Anand Oswal, SVP & GM of Network Security, Palo Alto Networks.
Did you know the web browser you use every day runs on millions or even billions of lines of code? It’s a surprisingly complex piece of technology that’s often taken for granted—mostly because many people view it as a simple window to the internet. The original web browser might have been designed to interact with the digital world by displaying static information and simple web pages. But today, browsers have become the doorway to modern applications, connecting to services, managing complex workflows and accessing your most sensitive data. Consider this: Have you ever edited a Google document or logged your vacation days in Workday? There’s a good chance you did all this through your web browser.
In the brave new world of AI and the cloud, nearly all applications will be accessed through browsers. It’s probably also where you do most of your work. More and more people are working on the go—from the doctor’s office waiting room to your coffee bar down the street. And most work is being done through browser-based web applications—from tracking billable hours to completing performance reviews and hosting virtual meetings. In fact, our research found that about 85% of all work is done through regular web browsers. Over the next few years, this number will only increase because it’s becoming a browser-first world. It’s not just a tool—it’s the future.
With this in mind, consider that, according to our study, 95% of companies have experienced a security incident originating from a browser. That’s almost every company. As employees are increasingly on the go and the number of knowledge workers grows globally, it’s no surprise that more and more devices connecting to corporate networks are personal devices (or “unmanaged devices”) that a company’s IT teams have zero visibility and safety controls over. In fact, according to the same Palo Alto Networks study, about 90% of organizations allow access to corporate applications from personal devices, thanks to trends like BYOD (bring your own device).
To add urgency to this, we’re seeing new AI-powered tools give bad actors unprecedented power, with their attacks increasing in size and sophistication. Taken together, this is a huge risk to companies and it must be addressed.
Secure Your Browser-First Workplace
As more work is being done through the web browser, securing it must be central to your cybersecurity strategy. This includes how companies secure the work and data flowing through the browser itself, as well as the associated network and infrastructure.
To start, consider investing in enterprise-grade security solutions that leverage AI security to fight AI threats. AI-driven security solutions use machine learning and behavioral analytics to identify anomalous activity, detect zero-day threats and predict potential risks before they manifest as actual security breaches. By incorporating AI-based technology, organizations can provide enhanced protection against threats missed by traditional security measures.
To be most effective, your security solutions have to hit all the points where your data needs to be protected across the enterprise—including data centers, public and private clouds, branches and campuses, and remote workers. This helps ensure all workers are protected instantaneously from every new attack globally. These solutions should:
• Identify sensitive information by first understanding what sensitive information exists, where it’s kept and who has access to it. This is a great job for AI, which can scan through tons of data to detect sensitive, proprietary and regulated information and categorize it for you. Then, you’ll want to apply protections like data masking and data policies to keep it safe.
• Use a secure browser that can protect all devices and users across the entire company against malicious browser extensions, web attacks, user errors and more. Again, it should leverage AI to help keep your organization safe and should be just as easy to use as any leading consumer browser.
• Block advanced threats through AI-powered protections that can scan your network for exploits to find attacks in real time, including ones that have never before been seen. This is huge, as AI is helping bad actors create new attacks quickly and easily.
• Inspect encrypted traffic by scanning web traffic across the entire workforce to uncover hidden threats. This is important because threats today are often masked in encrypted traffic, making it hard to detect malicious activity.
• Protect data at the last mile. Did you know that data is most vulnerable to breaches in its final stage of transmission, like when you’re about to put your Social Security number into a website through your browser? To stop that data from being stolen, you’ll need comprehensive protection like data masking, screenshot blocking, limiting sharing, preventing printing and applying watermarks on sensitive screens.
Conclusion
It’s clear that the threat landscape will continue to evolve, with cybercriminals attacking with more scale, speed and sophistication than ever before. In 2025, companies will need to prioritize creating a multilayered defense strategy that secures web browsing activity, detects sophisticated threats early and ensures that sensitive data remains protected in an increasingly complex cyber landscape. This also sets the foundation for a more resilient organization that can adapt to emerging threats.
Cybersecurity isn’t a one-time fix—it’s a continuous journey that begins with the tools and processes that will help your business stay ahead of the curve.
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