New Research Project Between TU Delft and CFLW Explores the Potential of Deception Technology in Cybersecurity

A new research initiative is underway exploring how deception technology can strengthen cybersecurity defenses. The project, part of the ADAPTive research programme, brings together CFLW Cyber Strategies and TU Delft, with funding from the Dutch Research Council (NWO).

Deception technology focuses on actively engaging attackers by placing realistic decoy systems within digital environments. Rather than merely blocking threats, this approach enables defenders to observe attacker behaviour, gain insights into their techniques, and respond more effectively to emerging risks. The research builds on a long-standing collaboration between CFLW and TU Delft and marks another step in advancing innovative security solutions through close cooperation between academia and industry. It covers cybersecurity topics, in particular Cyber Threat Intelligence, AI Safety and Digital Trust.

Within the ADAPTive project, researchers are working on the design and development of advanced deception environments that allow for controlled experimentation and analysis of cyber attacks. By studying how attackers interact with these deceptive systems, the project aims to contribute to more proactive and adaptive cybersecurity strategies.

As cyber threats continue to grow in complexity, research initiatives like ADAPTive underline the importance of moving beyond traditional, reactive security measures and investing in forward-looking technologies that enhance resilience in the digital domain.

The parties have developed a good symbiosis, where on the one hand talent development is stimulated by the exchange of students and PhD candidates, and on the other hand access to operational datasets is essential for impactful security research. This should result in joint publications, to transparently report on operational security challenges solved by scientific research.

Dr. van Staalduinen added: "Scientific research forms the basis of our CFLW intelligence services and publications are our means to be transparent and accountable about our methodologies."