CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Acalvio vs Thinkst

Acalvio sells ShadowPlex, a deception platform built to operationalize 360 Deception at enterprise scale. Thinkst sells Thinkst Canary, a marker of compromise that can be deployed on complex networks. CISO Tribune files both under Deception technology. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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  • Acalvio
  • Thinkst
Acalvio vs Thinkst: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
AcalvioAcalvio sells ShadowPlex, a deception platform built to operationalize 360 Deception at enterprise scale.acalvio.comThinkstThinkst sells Thinkst Canary, a marker of compromise that can be deployed on complex networks.thinkst.com
What it sells
  • ShadowPlex Advanced Threat Defense[5]ShadowPlex Advanced Threat Defense uses AI-powered deception to surface stealthy attacker behavior during reconnaissance, lateral movement, and privilege escalation.
  • ShadowPlex Cloud Security[1][8]ShadowPlex Cloud Security delivers AI-powered deception and honeytokens to IAM and cloud-native services across public clouds.
  • ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel[1][10]ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel provides threat intelligence from external-facing decoys, including APIs and IPv6 IIoT devices, to detect reconnaissance and credential attacks early.
  • Thinkst Canary[1][2][3][4]A marker of compromise that can be deployed on complex networks.
  • Canarytokens[1][2][3][5]Free tokens that show defenders a breach by having attackers announce themselves.
  • OpenCanary[1][2]A daemon that runs canary services, which trigger alerts when used.
  • ThinkstScapes[1][2][3]Vendor neutral reports on key events and research findings.
  • Package Proxy[3][6]Thinkst's internal solution to the software supplychainpocalypse.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Founded
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Privately held[8]Not stated on its pages
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
Not stated on its pages
  • June 5, 2026Thinkst released Package Proxy, a Cloudflare-based tool running in-line supply-chain checks for npm, pip, uv and cargo packages.[6]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
Acalvio offers deployment from Cloud, on-premises, or through managed service providers. Acalvio describes deception-powered preemptive defense for mission-critical government systems and for complex financial environments. Acalvio describes AI-powered deception for healthcare environments, across identity systems, clinical apps, and cloud workloads. The Acalvio Active Defense Platform covers IT, OT, and Cloud environments.From its own pages, Thinkst writes about network breaches at organisations ranging from mega-corps to governments. Thinkst writes that most companies find out too late that they have been breached. Thinkst points to over-worked admins and ignored alerts at organisations that have invested in security. Thinkst offers Canarytokens free to defenders who need to discover they have been breached.
Last verified
November 6, 2026November 6, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Deception technology is the primary category of both Acalvio and Thinkst.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Acalvio is also filed under Identity threat detection and response, Cloud detection and response and Threat intelligence.
  • Acalvio lists ShadowPlex Advanced Threat Defense, ShadowPlex Cloud Security and ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel. Thinkst lists Thinkst Canary, Canarytokens, OpenCanary, ThinkstScapes and Package Proxy.
  • Acalvio is privately held.

How they differ

CISO Tribune files Acalvio under Deception technology as its primary category, with additional filings under Identity threat detection and response, Cloud detection and response, and Threat intelligence. Acalvio sells the ShadowPlex family, including Advanced Threat Defense, Cloud Security, and Targeted Threat Intel, and it works agentlessly across IT, cloud, and OT environments. Thinkst sells Thinkst Canary, Canarytokens, OpenCanary, ThinkstScapes, and Package Proxy.

Acalvio is privately held and based in Silicon Valley, and it says it serves midsize to Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. Acalvio describes deception offerings for government, financial, and healthcare environments. It integrates with CrowdStrike Falcon Identity Protection, Splunk, and Microsoft Sentinel. Thinkst offers Canarytokens free, and says its products are deployed on all 7 continents. Thinkst Canary integrates with Google Security Operations SOAR and can send alerts via Syslog or webhooks.

On the recent side, Thinkst released Package Proxy on June 5, 2026, a Cloudflare-based tool that runs in-line supply-chain checks for npm, pip, uv and cargo packages. Thinkst also concluded a deal to acquire 100% of UK-based DeceptIQ. Thinkst released a new MCP server token to detect agentic attackers. Acalvio says its ShadowPlex Cloud Security unifies detection across AWS, Azure, and GCP, and that its platform is backed by 25 patents.

