High Wire Networks’ Web Browser Extension Aimed At Mitigating Security Threats

‘The security code tools are becoming increasingly ineffective against phishing, malware ransomware viruses and data theft, and many other types of ever evolving cyberattacks,’ says Mark Porter, CEO of High Wire Networks.

Mark Porter

High Wire Networks has unveiled an advanced technology delivered through its proprietary Overwatch by High Wire universal web browser extension simplifies deployment and use to better combat active cyber threats.

“Unfortunately, traditional network and security architectures were not designed with cloud or hybrid work in mind,” said Mark Porter, CEO of Batavia, Ill.-based High Wire Networks, on a conference call earlier this week. “Web browsers were also not designed for the security challenges created by today’s distributed workforce.”

He said browsers and applications have now become the primary way that individuals accomplish their work and consume data, whether in an office, remote or hybrid location.

[Related: High Wire Networks Aims To Quadruple Cybersecurity Sales This Year]

“This makes the devices and users very susceptible to being compromised,” he said. “This has inspired cyber criminals to target web browsers as their primary attack surface for stealing data and unsuspecting users or holding it ransom.”

High Wire, which is on CRN’s 2023 MSP Elite 150 list and has 125 employees, said its new technology solves these problems by combining multiple networking and network security services into a single hyper-localized element on the device that delivers a full range of capabilities.

“By combining the capabilities of our new bring-your-own browser of universal extension with High Wire’s broad market reach, I see us taking the cybersecurity world by storm,” said John “JP” Peterson, chief product officer at High Wire, on the call. “We believe it offers an innovative and unique solution to the growing prevalence of cyber threats and the increasing pace of cybercrime.”

Key features of the technology include identity-based securitization, AI-powered anti-phishing, crowdsourced threat intelligence cloud, two-pass antivirus, data redaction and data leakage prevention, frictionless secure web gateway and centralized management and reporting.

“This extension supports in-browser AI powered anti phishing capabilities, which provides protection from known and more importantly, unknown threats that are identified and blocked in real time,” Peterson said.

The Overwatch by High Wire universal web browser extension is the first product introduced by the company’s newly formed Overwatch CyberLabTM division, which is the company’s new cybersecurity technology platform that serves as the incubator and IP manager for the company’s cybersecurity product research and development.

“To combat these threats, organizations have had to deploy multiple costly security tools, such as secure web gateways, SaaS platforms and proxie, and they have to route browser traffic to inspection points, which slows the browser experience,” Porter said. “The security code tools are becoming increasingly ineffective against phishing, malware ransomware viruses, data theft and many other types of ever evolving cyberattacks.”

Donovan Farrow, CEO of Oklahoma City-based MSSP Alias, said after reviewing the browser security module from High Wire Networks, he cannot wait to get it in front of his customers.

“This solution will help us secure the browser vector and provide tremendous value to our customers,” he told CRN.