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Microsoft Tests a Secured Edge Browser For Business (techradar.com)

Posted by msmash on from the sandbox-ftw dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft is in the testing stage of a new feature in its Edge browser for Windows 10 that is malware-proof as it partitions the browser window from the rest of the computer. This will be a welcome addition for users who are worried about the legitimacy of sites they want to visit. The new feature, catchily dubbed Windows Defender Application Guard, is part of the recently launched Windows Insider Previews. In order to access it you'll need to be a member of Microsoft's business service Enterprise, and have your settings calibrated so you're in the testing group called Fast Ring. Application Guard works by creating a virtual PC that is entirely separate from all storage, other apps, and the Windows 10 Kernel, meaning that the browser should be completely impervious to malware.

44 of 66 comments (clear)

  1. Is it only me that reads this as by Pope+Raymond+Lama · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Microsoft attests Edge browser is insecure by nature" as it does try to develop a separate "secure one"?

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    1. Re:Is it only me that reads this as by DaveM753 · · Score: 1

      That's the way I read it, too.

    2. Re: Is it only me that reads this as by bobmajdakjr · · Score: 1

      yep. microsoft will apparently never succeed at unified products. ex w8 unified, w10 unified, and now apparently the browser they never even finished.

    3. Re:Is it only me that reads this as by jbmartin6 · · Score: 1

      Is that what any developer is attesting when they introduce a security improvement? The "secured" term is added by the submitter, TFA says "malware proof" which is just as bad but in a different way.

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    4. Re:Is it only me that reads this as by arglebargle_xiv · · Score: 1

      "Microsoft develops secure Edge browser that tries to lock out third-party malware and spyware". Makes sense, they've always hated competition.

    5. Re:Is it only me that reads this as by greenfruitsalad · · Score: 1

      i read it as: "only enterprise customers can browse porn safely"

  2. Edge-tanic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    And we dub it Edge-tanic. Meanwhile, the rest of us wonder why only businesses get a malware proof browser.

    1. Re:Edge-tanic by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 1

      Isn't this essentially just running an instance of Windows 10 S?

  3. yeah, no by slashdice · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's like telling your wife you wore a condom every time you visited a whore house in Haiti.

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    1. Re:yeah, no by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      What do you suggest?

      Not visiting Haiti?

    2. Re:yeah, no by dreamchaser · · Score: 2

      No, just bring your mistress instead of hiring prostitutes!

    3. Re:yeah, no by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 2

      'That time I hired a call girl to do my taxes while I fucked my accountant' - McAfee

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    4. Re:yeah, no by slashdice · · Score: 1

      1st RULE: You do not talk to your wife about FUCK CLUB.

      2nd RULE: You DO NOT talk to your wife about FUCK CLUB.

      3rd RULE: If someone says "stop" or goes limp, taps out the fuck is over.

      4th RULE: Only two guys to a fuck.

      5th RULE: One fuck at a time.

      6th RULE: No shirts, no shoes.

      7th RULE: Fucks will go on as long as they have to.

      8th RULE: If this is your first fuck at FUCK CLUB, you HAVE to fuck.

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  4. So in other words... by MightyMartian · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It's a copy of Edge running in a virtual machine. How else would it be "separate from the kernel"?

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    1. Re:So in other words... by freeze128 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You know what else is "separate from the kernel"? Every other web browser.

    2. Re:So in other words... by the_skywise · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well if you (and I know this is slashdot) RTFA...

      "Application Guard works by creating a virtual PC that is entirely separate from all storage, other apps, and the Windows 10 Kernel, meaning that the browser should be completely impervious to malware."

      Except.. .you still need to be able to download files and I presume those would be in shared spaces outside the VM and install web apps/plug-ins which have to be saved outside the VM too. (Presuming you destroy/recreate the VM if it gets corrupted as you'd still want to keep the apps, cookie settings, bookmarks, passwords etc between nuke and paves so they have to be stored outside the sandbox.) That's still the exact same security risk as browsers have now... they're just moving the access points.

    3. Re: So in other words... by bobmajdakjr · · Score: 1

      lol nice. ahca wont cover that sick burn since op's bad thought was a pre existing condition.

    4. Re:So in other words... by omnichad · · Score: 1

      Yup. Infecting the VM is just as bad, unless you want to sacrifice having any permanence of anything (settings included) in the browser.

    5. Re:So in other words... by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 2

      I like the way Qubes OS is handling it.
      https://www.qubes-os.org/video-tours/
      It's almost like MS watched some of the videos...

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    6. Re:So in other words... by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      Look, but don't touch.

      Sounds like you will only be able to work in the cloud.

      Microsoft has just invented the Chromebook!

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    7. Re:So in other words... by ColdWetDog · · Score: 5, Funny

      Psychical machine?

      A PC that is bat-shit crazy? One that can divine future events and talk to dead people?

      Your ideas intrigue me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  5. Riiight... by ausekilis · · Score: 2

    Because nobody has escaped a VM before. It may be difficult, but to say "impossible" is only challenging the hackers of the world.

    1. Re:Riiight... by Luthair · · Score: 2

      At pwn2own someone(s) actually managed to break out of Edge and vmware - https://arstechnica.com/securi...

  6. Still trying to force feed browsers... by evolutionary · · Score: 3, Insightful

    MS never learns. they are still trying to force feed their browser and are probably going to get slapped by the EU commission and possibly a few others fro anti-trust violatios. Windows 10 S was a real interesting POS. "Get Windows 10 Professional to get default browser change ability". WTF. Time for Linux, unless you are a gamer I guess.

