Surrogate Browser Recording for Secure Web Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users are vulnerable to computer attacks through browser vulnerabilities, especially when visiting malicious websites, due to outdated browsers or lack of knowledge about updates, and existing security measures are inadequate in preventing zero-day attacks and unauthorized data exfiltration.
Innovation Solution
A surrogate browsing system that provides secure browsing services by rendering web content on behalf of users, transcoding and sanitizing it before transmission to the client, using a scalable and elastic architecture with components like surrogate browsers, DOM transcoders, and checker proxies to ensure security and compliance with same-origin policies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users routinely apply patches or updates to their browsers, then security against known threats is improved, but users lacking skill or knowledge to keep browsers up to date remain vulnerable
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic patch application and browser maintenance through self-service mechanisms, where the browser automatically updates itself and applies security patches without requiring user intervention or knowledge about the update process
Solution Approach 2:
A surrogate browsing system acts as an intermediary between the user's browser and malicious websites, providing security protections without requiring the user to directly manage or understand browser security configurations
2Reliability
If browsers are diligently kept up-to-date, then protection against known threats is improved, but zero-day and other attacks that the browser is not capable of withstanding can still compromise the system
Solution Approach 1:
The surrogate browsing system performs preliminary security checks and content analysis before delivering web content to the user's browser, blocking malicious content including zero-day threats before they can execute on the user's system
Solution Approach 2:
The surrogate browsing system serves as a security intermediary that filters and sanitizes web content, protecting the user's browser from both known and unknown threats by preventing malicious code from reaching the client system
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a nefarious individual makes malicious sites appear to be legitimate, then the ability to trick unsuspecting end users is improved, but detection and prevention mechanisms can identify and block these deceptive sites
Solution Approach 1:
The surrogate browsing system acts as an intermediary that analyzes web content for malicious characteristics, detecting phishing sites and other deceptive content by examining the surrogate-rendered content for security threats before presenting it to the user
4Loss of information
If a malicious end user attempts to surreptitiously exfiltrate confidential information, then data loss risk is improved, but recording and monitoring mechanisms can detect and prevent unauthorized exfiltration
Solution Approach 1:
The surrogate browsing system serves as an intermediary that records and monitors all browsing activity, detecting attempts to exfiltrate confidential information by analyzing content interactions and blocking unauthorized data transfers
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides automatic recording and monitoring of browsing sessions, self-activating to capture and analyze user interactions with web content without requiring additional complex configuration or manual intervention
Data Source
AI summary
Transparent web browsing recording is disclosed. A request is received, at a browser isolation system, from a client browser executing on a client device, to connect with a website. A surrogate browser is provided to facilitate communications between the client browser and the website. A set of browsing activities associated with use of the surrogate browser by the client browser is recorded.