Microsoft Edge's Private Browsing Mode Isn't Actually Private (betanews.com)

JustAnotherOldGuy writes: The forensic examination of most web browsers has proven that they don't have a provision for storing the details of privately browsed web sessions. However, in the case of Microsoft Edge, the private browsing isn't as private as it seems. Previous investigations of the browser have resulted in revealing that websites visited in private mode are also stored in the browser's WebCache file. The Container_n table stores web history, and a field named 'Flag' with a value of '8' shows that website was visited in private mode. An investigator can easily spot the difference and use this evidence against a person. The not-so-private browsing featured by Edge makes its very purpose seem to fail, and you can't help but ask how such a fundamental aspect of private browsing could be so fantastically borked. It beggars belief.

Comments

Re:From the people who brought us 10

[GrahamCox]

Wrong. I don't know about Google, but I do know about Safari. When it's in private mode, all of the data that is normally saved to disk for any purpose is stored in encrypted memory, so within a private session, you get the benefit of caching, go forward/back, etc. But once you close the private window, all that encrypted memory is erased and released. Apps using the NSURLSession APIs can do exactly the same thing.

Re:Private mode and forensics

[vux984]

Even so, if you put the safety on on your gun, that doesn't make the weapon truly and completely safe and nobody is suggesting it does.

But can you imagine if putting the safety on merely lowered the muzzle velocity by 5%?

Or a door lock that simply turned a red LED on some dashboard somewhere labelled locked, and nothing else.

There is not, and never will be, a truly "private" browsing experience, regardless of browser.

But some browsers actually do a little more than next to NOTHING to remove the session history from the local PC.

Re:First Post?

[hairyfeet]

Considering how much spying is baked into Windows 10 frankly the thought that anything done in that OS is "private" is beyond belief.