Tag Archive for: browser

NordLayer’s new browser extension offers all its top VPN tools in one place

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NordLayer – one of our picks for the best business VPN – has launched a new browser extension that incorporates the features found in the desktop version of the network access security solution.

Formerly known as NordVPN Teams, NordLayer is part of the NordSec group, which includes among its products one of the best VPNs, NordVPN, and the best password manager for security, NordPass. NordLayer is B2B focused, providing a cybersecurity service that is scalable.

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Back by popular request: Internet Security prepping that everyone needs to know.

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SquareX reels in $6M for its browser security platform

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Cybersecurity startup SquareX today announced that it has closed a $6 million seed funding round led by Sequoia Capital Southeast Asia.

The capital will go toward product development and go-to-market initiatives, the Singapore-based startup detailed. The investment comes a few weeks after SquareX made its namesake cybersecurity platform available to an initial group of users. Going forward, the startup reportedly plans to focus on growing its market presence in the U.S., Asia and the U.K.

SquareX’s platform is designed to protect consumers from online threats such as malicious websites. It blocks hacking attempts using a browser extension that runs locally on consumers’ devices. According to the startup, its technology can replace traditional cybersecurity products such as antivirus programs. 

A browser equipped with SquareX’s extension doesn’t render web pages locally, but rather in cloud-based sandboxes the startup describes as disposable browsers. Because webpages are processed in the cloud, their code is not downloaded onto users’ computers. This makes it impossible for any malware that may embedded in the code to reach consumer devices. 

According to SquareX, its platform can similarly block malicious documents and other malware-infected files. When users end a browsing session, the cloud-based sandbox that SquareX generated for the session is deleted along with all its data.

The startup’s sandboxes render web pages using a so-called headless browser. That’s a type of specialized browser implemented without a user interface. Such programs are mainly used by developers to test websites for technical issues. 

According to SquareX, its platform is designed as a more convenient alternative to traditional antivirus products. Such products’ threat detection algorithms sometimes incorrectly flag legitimate web pages and files as malicious. Because SquareX relies on cloud sandboxes rather than threat detection algorithms to flag malware, it doesn’t inadvertently block legitimate files.

The company sells its platform under a freemium pricing model. According to the startup, consumers can use the platform for up to one hour per day at no charge. For users…

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Browser Makers and EU Face Off Over QWACs

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EU Set to Approve Revised ID Framework to Digitize Public Service Access by 2030

Akshaya Asokan (asokan_akshaya) ,
David Perera (@daveperera) •
April 25, 2023    

Browser Makers and EU Face Off Over QWACs
Quack! (Image: Shutterstock)

A European effort to wrest greater control over the infrastructure underpinning internet encryption has some security experts warning about degraded website security.

See Also: Live Webinar | Education Cybersecurity Best Practices: Devices, Ransomware, Budgets and Resources

The European Union is on the cusp of approving a revised identity framework intended to digitize access to key public services for the majority of Europeans by the start of the next decade (see: European Digital Identity Bill Heads to Final Negotiations).

A section of the nearly complete update to the electronic identification and trust services regulations – better known as eIDAS – imposes a different kind of identity requirement onto web browsers. The goal, say proponents, is to increase online trust by requiring web browsers to display the identity of the organization that owns the site. That would be done by having browsers accept web certificates issued by entities designated by European governments as qualified trust service providers.

The certificates themselves are known as qualified website authentication certificates, or more commonly, QWACs, pronounced the way a duck would say it.

Underneath the arguments of proponents and critics lies ultimately a clashing set of assumptions about the function of web certificates. Proponents say they should be able to guarantee a website is trustworthy. For critics, the icon only means the connection is encrypted.

Quack! There’s a QWAC in the Root Store

Ordinary web users rarely pause to consider web certificates, but they’re a cornerstone of online security. They’re responsible for encrypting traffic as it lurches across the internet, making it safe for e-commerce sites to…

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