    --
    "Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
    1. Re:Still trying to force feed browsers... by nuckfuts · · Score: 1

      Force feed? I wish I had a dime for every time I've had to opt out of installing Chrome.

    2. Re:Still trying to force feed browsers... by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I'm not able to remove Safari from my iPhone. How is this different?

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    3. Re:Still trying to force feed browsers... by evolutionary · · Score: 1

      It's not Math: 2 wrongs don't make a right here. ;-)

      --
      "Imagination is more important than knowledge" - Einstein
    4. Re:Still trying to force feed browsers... by Desler · · Score: 1

      iOS doesn't have the vast majority of marketshare in mobile?

    5. Re:Still trying to force feed browsers... by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      MS never learns. they are still trying to force feed their browser and are probably going to get slapped by the EU commission and possibly a few others fro anti-trust violatios. Windows 10 S was a real interesting POS. "Get Windows 10 Professional to get default browser change ability".

      Why? How can you violate anti-trust on a product with 0% market share?

    6. Re:Still trying to force feed browsers... by Desler · · Score: 1

      Cool story. Doesn't change the fact that Apple has no monopoly on mobile phone OSes.

  7. "Challenge Accepted" by kdekorte · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Hackers around the world are now saying "Challenge Accepted...". With all the corporate VPNs that work via the browser, I'm sure this is going to cause some compatibility issues somewhere.

    1. Re:"Challenge Accepted" by fustakrakich · · Score: 1

      "malware-proof"... What better challenge is there?

      --
      “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
  8. New business model by WaffleMonster · · Score: 1

    If you don't want to get owned like a poor end user by our insecure malware pay us more money and we'll give you a version that's secure.

    Personally I think it's going to take more than adding another layer of indirection. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    Firefox is on a better track using language imposed constraints (e.g. Rust) to improve security.

  9. Re:Microsoft and Secure... by thegreatbob · · Score: 2

    What about putting the 'not' immediately to the left of Microsoft? Or finishing a sentence with a 'not!' ?

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    There is no XUL, only WebExtensions...
  10. Malware Proof by KlomDark · · Score: 1

    Sounds like "Fool Proof", which I always wondered if it truly meant something was: 1) unassailable by fools, or 2) legal proof that there are, in fact, fools.

    1. Re:Malware Proof by timelorde · · Score: 1

      Reminds me of something I once heard:

      http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0562875/quotes

  11. Businesses don't need to download files by rsilvergun · · Score: 1

    in a lot of cases, which is probably why they're targeting business.

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  12. "for Business"? by jbmartin6 · · Score: 1

    The summary adds the words "for business" to the article, apparently without justification. Yes, the preview is part of the Enterprise offerings at this point, but there's no reason not to assume the final version will be available to everyone.

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    This posting is provided 'AS IS' without warranty of any kind, implied or otherwise.
  13. Strange market by joeflies · · Score: 1

    Maybe the feature is "for users who are worried about the legitimacy of sites they want to visit" AND CLICK ANYWAYS?

    Or maybe the summary is wrong, and it's really a feature for the security team, and not the user.

  14. The problem with browsers and comanies... by acoustix · · Score: 2

    is that there are too many software packages in use by organizations that require legacy support that won't work within many new browsers. My company has software that requires IE9 with outdated plugins that haven't been developed since 2003. It's the only software that the company makes avaivable to interface with their engines. And the same employees have requirements for newer versions of IE, Firefox or Chrome. Then there are the Java apps that won't run in Firefox or Chrome anymore even with the latest Java release installed.

    It's a fricken nightmare anymore.

    --
    "A plan fiendishly clever in its intricacies"- Homer Simpson
    1. Re:The problem with browsers and comanies... by zifn4b · · Score: 1

      is that there are too many software packages in use by organizations that require legacy support that won't work within many new browsers. My company has software that requires IE9 with outdated plugins that haven't been developed since 2003

      That rhetoric used to be true but not anymore. I hate to tell you, your company is the minority and it's becoming more of a minority every day. Several problems with your argument are IE9 runs on which version of Windows again? Oh the one that Microsoft doesn't support anymore. Sources:

      http://www.directionsonmicroso...
      https://support.microsoft.com/...

      I guess you hope you're on Windows 7 and have the extended support. For the rest of us, we're not in the dark ages anymore. It's 2017 for crying out loud. Quirksmode vs. HTML 5, you do the math. How do you deliver a mobile experience with Quirksmode? *cough*

      --
      We'll make great pets
  15. Now, if only they supported this in Windows Server by MobyDisk · · Score: 1

    Windows Server and Windows IOT don't support Edge. Those releases only support Internet Explorer. So it is awesome that they are adding security, but can they please add it to all OS editions? It's silly that servers and small devices are still vulnerable.

  16. Nothing is secure if everyone is inside the fence by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 1

    Microsoft is in the testing stage of a new feature in its Edge browser for Windows 10 that is malware-proof as it partitions the browser window from the rest of the computer.

    Whew! So nobody can see my info except Microsoft, Microsoft's computers back at the ranch, their official keystroke reporter, screen snapshotter reporter, and anybody who pays for Microsoft advertising, including government agencies.

    Finally some security.

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  17. Great idea by senatorpjt · · Score: 1

    This will work well, as long as you never access sensitive information through the web browser. Because nobody ever does that.