<p>Whether hosted in-house or in the cloud, the web browser serves as the gateway to most enterprise work, making it a crucial consideration in any enterprise security strategy.</p>
<p>The current AI frenzy puts an even brighter spotlight on browser security. Employees access most AI tools through a browser, making an already tempting target even more inviting. Additionally, AI expands the scope of what users accomplish via browser sessions — making it even more useful for bad actors to compromise those sessions. And through <a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchenterpriseai/tip/How-the-Model-Context-Protocol-simplifies-AI-development”>MCP integrations</a> and the like, AI is also increasing the reach of browser-based tools into the environment, thereby expanding the scope of the potential damage from browser breaches.</p>
<p>Malicious actors have been exploiting browser vulnerabilities for years, a problem that is only becoming more challenging due to the rising use of AI to probe software for vulnerabilities more effectively than ever. It is clear that browser security has never been as threatened as it is now.</p>
<p>In this moment of renewed attention to browser security and the risks of it failing, CISOs face two options for improving browser security: deploying secure enterprise browsers and deploying browser security plugins.</p>
<section class=”section main-article-chapter” data-menu-title=”Pros and cons of secure enterprise browsers”>
<h2 class=”section-title”><i class=”icon” data-icon=”1″></i>Pros and cons of secure enterprise browsers</h2>
<p>A secure enterprise browser is a managed application that is fully under the control of enterprise IT staff. Admins can implement security policies directly and insert controls into the browsing session that would normally be provided by network appliances or cloud services, including URL filtering, application firewalling and data loss prevention tactics.</p>
<p>Security teams can enforce rules for content filtering, prevent the use of unsafe sites and discourage personal browsing through the managed platform. At the same time, a fully managed browser provides rich monitoring of web use.</p>
<p>Advantages of secure enterprise browsers include:</p>
<ul class=”default-list”>
<li>Consistent and universal enforcement of centrally defined policies.</li>
<li>Strong isolation models, which deliver stricter separation of processes and sessions, and better protection of platforms from web sessions and of tabs from each other.</li>
<li>Easier separation of personal browsing from corporate browsing.</li>
<li>Access to rich data on end-user experience and normal usage patterns, which boosts <a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/tip/Top-10-UEBA-enterprise-use-cases”>behavioral threat analysis</a>.</li>
<li>Reduced need for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) because staff BYOD browsing is less of a risk, it is easier to control contractor and third-party access to enterprise systems, and it enables simpler onboarding of staff from acquired companies or after a merger.</li>
<li>Traction on <a href=”https://www.techtarget.com/searchsecurity/definition/privileged-access-management-PAM”>privileged access management</a> and privilege use.</li>
<li>A vantage point where teams can examine data for leak potential before end-to-end encryption in an end-to-end tunnel, reducing load on firewall-based, man-in-the-middle style decryption.</li>
<li>Strict control of extensions, which keeps the browser threat surface as small as possible, although some conventional browsers inside managed desktops and VDI environments can control this.</li>
<li>Central management of the web UI, which provides more consistency across users within and among departments, such as everyone having the same core bookmarks.</li>
</ul>
<p>Enterprise-secured browsers have the following disadvantages:</p>
<ul class=”default-list”>
<li>Cost, which is notable because previously a browser would have been free.</li>
<li>Requires careful deployment and maintenance, as well as some end-user training.</li>
<li>Unfamiliarity, which means employees need to learn and adapt to a new UI.</li>
<li>Some sites might not work with the new browser.</li>
<li>Some existing workflows might break because the secure platform gets in the way, which could result in interruptions and remediation costs, although the outcome is a more secure process.</li>
<li>Vendor lock-in is possible because of the high cost of switching.</li>
</ul>
</section>
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