One Solution to Rule Them All: Browser Security Redefined

Let’s admit it, the cybersecurity industry is in need of an overhaul. For far too many years, organizations have been lured into a relentless cycle of piling on more and more capabilities and coverage every time a new threat emerges. This idea of adding layer on top of layer in hopes that something will catch an attempted breach, has led to an unsustainable level of software bloat, sprawl, and tech debt. This has resulted in higher overhead, alert fatigue, and tedious, manual tasks for Security Operations Center (SOC) teams.

Simply fattening the security stack with additional layers isn’t working and comes with disastrous side effects impacting efficiency and productivity. Organizations need to embrace quality solutions over quantity, get rid of this inefficient and ineffective sprawl, and focus on where most threats target: the web browser.

Focusing on the Browser

Thanks to the acceleration of digital transformation and the emergence of hybrid work models over the past several years, most work today is conducted in the web browser. According to Forrester , enterprise employees spend 75% of their device time in the web browser. Threat actors know this of course, and are increasingly targeting the browser as a way to gain an initial access point into the network. According to the Verizon 2022 Data Breach Investigation Report (DBIR), web applications and email – which are primarily accessed via web browsers – constitute the primary attack vectors in security breaches, accounting for over 80% of such incidents.

Whether it’s communicating with a client, logging onto a Software as a Service (SaaS), or accessing private applications in the cloud – the browser is increasingly becoming the front line of cybersecurity defense. Unfortunately, enterprise investment in cybersecurity continues to be disproportionately made on endpoint and network security. New tools focused on the browser need to be embraced by enterprise security teams, serving as a first line of defense against today’s highly evasive threats.

Effective, Efficient, and Measurable

Convincing senior leadership and the board of directors to pivot from their current layered approach and invest in yet another security tool can be challenging. Like any new business strategy, security teams looking to focus on the browser need to prove that their new strategy is effective, efficient, and measurable. This requires a solution that:

• Ensures visibility into the browser so that SOC teams can identify a threat
• Tracks its behavior and activity
• Provides context
• Creates a paper trail that measures success

It’s not enough any more to say that the organization is protected against a type of threat. Now, security teams need to show proof to stakeholders that a malicious actor tried to breach the network, shed light on what they were trying to do, prove they were stopped, and identify how specific risks were avoided. Communicating these metrics shows the value of browser security over time – helping turn security from a cost center, into a mission-critical tool that saves the organization money.

Prevention Over Detect and Respond

The old detect and respond way of dealing with threats is extremely ineffective, inefficient, and too abstract to derive real value from. Given the speed of today’s threats, the moment it is detected on an endpoint is too late. At that point, it’s likely already spreading throughout your network. At the same time, throwing layer on top of layer isn’t an efficient approach. Additionally, just saying that you are protected because of some capability is vastly different than actually providing measurable proof that your security strategy is working.

So what’s the key to creating an effective, efficient, and measurable browser security strategy? Prevention. Browser security needs to be delivered through the cloud, far from the end device, to prevent the initial breach. Preventing that initial breach before the threat reaches the end device is the only 100% effective way to stop attacks before they do any damage or pose a risk to your organization, but it’s going to take visibility and measurement to get there.

Don’t wait for threats to strike. Find the right approach to protecting the browser with our in-depth exploration of browser security . Dive into the realms of Local Browsers, Extensions, RBI, and Cloud-Based solutions. From managing browser configurations to safeguarding users and securing access, our comprehensive white paper empowers you to choose the right defense strategy.