International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development

Because cybersecurity threats are constantly evolving, conventional defensive mechanisms are often inadequate against sophisticated and adaptive attacks. This paper presents Adaptive Deception OS, a virtualization-based cybersecurity simulation framework designed to protect a Windows host system by dynamically redirecting suspicious activity into an isolated Ubuntu-based decoy environment. The system continuously monitors for malicious indicators such as unauthorized command execution and suspicious file downloads. Upon detection, it automatically activates a deception protocol that simulates host lockdown, launches a virtual machine, and presents the attacker with a realistic but fabricated operating system environment containing synthetic sensitive files. This controlled redirection ensures that the original Windows host remains fully intact and uncompromised. The proposed implementation relies on eventdriven behavioral monitoring and VirtualBox-based isolation without modifying the Windows kernel or executing real malicious payloads. Experimental evaluation demonstrates that virtualization-driven adaptive deception can effectively simulate real-time defensive redirection while preserving host integrity and maintaining ethical research boundaries. The results validate the feasibility of operating system–level selffaking mechanisms as a secure academic prototype for studying proactive containment strategies in cybersecurity environments.

Priya V, Uma Maheshwari S,"Adaptive Deception OS: An Operating System That Fakes Itself When Attacked" International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, V9(2): Page(1975-1981) Mar-Apr 2026. ISSN: 2581-7175. www.ijsred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.