Web launch feature request

[Brian Bergin]

I occasionally find devices that I have to manage with Firefox rather than IE 8 or vice versa (like for example, older HP JetDirect print servers).  I’d like an option in the Web Connection to device to open the connection with any browser I have installed vs. the default browser.  Perhaps a drop down box on the open connection screen or something?

Thoughts?

[Christopher Bearman]

This is a nice idea, unfortunately, I do not think that it is feasible.

When running content in a web browser, the code is placed in a restrictive sandbox that limits it's access to the data and function of the host computer. This is to prevent a rogue web application using the browser to harvest data and perform malicious actions on your computer.

The APIs available to open new browser windows provide no way to select a different browser. They will only open a window in the same browser containing the application.

It is also worth noting that we have implemented some security features that ensure that you can only connect to the tunnel from the initial browser that requested the connection. This is why we don't display the URL that you need to connect to. If you attempt to cut and paste it to another browser, the connection would not be allowed.

[Brian Bergin]

This is a utility/support tool and I fear Cisco is being too overly protective. If a malicious software app is on our computers we're already providing usernames & pwds to the site, to WMI, to RDP, to VNC, etc...  You can't protect everyone from themselves 100% of the time.  When I'm in an HTML developers tool I can pick any browser I want to preview HTML code and I'm sure that's because it's a local .exe running it, but if we're going to support customers and they trust us to do it, having clean systems is part of that trust.  My point is we should be making this decision not Cisco on how secure we are or not.

[Michael Holloway]

Hi Brian, Chris was referring to the security sandbox that the web browsers run content inside. In general, web browsers don't provide a mechanism that allows content itself to choose a different (or arbitrary) application to execute the content, that would allow some pretty nasty things to happen on the web.

There are add-ons/extensions such as Google Chrome Frame for IE or IE Tab for Firefox that, through user action, can launch a page in one browser using another browser or rendering engine. Maybe some combination of browser and add-on here can suit your needs.

-mike