Browser Content Isolation with Sandboxed Network Proxying
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a trade-off between user experience and security in web browsing, with modern web browsers offering rich features that increase vulnerability to cyber threats, necessitating a more secure yet user-friendly approach.
Innovation Solution
A network proxy agent operates within an isolated environment, enforcing a content access policy that selectively isolates potentially malicious content, sanitizing it within the sandbox before rendering it on the user's preferred browser, while allowing trusted content to be rendered directly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If web browsers implement expanded capabilities through scripts and browser extensions, then user experience and feature richness are improved, but security vulnerability and risk of exploitation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the web browser functionality into two distinct parts: a sandboxed rendering engine that executes web content in an isolated environment, and a non-isolated user interface layer that presents the rendered content to the user. This segmentation allows the system to maintain rich web features while containing security risks within the sandbox, preventing exploitation from affecting the host machine.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a sandbox as an intermediary layer between the web content and the host machine. The sandbox acts as a mediator that executes web scripts and extensions in an isolated environment, blocking direct access to host resources while still enabling the content to function. This intermediary structure resolves the contradiction by allowing feature richness without direct security exposure.
2Ease of operation
If web content is rendered directly in the browser, then user experience is maintained, but security containment is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested architecture where the sandboxed rendering engine is embedded within the non-isolated browser application. The sandbox contains the execution environment for web content, while the outer layer provides the user interface and security management. This nesting allows the system to maintain ease of operation through direct rendering while ensuring security containment through the embedded sandbox layer.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If all content is isolated and sanitized, then security is improved, but user experience and browser functionality are degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of different content sources. Trusted content from reputable domains is rendered directly without sandboxing, maintaining optimal user experience. Untrusted or potentially malicious content is rendered within the sandbox, providing security containment. This selective approach resolves the contradiction by applying security measures only where necessary while preserving user experience for safe content.
Data Source
AI summary
In one or more examples, a network proxy agent runs inside an isolated (e.g. sandboxed or virtualized) execution environment and a non-isolated application (e.g., web browser) instance runs outside of the isolated execution environment. The network proxy agent acts as a proxy in the sense that network traffic to and from the application instance is routed through the network proxy agent, and thus via the isolated execution environment. A content access policy is supplied to the content access policy agent, and the content access policy agent enforces the content access policy inside the isolated execution environment in relation to the network traffic. For example, content from a certain resource may be restricted according to the content access policy, in which case content requested from that resource is contained within the isolated environment, and replacement content is served to the non-isolated application instance instead.