A New Approach is Essential in the Battle Against Cyber threats

By Daniel Miller

Cyberthreats such as malware and ransomware traverse the globe each day and are designed to get past even the most astute enterprise users. Clicking on seemingly legitimate links via email or downloading files are everyday tasks; it is through these normal activities that hackers gain entry to business-critical systems and wreak havoc.

New methods and variants of internet-borne threats are being launched daily, crippling enterprises that rely heavily on the Web to conduct business. Just recently, LG Electronics in South Korea became yet another victim of the infamous WannaCry ransomware attack. This is one of the hundreds if not thousands of incidents that are actually reported. According to research firm Cybersecurity Ventures, global ransomware damages alone are predicted to top $5 billion in 2017.

Organizations are spending staggering amounts of money on endpoint protection, to little or no avail in preventing internet-borne threats. Traditional security applications such as antivirus, firewalls, and other types of “detect and block” solutions are only reactive in scope, and provide an inadequate degree of protection. Users are constantly interfacing with malicious content hidden within seemingly innocuous links and downloads, requiring security and IT staff to seek out more effective tools to mitigate the risk of malware or ransomware.

Downtime a Costly Concern

A significant negative effect of ransomware attacks is the employee downtime resulting from the lack of system access. The Second Annual State of Ransomware Report conducted by Osterman Research surveyed 1,054 companies of less than 1,000 employees each across North America, APAC and Europe. The survey results indicated that more than one-third of businesses experienced a ransomware attack in the last year. Twenty-two percent of impacted businesses had to cease business operations immediately.

Unfortunately, it only takes one employee to click on an infected link or download a file containing malware to compromise day-to-day operations. To build an effective defense-in-depth security strategy, a new layer of security is necessary.

Browser Isolation, the Web’s Saving Grace

Secure remote browsing, otherwise known as browser isolation, offers an unparalleled approach to Web security and endpoint protection, dramatically reducing the risk of malware or ransomware infiltration. Implementing this using isolation technology easily integrates with existing security frameworks, serving as an added layer of protection to eliminate enterprise threats without compromising the user experience.

This unique technology provides organizations with a clientless solution that delivers the highest level of security. In this manner, organizations can minimize the IT overhead and complexity associated with incessant endpoint installs and updates, which are typically required to block cyber threats at the end-user device. Most importantly, users can browse the Internet seamlessly the way they normally would, without noticing a difference. There is no performance degradation or perceptible latency, even though the web content is being rendered in an isolated environment outside of the corporate network.

A remote virtual browser is utilized to isolate the actual web browsing experience from the endpoint device to eliminate the risk of encountering rogue links and files. Enterprises have the flexibility to utilize any HTML5-based browser on any operating system or device.

The browsing session is executed inside a disposable container located in a remote “safe zone.” It is then rendered in real-time and transmitted to the local browser, providing a native user experience and ensuring that potential malware never reaches the endpoint. A pristine new container is allocated for every remote browsing session and tab and is discarded once that session or tab is closed.

Browser isolation solutions provide a transparent solution for users without compromising security, unlike the typical threat detection and remediation solutions currently on the market.

As organizations review their cybersecurity strategy, budget and work plan, browser isolation can complement existing IT investments by offering an added security layer that is transparent to users and unobtrusive to business operations.

About the Author
A New Approach is Essential in the Battle Against Cyber threatsDanny is the Director of Product Marketing at Ericom Software.
He has more than 15 years of industry experience in corporate and product marketing, business development, and product management, supporting an array of technology services, hardware and software solutions—with a strong focus on cybersecurity in recent years.
Daniel holds a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences, a master’s degree in Psychology, and an Executive MBA.

July 29, 2019

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