Comprehensive Guide to Building a Strong Browser Security Program

The rise of SaaS and cloud-based work environments has fundamentally altered the cyber risk landscape. With more than 90% of organizational network traffic flowing through browsers and web applications, companies are facing new and serious cybersecurity threats. These include phishing attacks, data leakage, and malicious extensions. As a result, the browser also becomes a vulnerability that needs to be protected.

LayerX has released a comprehensive guide titled “Kickstarting Your Browser Security Program” This in-depth guide serves as a roadmap for CISOs and security teams looking to secure browser activities within their organization; including step-by-step instructions, frameworks, and use cases. Below, we bring its main highlights.

Prioritizing Browser Security

Browsers now serve as the primary interface for SaaS applications, creating new malicious opportunities for cyber adversaries. The risks include:

• Data leakage – Browsers can expose sensitive data by allowing employees to unintentionally upload or download it outside of organizational controls. For example, pasting source code and business plans into GenAI tools.
• Credential theft – Attackers can exploit the browser to steal credentials using methods like phishing, malicious extensions, and reused passwords.
• Malicious access to SaaS resources – Adversaries can use the stolen credentials to perform account takeover and access SaaS applications from wherever they are, no need to infiltrate the network.
• Third-party risks – Attackers can exploit third-party vendors, who access internal environments using unmanaged devices with weaker security postures.

Traditional network and endpoint security measures are not sufficient for protecting modern organizations from such browser-borne threats. Instead, a browser security program is required.

How to Kickstart Your Browser Security Program

The guide emphasizes a strategic, phased approach to implementing browser security. Key steps include:

Step 1: Mapping and Planning

To kickstart your browser security program, the first step is mapping your threat landscape and understanding your organization’s specific security needs. This begins with assessing the short-term exposure to browser-borne risks, such as data leakage, credential compromise, and account takeovers. You should also factor in 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 understood, set the long-term goal for your browser security. This involves considering how browser security integrates with your existing security stack, such as SIEM, SOAR, and IdPs, and determining whether browser security becomes a primary security pillar 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 future-proof your defenses.

Step 2: Execution

The execution phase starts by bringing together key stakeholders from various teams like SecOps, IAM, data protection, and IT, who will be impacted by browser security. Using a framework like RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) can help define each team’s role in the rollout. This ensures all stakeholders are involved, creating alignment and clear responsibilities across the teams. Collaboration will ensure smooth execution and to avoid siloed approaches to browser security implementation.

Next, a short-term and long-term rollout plan should be defined.

• Start by prioritizing the most critical risks and users based on your initial assessment.
• Find and implement a browser security solution.
• The rollout should include a pilot phase where the solution is tested on select users and apps, monitoring user experience, false positives, and security improvements.
• Define clear KPIs and milestones for each phase to measure progress and ensure the solution is being fine-tuned as it is implemented across the organization.
• Enhance your program gradually by prioritizing specific applications, security domains, or addressing high-severity gaps. For example, you may choose to focus on specific SaaS apps for protection or focus on broad categories like data leakage or threat protection.
• As the program matures, address unmanaged devices and third-party access. This step requires ensuring that policies like least-privileged access are enforced, and that unmanaged devices are closely monitored.
• Lastly, assess your browser security program’s overall success in detecting and preventing browser-borne risks. This step involves reviewing how effective your security measures have been in stopping threats like phishing, credential theft, and data leakage. A successful browser security solution should demonstrate tangible improvements in risk mitigation, false positives, and overall security posture, providing a clear return on investment for the organization.

Future-Proofing Enterprise Security

The success of your security program depends on robust 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, this means investing in browser security strategies and tools. To learn more about this approach and get practices and frameworks you can follow, read the complete guide.

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