The landscape of web security is evolving rapidly, and traditional tools like DNS filtering and proxies are struggling to keep up with modern threats. Organizations need a more dynamic and adaptive solution to protect their workforce, whether they are using managed or unmanaged devices. This is where SURF comes in. The SURF extension for managed devices and the full SURF Enterprise Browser for unmanaged devices offer comprehensive web filtering, phishing protection, and extension management, effectively replacing outdated security measures.
The Shortcomings of Traditional DNS Filtering and Proxies
Legacy web security solutions such as DNS filtering and web proxies were once effective but are now inadequate against modern threats:
-
Performance Overhead – Traditional proxies introduce latency and degrade user experience by routing traffic through centralized gateways.
-
Limited Granularity – DNS filtering operates at the domain level, meaning it cannot inspect individual web pages or identify malicious content dynamically.
-
Slow Response to Threats – Traditional proxies rely on static blocklists, which are often outdated when new threats emerge.
-
Limited Visibility and Control Over Extensions – DNS filtering and proxies lack visibility into browser extensions, potentially allowing malicious extensions to operate undetected.
How SURF Enhances Web Security
1. Advanced Web Filtering
Unlike legacy DNS filtering, SURF provides category-based, custom, and keyword filtering to block access to malicious or non-compliant sites. Key features include:
-
Category-based filtering – Restrict access to specific web categories (e.g., gambling, adult content, malicious sites).
-
Custom filtering rules – Create organization-specific policies to allow or block URLs based on security requirements.
-
Keyword-based filtering – Prevent users from accessing sites that contain specific, high-risk terms.
2. Phishing Protection
SURF goes beyond traditional URL reputation checks to provide real-time phishing protection using multiple techniques:
-
Reputation-based filtering – Block access to known phishing domains in real-time.
-
Credential protection – Prevent users from entering corporate credentials on untrusted websites.
-
Regex-based protection – Identify phishing attempts that mimic legitimate domains (e.g., homoglyph attacks, character swaps).
-
Browser-in-the-Browser (BitB) Attack Mitigation – Detect and block fake login pages designed to steal credentials.
3. Extension Management and Risk-Based Controls
One of the biggest security blind spots in web security is browser extensions. SURF introduces robust extension management capabilities:
-
Allow-listing – Permit only approved browser extensions to run, reducing attack surfaces.
-
Risk-based extension scoring – Automatically block or restrict extensions based on their risk score, preventing malicious extensions from stealing data or injecting harmful scripts.
Why Organizations Should Transition from DNS Filtering and Proxies
The shift from traditional web security tools to SURF provides organizations with:
-
Granular, real-time protection – DNS filtering is too broad and outdated; a browser-native approach offers precise security.
-
Better phishing detection – SURF uses behavioral and content-based analysis, making it far more effective than static filtering lists.
-
Improved extension security – DNS filtering and proxies lack visibility into browser extensions, whereas SURF directly manages extensions.
-
Seamless deployment – Unlike proxies and VPNs, browser-based security requires minimal infrastructure changes and ensures security policies are enforced even on unmanaged devices.
The Future of Web Security
SURF operates natively within the browser, ensuring minimal performance impact and a seamless user experience. SURF provides granular extension management, including risk-based controls and allow-listing. SURF continuously updates its threat intelligence and uses AI-driven analysis to detect and block threats in real-time.
Legacy security tools like DNS filtering and web proxies served their purpose but have become obsolete in the face of modern threats. SURF, in the form of its browser extension for managed devices and the full Enterprise Browser for unmanaged devices, offers a more advanced, adaptive, and user-friendly approach to web filtering, phishing protection, and extension security.
By adopting SURF, organizations can achieve superior protection without the limitations of traditional solutions, ensuring a safer browsing experience for users across all devices, managed or not.
Scan the QR code for demo
