5 Ways Traditional Security Solutions Fall Short in Browser Protection

…And why browser extensions are your biggest blind spot

It usually starts innocently. A browser extension that promises to make work faster, smoother, or more fun. But behind the scenes, that same extension could be exfiltrating data, injecting malicious code, or opening up vulnerabilities your security tools weren’t built to detect.

As more work moves to the browser, it’s become clear: legacy security solutions can’t keep up—especially when it comes to extensions.

Here are five ways traditional tools fall short in browser protection—and how Unified Browser Security™ platforms like Acium fill the gaps.

1. Blind to What’s Installed

Traditional tools lack visibility into browser extensions.

Most endpoint and network security solutions don’t track what extensions users install, or what those extensions are capable of. That creates a massive blind spot in environments that rely heavily on the browser.

Acium provides centralized visibility into every extension across every browser—Chrome, Edge, and Safari. You can view all installed extensions by user, profile, and risk level, all in real time.

2. No Control Over Extension Behavior

Extensions can silently update and request new permissions.

Even with policies in place, users can install extensions that change behavior over time—often without IT even knowing. Some start out harmless and evolve into serious threats.

With Acium, you can set policies to block high-risk extensions automatically, enforce allowlists or denylists, and receive alerts when an extension’s behavior changes. You stay in control, even as extensions evolve.

3. No Way to Assess Risk

Legacy tools don’t distinguish between harmless and high-risk extensions.

Without a risk score or context, it’s impossible to know which extensions are dangerous and which are just helpful tools.

Acium uses real-time extension risk scoring, evaluating permissions, publisher reputation, activity patterns, and more—so you know which extensions to trust, and which to remove.

4. Web Filtering Doesn’t Catch Extension Activity

Traditional filtering only sees the surface level.

Extensions can manipulate content inside legitimate websites, inject scripts, or intercept data—all without visiting a flagged domain.

Acium inspects browser behavior at the session level, identifying risky actions like data exfiltration, session hijacking, or script injection—regardless of the domain in use.

5. Lack of Context Slows Response

When incidents happen, teams are left piecing things together.

Without extension-level insights, alerts from traditional tools lack actionable context. You can’t quickly answer: who installed it? What did it do? What was accessed?

Acium gives you full forensic visibility into browser events, down to the user, extension, and action. So when something suspicious happens, you can trace it, understand it, and respond fast.

The Bottom Line: Extensions Are the New Insider Threat

They’re easy to install, hard to monitor, and often exploited. Traditional tools weren’t built for this. Acium was.

With Unified Browser Security, you get proactive protection, real-time control, and the visibility you need to keep your browsers safe—without disrupting the way your team works.

Want to see risky extensions before they become a problem? Request a demo or sign up for a free trial today.