As businesses continue to move operations to their browsers, security teams face ever-growing cyber challenges. In fact, over 80% of security incidents come from web applications accessed through Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and other browsers. One of the scattered spiders, an especially evolving enemy, has fulfilled its mission to wreaking havoc for businesses by specifically targeting sensitive data from these browsers.
Scattered spiders, also known as UNC3944, Oct Tempest, or confused Libra, have matured over the past two years by targeting human identity and accuracy of their browser environment. This shift distinguishes them from other infamous cyberguns such as the Lazarus Group, Fancy Bear, and Rebill. If sensitive information such as calendars, credentials, or security tokens are alive and doesn’t work in the browser tab, the scattered spiders can get them.
In this article, you will learn more about how to attack scattered spiders and how to stop them with trucks. Overall, this is a wake-up call to CISOS everywhere, bringing the security of your organization’s browser from supplemental controls to a central pillar of defense.
Scattered spider browser-centered attack chain
Scattered spiders avoid massive phishing in favour of precision exploitation. This is done by leveraging user trust in the most used daily applications, stealing stored credentials and manipulating the browser’s runtime.
Browser Tricks: Techniques such as Browser in the Browser (BITB) overlays and automatic fill extraction are used to steal credentials while avoiding detection by traditional security tools such as endpoint detection and response (EDR). Session Token Theft: Scattered spiders and other attackers bypass multifactor authentication (MFA) to capture tokens and personal cookies from browser memory. Malicious Extensions and JavaScript Injection: Malicious payloads are delivered via fake extensions and run within the browser via drive-by techniques and other advanced methods. Browser-based reconnaissance: Investigating web APIs and installed extensions allows these attackers to access map-critical internal systems.
For a complete technical disruption of these tactics, see Scattered Spiders: Compromise Tracing Threads in Browsers.
Strategic Browser Layer Security: CISOS Blueprint
To combat scattered spiders and other advanced browser threats, CISOs must utilize multi-tier browser security strategies in the following domains:
1. Stop qualification theft with runtime script protection
Phishing attacks have been around for decades. However, scattered spider-like attackers have been 10 times more techniques in recent years. These advanced phishing campaigns rely on malicious JavaScript executions that run directly within the browser, bypassing security tools such as EDR. This is done to steal user credentials and other sensitive data. To successfully block phishing overlays and intercept dangerous patterns of stealing qualifications, organizations need to implement JavaScript runtime protection to analyze behavior. By applying such protections, security leaders can stop attackers from gaining access and stealing their credentials before it’s too late.
2. Protect your sessions and prevent account acquisitions
When a user’s credentials are incorrectly acquired, the scattered spider-like attacker quickly moves to hijack previously authenticated sessions by stealing cookies and tokens. Ensuring browser session integrity is best achieved by limiting gaining access to fraudulent scripts and excluding these sensitive artifacts. Organizations must enforce contextual security policies based on components such as device pose, identity verification, and network trust. Linking session tokens to a context allows companies to prevent attacks such as account acquisitions, even after qualifications are compromised.
3. Enforce extended governance and block illicit scripts
Browser extensions have been extremely popular in recent years, with Google Chrome having 130,000+ available for download on the Chrome web store. They can act as productivity boosters, but they have also become attack vectors. Malicious or under-reviewed extensions can request invasive permissions, inject malicious scripts into the browser, or act as a delivery system for attack payloads. Companies need to implement robust extended governance to allow pre-authorized extensions with validated authority. Equally important is the need to block untrusted scripts before they can be run. This approach ensures that legitimate extensions are still available, so users’ workflows will not be destroyed.
4. Confuse reconnaissance without breaking legal workflows
Scattered spider-like attackers often launch attacks through in-browser reconnaissance. Do this using APIs such as Webrtc, COR, or fingerprints to map your environment. This allows you to identify frequently used applications and track specific user behavior. To stop this reconnaissance, organizations must disable or replace decoy-sensitive APIs that provide false information to attack groups. However, an adaptation policy is required to avoid legitimate workflow corruption, which is particularly important for BYOD and unmanaged devices.
5. Integrate browser telemetry with practical security intelligence
Browser security is the last miles of malware-free attack protection, but integration into your existing security stack will enhance your entire network. By implementing activity logs enriched with browser data on SIEM, SOAR, and ITDR platforms, CISOS can associate browser events with endpoint activity with much more enriched images. This will allow SOC teams to gain faster incident response and better support threat hunting activities. This will help you improve attack alert times and enhance your organization’s overall security attitude.
Browser security use cases and business impact
Deploying browser and native protection offers measurable strategic benefits.
Strategic Benefits of Use Cases Stopping Phishing and Attack Prevention Web Extension Management Controls install and authorize requests from known and unknown web extensions before performing credential theft in browsers to protect the safety of Genai Implestive. Control Zero Trust Enhancements A contextual application connection that treats each browser session as an untrusted boundary and validates its behavior, allowing users to secure remote SAAS access with the right level of protection, allowing them to connect securely to internal SAAS apps without the need for additional agents or VPNs.
Security Leadership Recommendations
Assess your risk attitude: Use tools such as Browsertotal™ to determine where browser vulnerabilities are located throughout your organization. Enabling Browser Protection: Deploys solutions that allow real-time JavaScript protection, token security, extended monitoring, and telemetry across Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and all other browsers. Define context policy: enforce web API rules, capture credentials, install web extensions, and download. Integrated with existing stacks: Feed browser-enabled threat telemetry to SIEM, SOAR, or EDR tools you already use every day. This gives you a wealth of detection and response features. Team Education: Cement Browser Security is a core principle of Zero Trust Architecture, SaaS Protection, and BYOD Access. Continuously test and validate: Simulate real browser-based attacks to validate your defenses and learn where your blind spots are. Enhance IDACTION via browser: Introduces adaptive authentication that continuously validates identity within each session. Audit browser extensions regularly: Develop a review process to track all extensions in use. Apply minimal Privirge to web APIs: Limit only to business apps that require a sensitive browser API. Automate browser threat hunting: leverage browser telemetry to integrate existing stacks and data to find suspicious patterns.
Final Thoughts: Browser as a New Identity Periphery
Scattered spider groups personify how attackers evolve their tactics from targeting endpoints to focusing on the enterprise’s most used application, browsers. They do so to steal identity, take over sessions, and stay within the user’s environment without traces. CISOS must adapt and use browser and native security controls to stop these identity-based threats.
The answer is to invest in a frictionless, runtime-aware security platform. Instead of being recoiled, security teams can stop attacks on sources. For all security leaders, enterprise browser protection doesn’t just work to mitigate scattered spider-like attackers. It fortifies the window to your business and upgrades all SaaS applications, remote work, and security attitudes beyond.
Talk to a therapist for more information about Secure Enterprise Browser and how they benefit your organization.
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