New Report Finds 48% Of Attacks Start In Your Browser

Nearly half of today’s intrusions begin in the same place you read the news, shop, and check email: your web browser. New findings from Palo Alto Networks’ Global Incident Response report attribute 48% of major cases they investigated to browser activity, underscoring how tabs, pop-ups, extensions, and even search results have become prime real estate for attackers.

Security teams say the browser is now both our most-used app and our most-exposed one. Phishing kits mimic single sign-on pages, malvertising passes off trojans as installers, and token-stealing techniques hijack sessions even when passwords aren’t compromised. With AI-fueled lures speeding up social engineering, the risk is rising—not shrinking. Below are 10 essentials that materially improve your browser safety without breaking your workflow.

Understand the Front-Line Risk in Modern Browsers

Incident responders routinely trace break-ins to browser-driven vectors: drive-by downloads, fake update prompts such as the SocGholish campaign, and credential theft via “browser-in-the-browser” login spoofs. Verizon’s Data Breach Investigations Report has consistently ranked phishing and web app abuse among the top initial access methods, while CISA warns that adversary-in-the-middle attacks can bypass weak multi-factor flows by stealing session tokens. Treat the browser as a security boundary, not just a window to the web.

1. Turn On Automatic Updates for Your Browser

Modern browsers patch frequently, and attackers move fast to exploit known bugs in engines like Chromium’s V8. Enable auto-update for your browser and any installed components—PDF viewers, media codecs, password or note add-ons. Delaying a patch by days can be the difference between blocking an exploit and being its next victim.

2. Verify HTTPS and Enable Secure DNS Settings

Before entering data, confirm you’re on a legitimate domain over HTTPS. Many browsers now hide the padlock, but they still flag insecure pages and certificate issues. In settings, turn on DNS-over-HTTPS or “Secure DNS” to prevent intermediaries from snooping or tampering with your lookups. Consider forcing HTTPS upgrades and blocking mixed content.

3. Use A Dedicated Password Manager And MFA

A standalone, reputable password manager isolates your vault from the browser process and supports strong encryption, secure sharing, and breach alerts. Combine it with phishing-resistant MFA—ideally hardware security keys or passkeys—to blunt credential theft. Disable autofill on unfamiliar sites to avoid hidden-field traps that harvest saved data.

4. Reduce Risk With a Content Blocker for Ads and Trackers

Malvertising remains a reliable delivery channel for scams and malware. A reputable content blocker can strip ads, third-party trackers, and known-bad domains, shrinking the attack surface and speeding up page loads. Use an allowlist model for sites that truly need third-party scripts, and avoid installing multiple blockers that may conflict.

5. Control Extensions And Site Permissions

Extensions are powerful—and frequently abused. Audit them monthly, remove what you don’t use, and restrict “on all sites” access. Favor open, well-reviewed projects and be wary of sudden permission changes, which can indicate a developer handoff or compromise. For sites, grant camera, microphone, location, notifications, and clipboard access only when essential and only for that session.

6. Separate Profiles And Use Private Windows Wisely

Segment work, personal, and high-risk browsing into separate profiles or containers to prevent cross-site tracking and limit lateral movement if one profile is compromised. Private or incognito windows help by not saving local history or cookies, but they don’t hide activity from networks or employers. Treat them as cleanup tools—not invisibility cloaks.

7. Spot Modern Phishing Before You Click

Attackers increasingly use browser-in-the-browser overlays, OAuth consent abuse, and fake SSO prompts to harvest tokens rather than passwords. Verify the address bar, expand the full URL, and check the certificate’s organization on sensitive logins. Be skeptical of urgent pop-ups that instruct you to “fix” account issues—researchers have traced these “click-to-fix” lures to initial access brokers. When possible, use security keys to defeat token theft.

8. Protect Public Wi-Fi Sessions With A VPN

On public or untrusted networks, a reputable VPN encrypts traffic and reduces exposure to eavesdropping and rogue access points. Choose providers with third-party audits and modern protocols like WireGuard, enable the kill switch, and prefer the native VPN app over a browser-only extension for system-wide protection.

9. Choose a Security-Focused Browser by Default

Browsers that prioritize privacy and hardening—such as Brave, Firefox with Enhanced Tracking Protection, or Safari—block third-party trackers by default, restrict fingerprinting, and enforce stricter cookie policies. For high-anonymity needs, Tor routes traffic through the onion network, trading speed and site compatibility for robust anti-tracking protections. Use the right tool for the sensitivity of the task.

10. Be Cautious With AI-Powered Browsers

AI assistants embedded in browsers introduce new risks: prompt injection, cross-tab data leaks, and unvetted code execution. Security researchers have demonstrated how hidden instructions on a web page can coerce an assistant into exfiltrating notes, clipboard contents, or stored files. If you use these features, disable automatic data ingestion, confine file access, and avoid pasting sensitive information into AI prompts.

The Bottom Line: Treat Your Browser as a Boundary

Your browser is now a primary battlefield. Incident responders from Palo Alto Networks to national cyber agencies all signal the same trend: attackers exploit the convenience features we rely on most. Adopt the controls above, keep a healthy suspicion of anything that interrupts your workflow, and you’ll deflect the majority of browser-borne threats before they ever land.