The present invention utilizes agents embedded in content delivered to clients across a network to provide client-side security for the data delivered to a client. These embedded agents provide application-specific protection for the delivered content in which they are embedded and eliminate the need for using plug-ins for security functions. Different agents, e.g. programs such as Java applets, are configured having a variety of different client or application specific protection mechanisms, and the agents are dynamically configured, e.g. selected, in accordance with the application, the client to be protected or other environment criteria. Once the agent has been appropriately configured, the agent is embedded in the content, and the content is delivered to the client. Once delivered, the embedded agent is uploaded to the client and executed, providing the configured security protection at the client side for the content in which it was embedded.