Microsoft’s Edge browser is a ground-up project for the company. However, while there is a lot of Edge work to be done, Microsoft has achieved a lot with the browser. A new report from NSS Labs shows that the Microsoft Edge browser is more secure than its rivals.
Those rivals are Google Chrome and Mozilla’s Firefox, the former of which is the browser market leader. In its tests, NSS Labs looked at Version 53.0.2785 of Google Chrome, 38.14393.0.0 of Microsoft Edge, and 48.0.2 of Mozilla Firefox.
The researchers put the browsers against a number of malware and phishing attacks during September and October. Interestingly, the results show Microsoft Edge on top with a 91.4% success rate at stopping phishing attacks. It was even better at blocking malware, with a 99% success rate.
Chrome was next with 82.4% for phishing and 85.8% for malware. Firefox struggled with 81.4% of phishing attacks stopped and 78.3% of malware attacks stopped. In its introduction to the report, NSS Labs explains why it is important for browsers to stop such attacks:
“Phishing attacks pose a significant risk to individuals and organizations alike, by threatening to compromise or acquire sensitive personal and corporate information…. Phishing attacks are becoming more complex and sophisticated, making these attacks harder to detect and difficult to prevent.”
Microsoft Edge Growth
While Microsoft’s new browser has struggled to gain much market share, as a service it has improved. The company has admitted it is playing a long game with Edge. The entire platform is new, a from-scratch creation to replace Internet Explorer.
The company knew that this approach would leave Edge trailing behind Chrome at first. Indeed, in many user-end aspects, the browser is still lacking. Microsoft addressed some of the balance with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. That release brought with it web extensions, which has expanded the functionality and usefulness of Microsoft Edge.
However, more important to Microsoft has been creating a solid foundation for the browser. The company has underpinned Edge with strong security measures and has focused on efficiency. That efficiency was put to the test through a mini browser war this year, where Edge was found to be the best web browser for battery life.
