Browser Fingerprinting for Private Application Session Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The traditional enterprise network perimeter has expanded to the Internet due to cloud-based applications, increasing security risks from unsecured and unmanaged devices, and there is a need for effective monitoring and protection of critical resources accessed by various browsers.
Innovation Solution
Implement browser fingerprinting and compliance checks to identify compromised sessions and users, using cloud-based systems for monitoring and controlling access to private applications, with integrated security measures like cloud-based WAAP and ZTNA to ensure secure access without exposing applications to the Internet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cloud-based applications are deployed to expand enterprise network perimeter, then accessibility and versatility are improved, but security risks from unsecured and unmanaged devices increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud-based security intermediary (Zscaler Private Access service) that sits between unmanaged user devices and private applications. This intermediary performs browser fingerprinting, compliance checking, and traffic inspection without requiring users to install client software or connect to a corporate network, thus resolving the contradiction by enabling secure access while maintaining perimeterless architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary browser fingerprinting and compliance checks before allowing access to private applications. By evaluating browser characteristics, security settings, and traffic behavior in advance, the system prevents compromised or non-compliant devices from accessing critical resources, thereby enabling expanded accessibility while maintaining security.
2Reliability
If zero trust network access is implemented to protect private applications, then security is improved, but monitoring and detection capability for compromised sessions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous feedback mechanisms through browser fingerprinting and compliance checking that monitor session characteristics in real-time. The system compares observed traffic behavior against expected patterns and provides feedback to detect compromised sessions or policy violations, thereby maintaining both security and monitoring capability simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces traditional network-based monitoring mechanisms with cloud-based software analytics that evaluate browser fingerprints and traffic patterns. This substitution enables sophisticated detection of compromised sessions without requiring users to be on a managed network, thus maintaining monitoring capability while enhancing security through zero-trust architecture.
3Reliability
If comprehensive compliance checks are performed on browsers and users, then security and protection are improved, but system complexity and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments compliance checking into distinct evaluation modules that assess different aspects of browser security independently (e.g., fingerprinting module, traffic analysis module, policy validation module). This segmentation allows comprehensive protection to be achieved through modular components that can be processed in parallel, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining thorough security evaluation.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for browser fingerprinting and control for private application protection include monitoring access to one or more private applications; performing one or more compliance checks on any of the user and the browser used to access the one or more private applications; and performing one or more actions based on a result of the one or more compliance checks. These steps are performed in order to prevent users from accessing private applications via compromised or vulnerable browsers.