Unique Data Loss Challenges in the Browser

In today’s digital age, data is a company’s most valuable asset. A single instance of data loss can lead to severe consequences, from hefty fines for violating data privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA to eroding brand reputation and losing the trust of customers. Moreover, proprietary information, if exposed, can give competitors an edge, undermining years of innovation and investment.

Data loss takes many forms: it can occur due to employee negligence in handling sensitive information, data exfiltration from adversary attacks or even insider attacks. Unlike traditional attack detection, mitigating data loss prevention (DLP) requires a nuanced understanding of what constitutes sensitive data within specific business contexts. Balancing productivity with stringent data security controls makes DLP a complex yet critical challenge for organizations.

In today’s workplace, browsers are the gateway to most company resources, serving as the backbone of modern productivity. This makes them a prime vector for potential data leaks, and thus securing this critical data channel is no longer optional. Below, we explore five common ways data loss can happen through browsers and what business should look for in their Browser DLP solution to effectively defend against these risks.

1. GenAI Data Loss

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have transformed the way people work, significantly improving productivity across many functions. However, it also comes with significant data leakage risks. Users may unknowingly copy-paste sensitive company information with the intent of doing simple research or summarization tasks. This is especially concerning as many AI tools are open source with little guarantee on how input data will be used. A prominent case study for this is Samsung, where confidential source code was accidentally leaked via ChatGPT by an engineer.

What to look for? Of course, similar to Samsung, companies can choose to completely ban GenAI tools. However, this comes with significant productivity opportunity costs that may hurt the company’s competitiveness in the long run. A more realistic solution would be to have a Browser DLP tool that can do contextual copy-paste control, selectively blocking copy-paste based on the data source, destination and/or content.

2. File Uploads to Personal Accounts

The browser is a unique application as it is frequently used for both professional and personal purposes. This is especially true post-COVID, where many users work remotely and use BYOD endpoints to access company resources. This creates a risk of data loss when confidential files are uploaded to personal accounts, whether accidentally by employees or intentionally as part of insider threats seeking to steal data. For instance, sensitive company files might be uploaded to personal Google Drive or email accounts — an activity that is challenging to differentiate from legitimate company accounts at the proxy level. Insight Global, a Pensylvannia based contact tracing vendor was recently fined $2.7M for mishandling PII of 72,000 residents, storing them in unauthorized Google accounts.

What to look for? With this context, it is absolutely critical for your Browser DLP solution to have identity awareness, including the ability to differentiate between work and personal accounts, including misuse of company SSO.

3. Clipboard Stealing

Knowing that users frequently copy and paste sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal details, cybercriminals have engineered malware designed to exploit this habit. One of the most notorious examples is Agent Tesla, a sophisticated Trojan that actively monitors clipboard activity to capture and exfiltrate sensitive data. By silently operating in the background, it can intercept copied credentials, financial details, or any other critical information, transmitting it to attackers without the user’s knowledge.

What to look for? Given that clipboards are prone to adversary monitoring and data exfiltration, a good Browser DLP solution should include the option for secure copy-pasting that does not use browser clipboards.

4. File Uploads to Shadow SaaS

Shadow SaaS refers to unsanctioned applications used by employees without IT’s approval. Files uploaded to these tools may bypass company security measures as these applications are typically out of the purview of enterprise security teams. A notable real-world example involves Yipit, a data firm that filed a lawsuit against two former employees, alleging them of stealing files containing trade secrets via messaging platforms Facebook and LinkedIn.

What to look for? Data loss via messaging apps is especially challenging to track now as many newer messaging apps, such as WhatsApp, are end-to-end encrypted and therefore cannot be inspected at the network level. Thus, only a browser native solution can have enough user and application context to detect sensitive data leakage across all shadow SaaS, including end-to-end encrypted applications.

5. Data Exfiltration via Browser Extensions

Browser extensions are powerful productivity tools for employees. However, the same permissions that they use to support these functionalities can also be exploited to exfiltrate sensitive data. In fact, attackers often purchase, hack or deliberately publish benign extensions, only to change the permissions post-installation to turn the extension into a data exfiltration machine without employees or security teams noticing. For example, eight browser extensions on Chrome and Firefox, now known as DataSpii, disguised themselves as benign extensions and later stole browsing history data from over 4 million users.

What to look for? As most enterprises manage extensions on a one-off or periodic basis, it is critical for Browser DLP solutions to monitor browser extension permission changes in real time, automatically flagging or disabling browser extensions with suspicious permission updates or a surge in negative reviews on official stores.

While DLP as a whole poses a massive challenge to organizations, DLP in the browser comes with additional complexities such as managing multiple identities, data paths and a wide attack surface. Thus, it is important to have a Browser DLP solution that combines identity awareness, contextual control, and real-time monitoring to enable the nuanced control that most organizations need to protect their most valuable assets while fostering a productive digital workplace.

Unique Data Loss Challenges in the Browser was originally published in SquareX Labs on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from SquareX Labs - Medium authored by Audrey Adeline. Read the original post at: https://labs.sqrx.com/unique-data-loss-challenges-in-the-browser-fe1f0b9da892?source=rss----f5a55541436d---4