Abstract
Browser-based intrusion detection is commonly presented in the literature as a machine learning problem, with emphasis placed on classifier accuracy, precision, and recall. This paper instead examined it as a software engineering and deployment challenge. Specifically, it investigated the architectural decisions required to implement a browser-based intrusion detection system that is maintainable, scalable, and compatible with the operational constraints of modern browser extension platforms. Using a threetier browser-based intrusion detection framework as a case study, the paper analysed the engineering decisions made across the Browser Extension Layer, Backend Intelligence Layer, and Dashboard and Storage Layer. At the client side, the study discusses how the Chrome Manifest V3 service-worker execution model influences state management, permission scoping, and resource utilization. At the backend, it examined request handling, machine learning model loading, and stateless API design to support efficient inference and horizontal scalability. The persistence layer is analysed with respect to database schema design, concurrent write handling, and audit-trail integrity using PostgreSQL. Rather than evaluating detection performance, the paper focused on deployment architecture, separation of concerns, scalability, and maintainability, highlighting the trade-offs associated with each engineering decision. The analysis identified practical deployment challenges, including ephemeral serviceworker state, per-process machine learning model memory overhead, and development-specific configuration constraints, that must be addressed before a prototype can be deployed in production. By documenting these implementation-level decisions and their operational implications, the paper provided a practical reference for researchers and software engineers designing browser-native intrusion detection systems and contributes to the relatively limited literature on end-to-end architectural design for browser-based security frameworks.
Keywords: Service worker constraints, browser-based security tooling, browser-based intrusion detection, Chrome Extension, Manifest V3, Intrusion Detection System (IDS), Real-time security monitoring, Software architecture.
Authors:
Oluwasegun Godwin Bamisaye
Department of Cyber Security, Faculty of Computing, Air Force Institute of
Technology, Kaduna, Nigeria
Corresponding Author Email: godwinbamisaye3@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5429-5874
Osichinaka Chiedu Ubadike
Department of Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Air Engineering
Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna, Nigeria
Email: oc.ubadike@afit.edu.ng
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5186-0911
Freeman Bitrus
Department of Cyber Security, Faculty of Computing, Air Force Institute of
Technology, Kaduna, Nigeria
Email: freemanbitrus70@gmail.com
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9964-5128
Samson Adeyinka
Department of Cyber Security, Faculty of Computing, Air Force Institute of
Technology, Kaduna, Nigeria
Email: samson.adeyinka@afit.edu.ng
ORCID:
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9361-7337
Adeniran Kolade Ademuwagun
Department of Cyber Security, Faculty of Computing, Air Force Institute of
Technology, Kaduna, Nigeria
Email: kolade.ademuwagun@afit.edu.ng
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0206-2120
