Microsoft vows to secure Edge browser for enterprises

Windows Defender Application Guard stops Windows 10 from running untrusted browser sessions

At Microsoft’s annual Ignite conference they announced their intention to make their Edge browser more safer for businesses by introducing Windows Defender Application Guard, this will stop Windows 10 from opening up untrusted web browsers.

When users click on links in web browsers, this opens untrusted sessions, the application will utilise virtualisation to open this web browser in a contained area heading directly for the hardware, this means that any malware does not get onto the machine and prevents infection for the remainder of the computer and or the network.

Even though the code will still run in the sandbox/contained area, Microsoft are saying the contained area acts as a “maximum security prison”, this avoids the malware from going any further.

Microsoft has made it easier for enterprises to download and install this software because it has embedded this straight into the Edge browser inside Windows 10.

Whilst Windows Defender Application is not going to be available to everyone immediately, it will be rolled out to the members of the Windows Insider programme in weeks to come, this will help iron out usability creases or bugs, enterprises will have the option to install in early 2017. Other users will need to wait until an undetermined time later in the year.

In addition Microsoft has announced a range of other security tools for their enterprises covering Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection, this stops employees from clicking on malicious URLs on Sharepoint, OneDrive for Business, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

This is going to communicate with Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protections (WDATP), the aim of this is to help IT staff better investigate and manage threats when they show up.