The ultimate browser security checklist

The browser has become the main workspace of the modern enterprise. This makes the browser both a target for multiple attacks and a source of potential data leakage.

The important role of the browser in the modern business environment requires a reassessment of its management and protection. Although a long time ago, network risks were handled by a mix of network and cloud solutions. It is now clear that the partial protection offered by these solutions is no longer enough. As a result, more and more security teams are using browser security platforms to address browser security issues.

However, since this class of security solutions is relatively new, best practices and common evaluation criteria for browser security have not yet been established.

LayerX, the User-First Browser Security Platform, addresses the needs of security teams with a drop-down browser security checklist that guides readers to choose the best solution and gives them a checklist to use in the evaluation process.

The browser is an important work interface and the most targeted attack surface . Some of these attacks have been going on for more than a decade, such as exploiting browser vulnerabilities or periodically downloading malicious files.

Browser Security

Browser security can be divided into two groups:

1. Preventing accidental exposure of data

2. Protection against various malicious activities.

1. Preventing accidental exposure of data: From a privacy perspective, a platform enforces policies to ensure that sensitive company data is not shared or insecurely downloaded by enforced applications or downloaded from managed devices to network destinations outside the company.

2. Protection against various malicious activities: A platform detects and prevents three types of attacks:

(i) Attacks that target the browser itself and aim to compromise the host device or data in the browser application itself, such as cookies, passwords and others.

(ii) Attacks that use the browser with compromised credentials to access corporate data residing in both authorised and unauthorised SaaS applications.

(iii) Attacks that use a modern web page as an attack vector to target user passwords through various phishing methods or malicious conversion of browser properties.

Browser Security Evaluation

The need for a browser security platform arises from one of the following:

A) Attack Surface Management: It reduces the browser's exposure to various types of threats so that attackers could not implement them.

B) Zero Trust Access: Strengthening authentication requirements to ensure that a legitimate user has provided a username and password and that they are not compromised.

C) SaaS Monitoring and Security: Visibility into all user activity and data usage across approved and unapproved applications and other non-corporate websites, while protecting corporate data from compromise or loss.

D) Malicious Web Protection: Real-time detection and blocking of adversaries against all modern web-based malicious tactics, including phishing, malicious file downloads and data theft.

E) Secure Third Party Access: Enables secure access to corporate network resources from unmanaged devices by both internal workforce and external contractors and service providers.

This checklist makes the assessment easier than ever. All you have to do is test your listed solutions against it and see which one gets the most points. Once you have them all sorted, you can make an informed decision based on the needs of your environment as you understand them.