Trusteer's Rapport software sits in the background in the web browser until an online banking session is established. The plugin then goes live and communicates with the bank's servers, as well as Trusteer's, looking for anything unusual, such as man-in-the-browser attacks and other malware-driven issues.
All this, Infosecurity notes, happens behind the scenes, and because Rapport effectively stops malware like Zeus triggering - even if the users' PC is infected - a growing number of (70-plus) banks offer the plug-in for free, collating data on malware attacks in the background.
Trusteer has now developed a pay-for version (from $25 per seat) of the secure browsing environment for corporates.
Known as the Trusteer Secure Browsing Service for Enterprise, the software works by creating a virtual firewall within the browser that blocks malware from entering - or using - the browser during a connection to enterprise applications.
The software is supported by the same 24x7 malware investigation service that Trusteer provides to banks offering Rapport to their customers, Infosecurity notes.
As with Rapport for consumers, the enterprise version automatically activates without any user intervention when a machine connects to enterprise applications.
A management console is then billed as enabling IT departments to centrally set and enforce security policies on target machines, including unmanaged devices belonging to employees, contractors, and partners, as well as computers with a high-risk profile.
Announcing the corporate software, Mickey Boodaei, Trusteer's CEO, said that the browser has emerged as the weakest link in the enterprise security infrastructure and is being exploited by malware authors and criminals to steal login credentials and plant trojans in order to break into IT systems undetected.
"Meanwhile, the growing demand for mobility is challenging IT security's ability to secure the network from breaches that originate on compromised trusted devices", he said.