTD techniques based on our findings.
