Unauthorized access to accounts is now a major challenge in cloud-based SaaS environments, causing significant harm. Despite the considerable investment in conventional security approaches, numerous organizations are still grappling with thwarting such attacks. A recent document named “Reasons behind Successful Account Takeover Attacks, and How the Browser Could Stop Them Effectively” suggests that the browser serves as the primary arena for executing account takeover assaults and thus should be the focal point for neutralizing them. The report also furnishes valuable recommendations for reducing the risk of account takeovers.
Here are some of the crucial points highlighted in the report:
The Involvement of the Browser in Account Takeovers
As per the assessment, the SaaS kill chain leverages the essential elements incorporated within the browser. These elements, crucial for account takeover, encompass:
- Executed Web Pages – Intruders can construct fake login pages for phishing or execute MiTM attacks on genuine web pages to acquire and exploit credentials.
- Browser Extensions – Malicious extensions have the ability to access and siphon off sensitive information.
- Stored Credentials – Attackers strive to seize control of the browser or extract its stored credentials to gain entry into SaaS applications.
Once the user’s credentials fall into the wrong hands, the offender can log into the applications and function uninhibitedly. This represents a distinct and briefer kill chain in comparison to the on-premises chain, illustrating the failure of conventional security measures to shield against it.
Examining Account Takeover Techniques, Tactics, and Procedures
The report then explores the primary techniques, tactics, and procedures associated with account takeover. It delves into their modus operandi, elucidates why standard security controls prove ineffective in countering them, and showcases how a browser security framework can decrease the risk.
1. Deception
The threat: Deceptive maneuvers take advantage of the browser’s web page execution process. There exist two main types of such deceptive activities: deploying a malevolent login page or intercepting a legitimate one to snatch session tokens.
The deficiencies in protection: Standard security solutions and firewalls cannot combat these attacks since the malevolent components within the web page remain unseen in network traffic. Consequently, these deceitful elements can infiltrate the perimeter and the user’s endpoint.
The remedy: A browser security platform provides insight into web page execution and scrutinizes each executed element, identifying deceptive activities like credential input fields and MiTM redirection. Subsequently, these elements get deactivated within the page.
2. Malicious Browser Add-ons
The hazard: Malicious browser extensions capitalize on the elevated privileges granted by users to govern the browser’s functions and information, leading to the compromise of stored credentials.
The lapses in protection: EDRs and EPPs often harbor implicit trust in browser processes, rendering extensions a blind spot in security detection.
The solution: A browser security platform offers visibility and risk assessment of all extensions, automatically disabling the malevolent ones.
3. Validation and Entry via a Login Page
The jeopardy: Once intruders secure login credentials, they gain entry to the intended SaaS application.
The inadequacy of protection: Identity Providers encounter challenges in distinguishing between malevolent and legitimate users, while Multi-Factor Authentication solutions frequently remain inadequately implemented and embraced.
The solution: A browser security platform monitors all stored credentials within the browser, integrates with the Identity Provider to function as an additional layer of authentication, and mandates access exclusively from the browser to block unauthorized access via compromised credentials.
The Future of Decision Making in Security
The browser has emerged as a pivotal target for attacks on enterprises, with account takeover assaults epitomizing the risk associated with it and underscoring the necessity to reform the organizational security strategy. LayerX has pinpointed a browser security solution as the linchpin in this paradigm shift, countering prevalent attack methodologies and compelling attackers to rethink their tactics. View the complete report.
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