HomeWinBuzzer NewsMicrosoft's Application Guard Extension Brings Hardware-Based Isolation to Chrome and Firefox

Microsoft’s Application Guard Extension Brings Hardware-Based Isolation to Chrome and Firefox

Application Guard for Chrome and Firefox lets users automatically open suspicious links in an isolated Edge instance, saving them from potential malware and data theft.

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is bringing Windows Defender Application Guard to more via a Chrome and extension. With a few clicks, 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 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 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.

SourceMicrosoft
Ryan Maskell
Ryan Maskellhttps://ryanmaskell.co.uk
Ryan has had a passion for gaming and technology since early childhood. Fusing the skills from his Creative Writing and Publishing degree with profound technical knowledge, he enjoys covering news about Microsoft. As an avid writer, he is also working on his debut novel.

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