When synthetic logs don’t lie: Generating coherent attack stories for better detection

Jun 3, 2026 · 19 min · 10 segments

Are your detection rules failing because your test data lacks the nuance of a real-world network? In this episode of Talos Takes, Amy sits down with David Bianco to discuss why traditional synthetic data often falls short and how his new open-source project, EvidenceForge, is changing the game. Synthetic datasets often look like telemetry but lack the critical causal links and realistic background noise that define actual adversary activity. EvidenceForge solves this by creating data that tells a coherent, causal story. From simulating complex attack chains to modeling realistic, "bursty" human behavior, this tool helps threat hunters and detection engineers to sharpen their skills with reproducible, high-quality telemetry. EvidenceForge blog: https://blog.talosintelligence.com/introducing-evidenceforge-synthetic-security-logs-that-dont-look-as-fake/ PEAK Threat Hunting Assistant episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2018149/episodes/18825324

Speakers: David BiancoGuestAmy CiminnisiHost

When synthetic logs don’t lie: Generating coherent attack stories for better detection

We value your privacy

When synthetic logs don’t lie: Generating coherent attack stories for better detection