14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft Edge will soon get a feature to block malicious apps that aren’t necessarily malware, as the software giant is working on boosting the security arsenal of its Chromium-based browser.
The new version of Microsoft Edge launched earlier this month on Windows and Mac, and according to a recent discovery, the Redmond tech firm is already working on a series of major improvements.
One of them is a feature to “block potentially unwanted apps,” which specifically refers to applications that aren’t flagged as malware, but which users might not want anyway. These include cypto miners that are hiding inside what appear to be legitimate apps, toolbars, or applications that would eventually spam users with ads and notifications.
According to Microsoft, this feature can “block downloads of low-reputation apps that might cause unexpected behaviors.”
Microsoft Edge can already block malicious downloads using Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, a feature that is similar to Google’s Safe Browsing.
Possibly coming in February update
However, this new functionality is different because it doesn’t necessarily target infected apps, Microsoft product manager Eric Lawrence explains.
“Base SmartScreen and SafeBrowsing both block malware. The feature shown here goes further by optionally blocking downloads that contain potentially unwanted (but not technically malware) code-- think a utility app that also bundles in a crypto miner or notification spammer,” he explained.
The feature is already available in beta builds of Microsoft Edge, and it’s expected to make its debut in the production version of the browser next month. Microsoft has already announced the first major update for the stable Edge browser is coming in February, but further details would be offered closer to launch.
At this point, it’s not known if the new feature comes enabled by default in Microsoft Edge, but Microsoft will add a dedicated option in the settings screen anyway, so pretty much anyone can activate it manually in a matter of seconds.