To protect browsers as the digital frontline, Zscaler buys SquareX

"The common denominator of advanced attacks revolves around ever more difficult detection. Although Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) can pick up multiple signals, the browser remains a blind spot. Zscaler has also come to this conclusion and has acquired SquareX to keep an eye on browser usage via a lightweight extension. In doing so, Zscaler is following the same philosophy as CrowdStrike: acquire a promising Browser Detection & Response (BDR) player to expand its own portfolio."

"The idea is that these external environments provide an extra line of defense against malicious actors. This assumption has since been debunked: these environments are not inherently secure. At the very least, an extra layer is needed, which is conspicuously absent in modern cyberattacks. The browser, long seen as a simple portal, has all kinds of bugs and architectural pitfalls that give malicious actors far too much room to maneuver."

Advanced attacks are becoming harder to detect, creating a need to monitor previously blind spots like the browser. EDR captures many signals but often misses browser activity, prompting vendors to add Browser Detection & Response capabilities through acquisitions. Zscaler acquired SquareX to monitor browser usage with a lightweight extension, mirroring CrowdStrike's acquisition of Seraphic. VPNs and virtual desktops are not inherently secure and require additional protective layers. The browser's bugs and architectural pitfalls expose allocated memory and other vectors that EDRs primarily observe only externally, necessitating integrated platforms and new defensive layers.

Read at Techzine Global