Definition
A canary token is a specialized trap that identifies unauthorized access or malicious activity within a system, network, or application. It can help detect attempted intrusions, data breaches, and insider threats.
Canary Token Examples
- Document tracking: These tokens can be embedded into documents or files to detect when they are opened or manipulated.
- Network security: Network admins can use canary tokens to identify unauthorized access.
- Database monitoring: Canary tokens can be placed in databases to notify administrators of unauthorized data access.
Canary tokens Pros and Cons
Pros
- Detection: Canary tokens help to detect breaches, intrusions, or unauthorized activities.
- Adaptable: Canary tokens can be tailored to meet various systems and environments.
- Cost-effective: Creating and configuring canary tokens is cheaper than other cybersecurity measures.
Cons
- False positives: Inaccurate deployment of canary tokens can cause false positives, leading to confusion and resource waste.
- Limited scope: Canary tokens only trigger alerts for unauthorized activities based on their specific placement, which means they can protect against all threats.