This new tool uses an artificial intelligence system to generate fake documents that foil IP theft by fooling adversaries.

The «canary trap» technique in espionage spreads multiple versions of false documents to conceal a secret. Canary traps can be used to sniff out information leaks, or as in WWII, to create distractions that hide valuable information.

WE-FORGE, a new data protection system designed at Dartmouth’s Department of Computer Science, uses artificial intelligence to build on the canary trap concept. The system automatically creates false documents to protect intellectual property such as drug design and military technology.

«The system produces documents that are sufficiently similar to the original to be plausible, but sufficiently different to be incorrect,» said V.S. Subrahmanian, the Distinguished Professor in Cybersecurity, Technology, and Society, and director of the Institute for Security, Technology, and Society.

Cybersecurity experts already use canary traps, «honey files,» and foreign language translators to create decoys that deceive would-be attackers. WE-FORGE improves on these techniques by using natural language processing to automatically generate multiple fake files that are both believable and incorrect. The system also inserts an element of randomness to keep adversaries from easily identifying the real document.

WE-FORGE can be used to create numerous fake versions of any technical design document. When adversaries hack a system, they are faced with the daunting task of figuring out which of the many similar documents is real.

Story Source: Materials provided by Dartmouth College. Original written by David Hirsch. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.