In this Brand Story episode, Sean Martin gets to chat with Vivek Ramachandran, Co-Founder and CEO of SquareX, at the Black Hat USA conference in Las Vegas. The discussion centers around SquareX’s innovative approach to browser security and its relevance in today’s cybersecurity landscape.
Vivek explains that SquareX is developing a browser-native security product designed to detect, mitigate, and hunt threats in real-time, specifically focusing on the online activities of enterprise employees. This solution operates entirely within the browser, leveraging advanced technologies like WebAssembly to ensure minimal impact on the user experience.
The conversation shifts to the upcoming DEF CON talk by Vivek, titled “Breaking Secure Web Gateways for Fun and Profit,” which highlights the seven sins of secure web gateways and SASE SSE solutions. According to Vivek, these cloud proxies often fail to detect and block web attacks due to inherent architectural limitations. He mentions SquareX's research revealing over 25 different bypasses, emphasizing the need for a new approach to tackle these vulnerabilities effectively.
Sean and Vivek further discuss the practical implementation of SquareX's solution. Vivek underscores that traditional security measures often overlook browser activities, presenting a blind spot for many organizations. SquareX aims to fill this gap by providing comprehensive visibility and real-time threat detection without relying on cloud connectivity.
Vivek also answers questions about the automatic nature of the browser extension deployment, ensuring it does not disrupt day-to-day operations for users or IT teams. Additionally, he touches on the importance of organizational training and awareness, helping security teams interpret new types of alerts and attacks that occur within the browser environment.
Towards the end of the episode, Vivek introduces a new attack toolkit designed for organizations to test their own secure web gateways and SASE SSE solutions, empowering them to identify vulnerabilities firsthand. He encourages security leaders to use this tool and visit a dedicated website for practical demonstrations.
Listeners are invited to connect with Vivek and the SquareX team, especially those attending Black Hat and DEF CON, to learn more about this innovative approach to browser security.
Learn more about SquareX: https://itspm.ag/sqrx-l91
Note: This story contains promotional content. Learn more.
Guest: Vivek Ramachandran, Founder, SquareX [@getsquarex]
On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekramachandran/
SquareX is building the world’s first browser-native security agent running ML-based attack detection algorithms.
