Getting Started with NinjaOne Browser Management Application

Topic

This article explains how to enable and configure the NinjaOne Browser Management application.

This feature is in early access. To share feedback and request enhancements during this development phase, contact NinjaOne Support or your Account Manager.

Environment

NinjaOne Endpoint Management
Microsoft Windows Browsers:
- Chrome
- Edge
- Firefox

Description

With NinjaOne's Browser Management application, you can inventory and manage your Microsoft Windows browser extensions and history directly in NinjaOne, specifically giving control and visibility for extensions, history, and URL access.

Uninstalling the NinjaOne agent does not remove installed browser extensions. At this time, NinjaOne Browser Management does not install in Incognito mode or private browsing; however, you can block the use of Incognito mode through policy rules.

Index

Select a category to learn more:

Activate the Feature
Edit Block Message
Deploy Browser Management Through Your Policy
View Browser Data on the Dashboards
Additional Resources

Activate the Feature

To use this feature, you must enable it. To do so, perform the following steps.

Navigate to Administration → Apps → Installed.

Figure 1: Add an application in NinjaOne (click to enlarge)

Select NinjaOne Browser Management and click Enable.

Edit Block Message

You can create a message that appears when users attempt to install a blocked extension.

From the NinjaOne Browser Management page, select the General tab and click Edit.

browser_edit block message.png — **Figure 2**: Edit block message for browser

Enter your message into the text field and then click Update.

Deploy Browser Management Through Your Policy

When the feature is active, you can configure its settings through your NinjaOne policies. Navigate to Administration → Policies, and select the applicable Windows Agent policy for deployment. From the policy configuration page, select Browser management, and then use the following sections to manage the settings.

General

In the General tab, select the toggle for each browser setting you want to manage. A description of each setting is provided on the page. When you activate a toggle, you may have additional options to specify whether to allow or block the data.

Refer to the following table for a description of each setting.

Setting	Description
Extensions	This toggle will activate browser extension inventory and allow you to configure extension Installs and blocking in the Extension list tab.
URLs	This toggle will activate the URL inventory and permit you to configure block lists on the URL list tab.
History	Browser management allows you to collect 7 days of browser history and will return the domain information.
Incognito mode	When managing browsers, incognito mode presents a risk for managed environments, often allowing the bypass of controls or other mechanisms intended to keep the user and system safe.

Figure 3: Manage general browser settings (click to enlarge)

Extension List

Extensions are installed by browser policy. To install, block, or allow an extension, you’ll need to know the Extension ID for the extension you wish to install, relevant to the supported browser store. Knowing the browser you are targeting and supporting impacts success. For example, setting an extension to install from the Chrome Store will not work for Firefox.

Select the Extension list tab to add or import the extension block list. Activate the Extensions toggle in the General tab to use this feature.

There are multiple ways to set up an install, block, or allow rule: through single rules, extension inventory, and import. We recommend testing any extension you plan to install, block, or allow. As an added benefit from the testing, you can use that test install as a reference for crafting your install policy.

When importing extensions, you must update the data in the Extension ID and Source URL columns and then specify the browser type in the Import extensions dialog. Delete any row that you will not use.

browser_import_update columns.png — **Figure 4**: Import extension lists

Refer to the following steps for a demonstration.

Click + Add → Install browser extension.

install browser extension.png — **Figure 5**: Install browser extension

Use the following table to complete the fields.

Field	Support
Rule name	Add a unique identifier.
Browser type	Select the applicable option from the drop-down menu.
Source URL	Enter the address that will be blocked or permitted.
Browser store extension ID	Enter the extension ID from the browser URL. The quickest way to discover the extension ID for each browser is from the URL string, which you can obtain through the official extension website. You can use the + Add → Extension inventory option to select an extension from a list.

Click Apply and then click Save.

When the browser refreshes the policy on the targeted devices, the browser should install the extension.

To edit or remove a browser extension, select the checkbox next to the extension name to view available options. You can also move your cursor over the row to find the ellipsis actions menu.

URL List

With browser management, you can add rules to block or allow specific sites from being accessed from Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. NinjaOne supports both block and allow lists in enforcement modes, which apply to all supported browsers.

Activate the URLs toggle in the General tab to use this feature. Refer to the following steps for a demonstration.

Click + Add and select Block URLs.

add_block urls.png — **Figure 6**: Add a URL block list

Enter the URL to block. You can use asterisks as wildcards. For example: *.netflix.com.
Click Apply and then click Save.

Use + Add → URL Inventory to select URLs to block from a list. You can also use the Import URLs to add a block list from a spreadsheet; download and use the CSV file from NinjaOne, and delete any rows that you will not use.

View Browser Data on the Dashboards

You can view browser data on the system, organization, and device dashboards. At each level, click Browser and then select either Extensions or URL history to view the number of installed or blocked devices, and perform the following actions:

Install, unblock, or block browser extensions. This action will modify the data at the policy level.
Click the extension name to view details, such as risks by permission and devices by extension status.
Unblock or block a device's access to URLs based on current policy status and activity.

view url inventory_system dashboard.png — **Figure 7**: Manage browser policies from the dashboard

Additional Resources

For more information about policy management, refer to NinjaOne Policies: Resource Catalog.