Microsoft is bringing Windows Defender Application Guard to more via a Chrome and Firefox extension. With a few clicks, Windows 10 users can tap into their OSes security system to enable isolated browser sessions.
“When users navigate to a site, the extension checks the URL against a list of enterprise sites defined by enterprise administrators. If the site is determined to be untrusted, the user is redirected to an isolated Microsoft Edge session,” explained Microsoft. “In the isolated Microsoft Edge session, the user can freely navigate to any site that has not been explicitly defined as enterprise-trusted by their organization without any risk to the rest of system.”
To enable the functionality, users must also have Application Guard installed from the Microsoft Store. As the browsers don't have native support for this feature, malicious sites will open automatically in a Microsoft Edge session. If the user tries to open an enterprise site in the same, potentially compromised session, they'll be directed back to the default browser.
Security for All
The move by Microsoft is one that axes a selling point for Microsoft Edge. You'll no longer have to use the browser for this useful security feature.
From a security and enterprise standpoint, though, it's the right move. The company has a vested interest in keeping its Office 365 and cloud customers hack-free. With Microsoft's shift from EdgeHTML to Chromium, it's become more open about the web, which can only be a good thing for consumers.
You can grab Application Guard today for Chrome and Firefox, provided you're on Windows 10 Professional, Enterprise, or Education at version 1803 or later.
