New Microsoft Edge based on Chromium comes integrated with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen and protects users against malicious sites and downloads. It even blocks downloads of Potential Unwanted Applications out of the box. Microsoft now testing to replace Edge’s “current method of protecting against potentially harmful browser navigations” with Microsoft Defender SmartScreen.
Google Chrome with Google’s Safe Browsing feature built-in warns when you navigate to phishing and dangerous sites, it also blocks insecure and harmful downloads.
New Microsoft Edge based on Chromium, that uses Chrome’s ad blocker, doesn’t use Safe Browsing but uses Microsoft Defender SmartScreen.
If you visit Edge Privacy and Services settings, you’ll notice Edge has the following settings enabled to protect you from bad sites and PUAs.
- Microsoft Defender SmartScreen
- Block Potentially Unwanted Apps
Today, Microsoft added a new flag “Microsoft Defender SmartScreen Navigation Throttle” to Edge Canary 86.0.592.0, you can find more information about it below:
Edge SmartScreen throttle Nav is an “under the hood improvement that changes the way SmartScreen integrates into the Navigation pipeline. I am sure the expectation is that it has no user-visible impact ” Edge developer, Eric Lawrence said to Techdows.
In Chromium, a navigation throttle is defined as an ” architectural pattern for canceling or delaying navigation of a frame.” Eric added.
To enable the new security feature in Edge
1.Visit edge://flags
2.Search for “Microsoft Defender SmartScreen Navigation Throttle ”
3. Select “Enabled” from the dropdown and restart the browser.
As said by Edge developer above, you may not see any visual changes the way SmartScreen feature functions, but this further improves the way Edge protects against harmful sites.
Related articles:
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Microsoft Chromium Edge can now block Potentially Unwanted Application downloads
Beware! Chrome/Chromium Edge flags downloads as harmful if you turn off this Security Setting
Microsoft Edge 83 is rolling out with Extension Sync and Security improvements [changelog]