AEO for deception technology platforms: AI search visibility ranking
How AI search engines rank deception technology platforms by visibility and citations. 20 brands measured quarterly across Google AI Mode: which brands the AI names in answers, which domains it cites as sources, and how the leaders compare. Deception technology platforms used to plant decoys, detect lateral movement, and surface attacker behavior earlier in the kill chain. Composite score: 70% visibility (% of AI answers naming the brand) + 30% citation rate (% citing the brand's domain). Full methodology →
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When AI engines are queried about Deception technology platforms, Acalvio emerges as the leader, referenced in 37.5% of AI-generated answers. CounterCraft and Fidelis Deception also rank prominently. Acalvio's dominant presence in AI answers underscores its leadership in the field.
The visibility rankings owe much to the specific sources AI engines rely on, with google.com and acalvio.com being top cited. Additionally, fidelissecurity.com, techtarget.com, and guideflow.com are frequently referenced. This indicates a mix of direct company websites and aggregator or review sites driving the visibility.
For buyers, this ranking highlights the importance of recent reviews and third-party validation. When selecting a platform, consider how topical authority in the Deception technology subcategory influences AI. Thoroughly reviewed brands or those with strong domain-specific information tend to be prioritized by AI engines.
At a glance
What we observed in this category
Acalvio holds a commanding lead in this category with a composite score of 48.8, more than double CounterCraft's 21.2 in second place. Its visibility of 37.5% sits well above the category average of 6.9%, and its citation rate of 75.0% is the highest recorded across all 20 brands. That gap matters because the next closest citation rate belongs to Fidelis Deception at 62.5%, and every other brand sits at 12.5% or below, making Acalvio the only brand pulling strongly on both dimensions simultaneously.
The most striking divergence in this dataset is Fidelis Deception: zero visibility but a 62.5% citation rate, producing a rank-3 composite score of 18.8. The AI is actively referencing Fidelis content without surfacing the brand in named responses. The inverse pattern appears with Smokescreen, which holds 25.0% visibility but a 0.0% citation rate, meaning it is named but its own domain or content is not being drawn upon as a trusted source by Google AI Mode.
Google AI Mode is the top engine for every brand in this audit, confirming the category is almost entirely shaped by a single engine. Among the cited sources, google.com leads, followed directly by acalvio.com and fidelissecurity.com as domain-level references, with third-party sources including TechTarget, G2, PeerSpot, Reddit, and Guideflow also appearing. The presence of review and community platforms alongside vendor domains suggests AI responses in this category are being constructed from a mix of vendor content and peer-sourced evaluation material.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility risers
-
CounterCraft 12% → 25% · rank #3 → #2+12pp
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SentinelOne 0% → 12% · rank #10 → #5+12pp
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Attivo Networks 0% → 12% · rank #10 → #6+12pp
Biggest visibility fallers
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Fidelis Deception 12% → 0% · rank #4 → #3-12pp
The AEO ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
acalvio.com
|
38% | 75% | Google AI Mode |
Acalvio leads with a composite score of 48.8, driven by a 75.0% citation rate that is six times the category average of 8.8%, making it the only brand dominant on both visibility and citation. |
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| 2 |
countercraftsec.com
|
25% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
CounterCraft ranks second with 25.0% visibility but only a 12.5% citation rate, and its citation delta fell 25.0 points in the latest period despite a 12.5-point visibility gain. |
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| 3 |
fidelissecurity.com
|
0% | 62% | Google AI Mode |
Fidelis Deception holds rank 3 entirely on citation strength at 62.5%, as its visibility dropped to 0.0%, the sharpest visibility fall recorded among all tracked brands this period. |
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| 4 |
smokescreen.io
|
25% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Smokescreen matches CounterCraft on visibility at 25.0% but records a 0.0% citation rate, meaning AI responses name the brand without drawing on its domain as a source. |
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| 5 |
sentinelone.com
|
12% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
SentinelOne climbed five ranks to reach position 5, with visibility rising from 0.0% to 12.5%, though its 12.5% citation rate remains at the category floor alongside several peers. |
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| 6 |
sentinelone.com
|
12% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
canary.tools
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
illusive.com
|
12% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
fortinet.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
trapx.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
checkpoint.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
vmware.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
trellix.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
bitdefender.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
cymmetria.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
topia.io
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
crowdstrike.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
microsoft.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 19 |
akamai.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 20 |
rapid7.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sources AI engines trust in this category
Across the 8 buyer-intent queries we ran on deception technology platforms, these are the domains Google AI Mode cited most often. If you're not on this list — or if your competitors are — that's a concrete PR / linkbuilding target.
How to read this AEO ranking
Four things worth knowing before you act on the numbers above. These are the same definitions across every industry page — for category-specific observations, see the What we observed section above (where available) and the per-brand insights inline in the ranking.
Visibility = being named
A brand's visibility % is the share of AI answers that mention it by name in the response prose. This is who AI engines actively recommend to the buyer. More on visibility →
Citation rate = being trusted
Citation rate is the share of AI answers that include the brand's domain as a clickable source link. This is what the AI treats as authoritative evidence, different from being named. More on citation rate →
Top engine differs by brand
The "top engine" column shows which AI surface each brand performs best on. Big gaps between a brand's score across engines usually points to specific content or schema gaps. How AI engines pick sources →
AEO rankings move month to month
AI engines re-crawl and re-rank on shorter cycles than classical search. We re-audit every brand on this list at least every 90 days and refresh this page automatically. How AI search ranking works →
Run an AEO audit on your own deception technology platforms brand
The brands above were curated from public market-leader lists. Want the same answer engine optimisation measurement against your own brand — including the queries you appear on, which competitors get named instead, and a prioritised fix list? Run a free preview.
Frequently asked about AEO for deception technology platforms
Who leads AEO in Deception technology platforms?
Acalvio leads with a composite score of 48.8, a visibility rate of 37.5%, and a citation rate of 75.0%, all well above any other brand in the category.
What sources does Google AI Mode cite most for Deception technology platforms research?
The top cited sources are google.com, acalvio.com, and fidelissecurity.com as domain references, alongside third-party platforms including TechTarget, G2, PeerSpot, Reddit, and Guideflow.
Can a brand rank highly in this category without any direct visibility in AI responses?
Yes. Fidelis Deception holds rank 3 with a composite score of 18.8 despite 0.0% visibility, driven entirely by a 62.5% citation rate from its domain being used as a source.
Which engine dominates answer engine optimisation performance for Deception technology platforms?
Google AI Mode is the top-performing engine for every single brand in this audit, making it the primary channel to optimise for in this category.
What does the gap between visibility and citation tell analysts about AEO health for brands in this category?
Smokescreen's 25.0% visibility paired with 0.0% citation suggests brand recognition without source authority, while Fidelis shows the reverse, indicating that citation and visibility must be tracked independently to diagnose AEO gaps.
How competitive is the AEO landscape in Deception technology platforms overall?
The category average visibility is just 6.9% and average citation is 8.8% across 20 brands, with half of the top 10 brands scoring a composite of zero, indicating highly concentrated AI attention at the top.