Rethinking the Web Browser in 2025: Unsolved Challenges in Performance, Security, and Privacy

As web browsers evolve to meet increasingly complex demands, a growing body of research reveals persistent challenges in performance, security, and user experience. This comprehensive analysis examines the key issues facing modern browsers in 2025 and their implications for users and organizations.

Performance and Resource Management Challenges

Browser performance remains a critical concern, with significant variations in resource management across platforms. Recent testing by SlashGear reveals that browsers like Chrome and Edge struggle with RAM consumption, using 1GB+ with minimal tabs, while Firefox leads in efficiency at 680–700 MB. These findings expose systemic memory management flaws in Chromium-based architectures.

CPU usage presents another challenge, with stress tests showing spikes to 90%+ in Chrome and Brave under multi-tab loads. Meanwhile, Interaction Next Paint (INP) delays persist due to JavaScript execution bottlenecks and third-party script overhead, requiring advanced optimization techniques like code-splitting and Web Workers to mitigate input lag.

Security Vulnerabilities and Exploits

Browser security faces unprecedented challenges in 2025. The CVE-2025-4664 vulnerability enables attackers to steal OAuth tokens via insecure referrer policies, bypassing multi-factor authentication and exposing billions of Chrome users to account takeovers. More concerning, unpatched Windows vulnerabilities enable remote code execution via browser-based attacks, highlighting cross-platform security gaps.

Firefox users aren't immune, with critical flaws like CVE-2025-4918 (out-of-bounds Promise access) and CVE-2025-4919 (array index confusion) exposing users to arbitrary code execution.

Privacy and Tracking Concerns

Privacy challenges have evolved beyond traditional tracking methods. Advanced fingerprinting techniques using Canvas, WebGL, and font detection render traditional privacy tools ineffective, complicating anti-detect browser development. Despite innovations like encrypted DNS and decentralized identity systems, browsers like Chrome face GDPR violations for covert cross-device tracking via Privacy Sandbox features.

Compatibility and Rendering Issues

Cross-browser compatibility remains a significant challenge. JavaScript engine disparities between V8 and SpiderMonkey cause rendering inconsistencies in AJAX and Fetch API implementations. As noted in MDN's browser architecture guide, single-threaded architectures and latency bottlenecks persist, limiting real-time responsiveness for modern web applications despite advancements in parallel processing.

User Experience and Maintenance Hurdles

Browser maintenance and optimization present ongoing challenges. Outdated extensions and cache overload degrade performance, with 40% of users unaware of manual cleanup requirements. Frequent crashes and compatibility errors in legacy systems persist, requiring polyfills and feature detection workarounds.

Enterprise and Infrastructure Risks

Enterprise environments face unique challenges. Software failures highlight dependencies on external factors like network speed and hardware capabilities. Meanwhile, monitoring tools struggle with inconsistent Web Vitals data across devices, masking performance issues on low-end smartphones and throttled networks.

Looking Ahead

The web browser landscape in 2025 faces a complex set of challenges: a security crisis marked by zero-day exploits and sandbox escapes, resource bloat in Chromium-based browsers, privacy paradoxes in tracking prevention, rendering fragmentation across platforms, and widespread user misconceptions about privacy features. These issues underscore the urgent need for architectural overhauls in memory management, standardized security protocols, and transparent privacy controls to meet the evolving demands of the web ecosystem.