What it sells: Acalvio

What ShadowPlex Advanced Threat Defense does[5]
ShadowPlex Advanced Threat Defense uses AI-powered deception to surface stealthy attacker behavior during reconnaissance, lateral movement, and privilege escalation. Advanced Threat Defense correlates detected behaviors to MITRE ATT&CK TTPs for rapid investigation. ShadowPlex operates agentlessly across IT, cloud, and OT environments, deploying deception assets without interfering with production traffic or operations.
What ShadowPlex Cloud Security does[1][8]
ShadowPlex Cloud Security is deployed via native cloud APIs and protects cloud-native workloads and IAM infrastructure. ShadowPlex Cloud Security unifies threat detection across AWS, Azure, and GCP with no agents. ShadowPlex Cloud Security places deception in identity repositories like Instance Metadata and Secrets Store.
What ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel does[1][10]
ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel delivers threat intelligence with IPs, credentials, and attack patterns. ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel uses decoys for web apps, APIs, and IPv6 IIoT services to detect reconnaissance and credential attacks. ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel shares indicators in real time in STIX and other standard formats. ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel is delivered as a managed cloud service or as an on-premises/cloud appliance.

What it sells: Thinkst

What Thinkst Canary does[1][2][3][4]
Thinkst Canary is a marker of compromise that can be deployed on complex networks. Thinkst Canary integrates with Google Security Operations SOAR, where Canary incidents can be ingested as cases and analysts can review alert and event context.
What Canarytokens does[1][2][3][5]
Canarytokens are free, and they show defenders a breach by having attackers announce themselves. The free Canarytokens service has supported AWS API keys since 2017. Decoy API keys can be placed in code repos, Lambda configurations and virtual machine disks, and an alert goes to a mailbox when attackers use the credentials.
What OpenCanary does[1][2]
OpenCanary is a daemon that runs canary services, which trigger alerts when used. OpenCanary alerts can be sent to Syslog, emails and a companion daemon named OpenCanary-correlator. Open Canary is maintained by Thinkst Canary.

Questions about Acalvio and Thinkst

What do Acalvio and Thinkst sell?
Acalvio sells ShadowPlex Advanced Threat Defense, ShadowPlex Cloud Security and ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel. Thinkst sells Thinkst Canary, Canarytokens, OpenCanary, ThinkstScapes and Package Proxy.
Are Acalvio and Thinkst in the same category?
Yes. Deception technology is the primary category of both on CISO Tribune.
Who owns Acalvio and Thinkst?
Acalvio is privately held.
Who are Acalvio and Thinkst sold to?
Acalvio offers deployment from Cloud, on-premises, or through managed service providers. From its own pages, Thinkst writes about network breaches at organisations ranging from mega-corps to governments.
What have Acalvio and Thinkst announced recently?
June 5, 2026: Thinkst released Package Proxy, a Cloudflare-based tool running in-line supply-chain checks for npm, pip, uv and cargo packages.

About Acalvio

Acalvio sells ShadowPlex, a deception platform built to operationalize 360 Deception at enterprise scale. ShadowPlex deployment is agentless across identity, cloud, network, endpoints, and OT/ICS. Acalvio extends preemptive defense across identity, cloud, OT, advanced threats, agentic AI, and targeted threat intelligence. Acalvio has four ShadowPlex offerings powered by 360 Deception, its approach to preemptive cybersecurity and disruption of AI-driven attacks. Built on 360 Deception, the Acalvio platform unifies preemptive threat detection across identity, cloud, and modern environments. The Acalvio platform uses dynamic deception, honeytokens, deceptive credentials, and evolving attack paths to expose malicious activity before attackers can escalate access or gain control.[1][3][4][6][9]

360 Deception goes beyond decoys to manipulate the signals attackers and autonomous systems rely on to validate targets, credentials, and movement paths. Preemptive cyber deception works to deny, deceive, and disrupt before the attacker reaches impact.[3]

ShadowPlex Advanced Threat Defense uses AI-powered deception to surface stealthy attacker behavior during reconnaissance, lateral movement, and privilege escalation. Advanced Threat Defense correlates detected behaviors to MITRE ATT&CK TTPs for rapid investigation. ShadowPlex integrates AI into every phase of deception, from network discovery to adversary analysis. ShadowPlex operates agentlessly across IT, cloud, and OT environments, deploying deception assets without interfering with production traffic or operations.[5]

