The newest addition to Cato ZTNA simplifies secure contractor and BYOD access-unifying Zero Trust policy management enterprise-wide
TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Cato Networks, the SASE leader, today announced the Cato Browser Extension, a lightweight onramp to the Cato SASE Cloud Platform. The extension expands Cato's Universal Zero Trust Network Access (UZTNA) to unmanaged devices-including personal, contractor, and BYOD endpoints-without the operational overhead, deployment complexity, or user disruption that can come with legacy VPNs or enterprise browsers.
"Unmanaged and BYOD devices aren't going away. They remain the weakest links in enterprise security. Without the safeguards of managed devices, they expose organizations to additional risk," said Ofir Agasi, chief product officer at Cato Networks. "The Cato Browser Extension provides customers with the best of both worlds: simple access for users and complete policy control for IT without adding another tool to manage."
Unmanaged Devices Create Risk and Compliance Pressure for IT Leaders
The surge in hybrid work, BYOD, and contractor reliance has introduced a wave of unmanaged devices into enterprise environments. These endpoints frequently lack security controls, creating exposure to data loss and regulatory risk. According to Verizon's 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR), 46% of compromised systems containing potential corporate credentials were unmanaged devices. Meanwhile, compliance pressures under GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS continue to mount.
Legacy ZTNA approaches often require separate tools for different device types. Extending access to unmanaged devices has meant installing new software, such as specialized browsers. The result: disruption of the user experience and additional strain on IT operations.
The Cato Browser Extension Secures BYOD and Contractor Access
To address these challenges, Cato has made Zero Trust for unmanaged devices easy to deploy and simple to maintain. The Cato Browser Extension, a native Google Chrome extension, provides secure access in minutes without requiring client installations or new software. It enforces the same ZTNA policies already applied across the enterprise, so IT doesn't need to create or manage new rules. And unlike enterprise browsers that force users to adopt a new interface, the extension works natively with standard browsers under one consistent, enterprise-wide ZTNA model.
With Cato ZTNA, enterprises can unify access across every environment: managed devices connect via the Cato Client, unmanaged devices through the Cato Browser Extension, and sites and branches with a Cato Socket. Every connection is protected by Cato SSE 360-including FWaaS, SWG, CASB, NGFW, DLP, and Advanced Threat Prevention-ensuring continuous inspection, unified logging, and centralized policy enforcement.
With all onramps unified under one policy model, enterprises gain clear strategic advantages:
Consistent Security Posture: Unified, identity-aware policies across all devices close security gaps.
Operational Simplicity: Remove VPNs, enterprise browsers, and point solutions, reducing onboarding time and IT overhead.
Audit Readiness: Simplify audits and meet GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS requirements with consistent enforcement.
With the Cato Browser Extension, Cato extends zero trust to all types of users and devices, eliminating the trade-offs that have long complicated secure access.
Availability
The Cato Browser Extension is generally available and included in Cato's user-based licensing for Cato ZTNA. No additional license or SKU is required.
Resources
- [Photo] Ofir Agasi
- [Blog]Unmanaged Doesn't Have to Mean Unprotected
About Cato Networks
Cato Networks delivers enterprise security and networking in a single cloud platform. The SASE leader creates a seamless and elegant customer experience that effortlessly enables threat prevention, data protection, and timely incident detection and response. With Cato, organizations replace costly and rigid legacy infrastructure with an open and modular SASE architecture based on SD-WAN, a purpose-built global cloud network, and an embedded cloud-native security stack.
Want to learn why thousands of organizations secure their future with Cato? Visit us at www.catonetworks.com.
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