The rise of SaaS and cloud-based work environments has significantly changed the cyber risk landscape. With more than 90% of organizational network traffic passing through browsers and web applications, companies are facing serious new cybersecurity threats. This includes phishing attacks, data leaks, and malicious extensions. As a result, the browser also becomes a vulnerability that needs to be protected.
LayerX has released a comprehensive guide titled “Start your browser’s security program” This detailed guide serves as a road map for CISOs and security teams looking to secure their organization’s browser operations; including walkthroughs, frameworks, and use cases. Below we summarize its main points.
Browser security priority
Browsers now serve as the primary interface for SaaS applications, creating new malicious opportunities for cyber adversaries. Risks include:
- Data leak – Browsers can expose sensitive data, allowing employees to inadvertently upload or download it outside of the organization’s control. For example, embedding source code and business plans into GenAI tools.
- Credential theft – Attackers can use the browser to steal credentials using techniques such as phishing, malicious extensions, and password reuse.
- Malicious access to SaaS resources – Attackers can use stolen credentials to hijack an account and access SaaS applications wherever they are, without needing to penetrate the network.
- Third Party Risks – Attackers can use third-party vendors that access internal environments using unmanaged devices with a weaker security posture.
Traditional network and endpoint security measures are insufficient to protect today’s organizations from such browser-borne threats. Instead, a browser security program is required.
How to run your browser’s security program
The guide emphasizes a strategic, step-by-step approach to implementing browser security. The main steps include:
Step 1: Mapping and Planning
To launch a browser security program, the first step is mapping the threat landscape and understanding your organization’s specific security needs. This starts with assessing the short-term impact of browser-related risks such as data leakage, credential compromise, and account hijacking. You must also consider regulatory and compliance requirements. A detailed assessment will help identify immediate vulnerabilities and gaps, allowing you to prioritize addressing these issues for faster results.
Once the short-term risks are clear, set a long-term goal for your browser security. This involves looking at how browser security integrates with your existing security stack, such as SIEM, SOAR, and IdP, and determining whether browser security will become the mainstay of security in your stack. This strategic analysis allows you to evaluate how browser security can replace or enhance other security measures in your organization, helping you to ensure your protection in the future.
Step 2: Execution
The execution phase begins by bringing together key stakeholders from various teams such as SecOps, IAM, data protection, and IT that will be impacted by browser security. Using a framework such as RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) can help define each team’s role in the deployment. This ensures that all stakeholders are involved, creating alignment and clear responsibilities between teams. Collaboration will ensure seamless implementation and avoid siloed approaches to implementing browser security.
A short-term and long-term deployment plan should then be defined.
- Start by prioritizing the most important risks and users based on your initial assessment.
- Find and implement a browser security solution.
- The deployment should include a pilot phase where the solution is tested on selected users and applications, monitoring user experience, false positives and security improvements.
- Define clear KPIs and milestones for each phase to measure progress and ensure that the solution is fine-tuning as it is implemented across the organization.
- Incrementally improve your program by prioritizing specific applications, security domains, or addressing high-severity vulnerabilities. For example, you can focus on specific SaaS applications for protection or focus on broad categories such as data breach or threat protection.
- Address unmanaged devices and third-party access as the program matures. This step requires enforcing policies such as least-privileged access and closely monitoring unmanaged devices.
- Finally, evaluate the overall success of your browser’s security program in detecting and preventing browser-related risks. This step includes testing how effective your security measures have been in stopping threats such as phishing, credential theft, and data leakage. A successful browser security solution should demonstrate tangible improvements in risk reduction, false positives, and overall security posture, providing a clear return on investment for the organization.
Reliable enterprise security
The success of your security program depends on sound short-term and long-term planning. Your organization should regularly review your security strategy to ensure it is up-to-date and able to adapt to changing threats. Today, that means investing in browser security strategies and tools. To learn more about this approach and get practices and frameworks you can follow, read the full guide.