ShadowPlex uses deception to protect credentials at rest and in use, exposing misuse, lateral movement, and privilege escalation. ShadowPlex automatically recommends token types, volume, and placement based on Active Directory structure and endpoint characteristics.[6][7]

ShadowPlex Cloud Security delivers AI-powered deception and honeytokens to IAM and cloud-native services across public clouds. ShadowPlex Cloud Security is deployed via native cloud APIs and protects cloud-native workloads and IAM infrastructure. ShadowPlex Cloud Security unifies threat detection across AWS, Azure, and GCP with no agents. ShadowPlex Cloud Security places deception in identity repositories like Instance Metadata and Secrets Store. Acalvio CDR is agentless and API-driven, and integrates directly with cloud control planes and infrastructure services. Acalvio CDR delivers detections enriched with adversary behavior context to a SIEM, SOAR, or XDR platform.[9]

ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel provides threat intelligence from external-facing decoys, including APIs and IPv6 IIoT devices, to detect reconnaissance and credential attacks early. ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel delivers threat intelligence with IPs, credentials, and attack patterns. ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel uses decoys for web apps, APIs, and IPv6 IIoT services to detect reconnaissance and credential attacks. ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel shares indicators in real time in STIX and other standard formats. ShadowPlex Targeted Threat Intel is delivered as a managed cloud service or as an on-premises/cloud appliance. When delivered as a service, Acalvio hosts and manages the decoys, isolating attacker traffic from the production network. Acalvio integrates with CrowdStrike Falcon® Identity Protection, Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, and other SIEM/SOAR solutions. Acalvio integrates with EDR/XDR platforms including CrowdStrike Falcon, Microsoft Defender, Palo Alto Cortex XDR, and VMware Carbon Black, and with SIEM/SOAR solutions.[1][6][10]

Acalvio plants honeypots and honeytokens across sensitive systems, without disrupting operations. Acalvio baits insiders with decoy assets such as files, credentials, or systems to trigger early warning before critical assets are touched. Acalvio engages ransomware early with deceptive assets that expose encryption behaviors. Acalvio uses deception as an enforcement layer to expose policy violations and unauthorized access. In healthcare, Acalvio uses AI-powered deception to detect adversary behavior early across identity systems, clinical apps, and cloud workloads, without adding risk to care delivery.[11][13]

Based in Silicon Valley, Acalvio serves midsize to Fortune 500 companies and government agencies. Acalvio offers deployment from Cloud, on-premises, or through managed service providers. The Acalvio Active Defense Platform is backed by 25 patents and enables advanced threat defense across IT, OT, and Cloud environments. The Acalvio Active Defense Platform provides Identity Protection, Advanced Threat Defense, and Threat Hunting products. The Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) solutions from Acalvio with Honeytokens enable Zero Trust security models. Acalvio offers deception-powered, preemptive cybersecurity for complex financial environments.[1][2][3][4][6][9]

Acalvio on the record

Sources

Acalvio full record

  1. [1]acalvio.comAcalvio · acalvio.com · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Acalvio technologies secures investment from gv formerly google venturesAcalvio · acalvio.com · published November 3, 2016 · Tier A
  3. [3]Acalvio | Cyber Deception Technology for Preemptive CybersecurityAcalvio · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Deception Technology Platform & Products | AcalvioAcalvio · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Advanced Threat Defense with Deception | AcalvioAcalvio · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Identity Threat Detection and Response (ITDR) | AcalvioAcalvio · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Honeytoken Protection for CrowdStrike Falcon | AcalvioAcalvio · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Cloud Security with Agentless Deception | AcalvioAcalvio · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) | AcalvioAcalvio · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]ShadowPlex Threat Intel | AcalvioAcalvio · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Insider Threat Detection | AcalvioAcalvio · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Cyber Deception Solutions for Enterprise Security | AcalvioAcalvio · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Healthcare Cybersecurity Solutions & Services | AcalvioAcalvio · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

Thinkst full record

  1. [1]thinkst.comthinkst.com · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]ThinkstThinkst · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Thinkst Thoughts – Writing about our experiences and research findingsThinkst · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]New features aren't Solved Problems – Thinkst ThoughtsThinkst · published November 23, 2020 · Tier A
  5. [5]USENIX Security Symposium 2019 – Thinkst ThoughtsThinkst · published August 20, 2019 · Tier A
  6. [6]Introducing Package Proxy: supply-chain safety checks without client-side softwareThinkst · published June 5, 2026 · Tier A

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