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Browser detection and response fills gaps in security programs
BDR is the latest tool to address detection and response as more and more communication occurs over Edge, Chrome and their counterparts. But does your organization really need it?
Targeted detection and response software has become a crucial component of network security. Lately, it seems that for every technology an organization uses, a dedicated detection and response tool exists to secure it -- such as network detection and response, endpoint detection and response (EDR), data detection and response, extended detection and response (XDR) and more.
The latest tool to enter the scene is browser detection and response (BDR).
In a nutshell, BDR enables browsers to detect, investigate and respond to threats that originate in or travel through them. BDR addresses a growing blind spot: Traditional endpoint agents and network controls often miss sophisticated web-based attacks, such as formjacking, malicious extensions, credential theft via injected scripts, phishing that executes in the browser, supply chain compromises on third-party JavaScript, and data exfiltration orchestrated through web apps or AI chat interfaces.
How BDR works
BDR places detection logic as close as possible to the point of interaction: the browser, which today tends to serve as the primary client for most users' cloud apps, webmail, SaaS and third-party services. BDR captures telemetry and enforces controls where attackers operate, reducing time to detect and enabling faster, more precise containment.
BDR software is typically deployed three ways: as a managed browser extension, a lightweight browser agent or via a brokered browser session -- i.e., remote browser isolation. It collects telemetry, including visited URLs, document object model changes, script execution trees, form submissions, clipboard operations, file uploads and downloads, and extension activity. This data is then correlated with user identity, device posture and cloud app context.
Detection profiles rely on behavioral baselines, anomaly scoring and indicators of compromise, such as injected iframes, unexpected XMLHttpRequests to unusual domains and credential harvesting patterns. Responses range from in-browser warnings and blocking of risky actions -- among them file upload and pasting secrets -- to automated session termination, forced reauthentication or triggered playbooks from EDR and security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) platforms.
Add BDR for a comprehensive security program
BDR complements EDR, cloud access security broker (CASB), secure access service edge and data loss protection (DLP) technologies. It also enhances SIEM and XDR telemetry with high-fidelity browser events, feeds alerts into SOAR for orchestration and supports forensic investigations by providing source data.
Because the browser sits at the intersection of identity, data and applications, BDR often integrates with identity providers for user context, CASB and SaaS security posture management for app posture, and DLP engines for content classification. The result: coordinated, context-aware responses.
Who needs BDR?
Organizations that should evaluate BDR include those with a large remote or hybrid workforce, heavy reliance on SaaS and web portals, high regulatory requirements or significant customer-facing web applications that handle sensitive data.
Adoption is driven by several trends, among them the acceleration of cloud-native workflows where everything happens in the browser, increases in targeted web supply chain attacks, sophisticated phishing that evades email security gateways, proliferation of third-party scripts and browser extensions, and the rise of shadow AI tools that exfiltrate data through form fills and chat sessions.
Filling the gap
Note that BDR does not replace EDR, CASB or network controls. Rather, BDR complements them by supplying more comprehensive browser-level context and control that other tools can't reliably capture. Combined, this detection and response stack enables layered visibility and control across identity, endpoint, network and application layers.
BDR fills a critical gap in modern security architectures by instrumenting the environment where the majority of work and attacks now occur. In some ways, the browser really is the most prevalent battlefield today.
A carefully designed BDR pilot, integrated with identity and SIEM and XDR workflows and engineered with privacy in mind, helps organizations minimize SaaS risk, targeted phishing and web-based supply chain threats. This approach can highlight previously undetected risks and shorten detection and response timelines.
Dave Shackleford is founder and principal consultant at Voodoo Security, as well as a SANS analyst, instructor and course author, and GIAC technical director.
