SquareX researchers Jeswin Mathai and Audrey Adeline will be disclosing a new class of data exfiltration techniques at BSides San Francisco 2025. Titled “Data Splicing Attacks: Breaking Enterprise DLP from the Inside Out”, the talk will demonstrate multiple data splicing techniques that will allow attackers to exfiltrate any sensitive file or clipboard data, completely bypassing major Data Loss Protection (DLP) vendors listed by Gartner by exploiting architectural vulnerabilities in the browser.
DLP is a core pillar of every enterprise security stack. Data breaches can result in severe consequences including IP loss, regulatory violations, fines, and severe reputational damage. With over 60% of corporate data being stored in the cloud, browsers have become the primary way for employees to create, access, and share data. Consequently, the browser has become a particularly attractive target for external attackers and insider threats alike. Yet, existing endpoint and cloud DLP solutions have limited telemetry and control over how employees interact with data on the browser.
Additionally, there are several unique challenges when it comes to maintaining data lineage in the browser. This includes managing multiple personal and professional identities, the wide landscape of sanctioned and shadow SaaS apps, and the numerous pathways in which sensitive data can flow between these apps. Unlike managed devices where enterprises have full control over what can be installed on the device, employees can easily sign up for various SaaS services without the IT team’s knowledge or oversight.
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SquareX researcher Audrey Adeline says, “Data splicing attacks are a complete game changer for insider threats and attackers that are seeking to steal information from enterprises.
They exploit newer browser features that were invented long after existing DLP solutions and thus the data exfiltrated using these techniques are completely uninspected, resulting in full bypasses. With today’s workforce heavily relying on SaaS apps and cloud storage services, any organization that uses the browser is vulnerable to data splicing attacks.”
As part of the talk, they will also be releasing an open-source toolkit, “Angry Magpie”, which will allow pentesters and red teams to test their existing DLP stack and better understand their organization’s vulnerability to Data Splicing Attacks. SquareX hopes that the research will highlight the severe threats that browsers pose on data loss and serve as a call to action for enterprises and vendors alike to re-think their data loss protection strategies.
Upon the completion of BSides San Francisco, the SquareX team will also be presenting at RSAC 2025 and will be available at Booth S-2361, South Expo for further discussions on the research.
Talk Details:
- Title: Data Splicing Attacks: Breaking Enterprise DLP from the Inside Out
- Speakers: Jeswin Mathai and Audrey Adeline
- Event: BSides San Francisco 2025
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Toolkit Release: Angry Magpie (Open Source)
About the Speakers
Jeswin Mathai, Chief Architect, SquareX
Jeswin Mathai serves as the Chief Architect at SquareX, where he leads the design and implementation of the company’s infrastructure. A seasoned speaker and researcher, Jeswin has showcased his work at prestigious international stages such as DEF CON US, DEF CON China, RootCon, Blackhat Arsenal, Recon Village, and Demo Labs at DEFCON. He has also imparted his knowledge globally, training in-classroom sessions at Black Hat US, Asia, HITB, RootCon, and OWASP NZ Day. He is also the creator of popular open-source projects such as AWSGoat, AzureGoat, and PAToolkit.
Audrey Adeline, Researcher
Audrey currently leads the Year of Browser Bugs (YOBB) project at SquareX which has disclosed multiple major architectural browser vulnerabilities to date. She is also a published author of The Browser Security Field Manual. Key discoveries from YOBB include Polymorphic Extensions, Browser Ransomware and Browser Syncjacking, all of which have been covered by major publications such as Forbes, Bleeping Computer and Mashable. She is passionate about furthering cybersecurity education and has run multiple workshops with Stanford University and Women in Security and Privacy (WISP). Prior to SquareX, Audrey was a cybersecurity investor at Sequoia Capital and graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in Natural Sciences.
About SquareX
SquareX’s industry-first Browser Detection and Response (BDR) helps organizations detect, mitigate, and threat-hunt client-side web attacks targeting employees happening against their users in real-time. This includes defending against identity attacks, malicious extensions, spearphishing, browser data loss, and insider threats.
SquareX takes a research and attack-focused approach to browser security. SquareX’s dedicated research team was the first to discover and disclose multiple pivotal attacks, including Last Mile Reassembly Attacks, Browser Syncjacking, Polymorphic Extensions, and Browser-Native Ransomware. As part of the Year of Browser Bugs (YOBB) project, SquareX commits to continue disclosing at least one major architectural browser vulnerability every month.
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