Skip to main content

Microsoft Edge Is Not As Secure As Chrome Or Firefox, Sharing URLs And IDs For Computers: Researchers Find

New research shows that, unlike other common browsers Microsoft Edge is one of the world's least private web browsers, it offers computer hardware-linked identifiers, and web pages visited for users to backend servers. Such knowledge can be used over time to erase anonymity, delete their privacy, and reveal their browsing history to anyone. The trial of Trinity College researchers in Dublin has compared Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Brave Browser, Microsoft Edge, and Yandex Browsers to the less privately-owned Microsoft Edge and Yandex Browsers. Since intrusive monitoring raises concerns about privacy and digital security, Microsoft's lax approach raises questions about how Edge works.



Douglas J. Leith of the School of Computer Science and Statistics reports on the fact that Microsoft Edge and Yandex Browsers had the least private browsers of all tested browsers, while Brave was the most private browser, and others such as Chrome and Firefox are somewhere in the middle. The study says, "Edge sends a clear and permanent identifier, which can not be easily modified or removed, the device's hardware UUID (universally unique identifier). To make it worse, Edge has an automated search feature that shares details of visited web pages, transfers web pages information to servers which are not autocompleted. Fortunately, users can turn this feature off.

The autocomplete option is not just Edge's, but Chrome and Firefox are the same too. However, it is only Edge and Yandex, as far as researchers could find, that tracks user hardware in a manner which can not be disabled.

A similar concern was also posed last year with Microsoft Edge when a security researcher named Matt Weeks who had previously worked for the NSA and the United States Air Force Technology Institute tweeted about the browser defect. It dug in the script and found out Edge's non-anonymous "sending the full URL of pages you visit to Microsoft" (less a few popular web sites). He also posted a screenshot of his web site and username file. It seems like Microsoft has not patched the holes in Edge's stability, even though this has been an issue in the past.

It was also found that Microsoft Edge sends persistent identifiers that can be used for the connection to the back-end servers of requests (and IP address/location). It says, "the findings of this study have led to ongoing debates about browser improvements, including requiring users to auto-complete their search when initially starting and other browser improvements."


Video Source: TechGumbo

In contrast with Apple and Microsoft, researchers have noted that "We have continuously been able to communicate with developers of open-source browser (Chrome, Firefox, Brave)," helping the former companies create and incorporate new safety features with input from a wide audience.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

iPhone 12 : Lineup At Least One Feature With 'World-Facing' 3D Depth Camera

The iPhone 12 is months out, but it's back in the news for his camera this time. A recent report suggests that Apple will add at least one iPhone model rear-camera to a world-facing 3D depth camera in an attempt to boost camera performance but, more significantly, to bring the quality of its augmented reality (AR) up to a whole new level. Earlier, we claimed that the iPhone model of the next generation was rumored that they keep a three-fold rear camera setup which could be a 64-megapixel primary sensor and a Time-of-Flight (ToF)–basically a 3D camera that faces the world–intact. The world face refers to the back, where the front camera is facing or facing itself. If reports are accurate, a quad-camera configuration is possible for any of the iPhone 12 models (most possibly the Pro Max version), but the latest article does not include any information on this front. This is not likely. According to the study by Fast Company , Apple's engineers work for at leas...

OnePlus Pods True Wireless Earbuds - Sold Through Amazon India

OnePlus may soon reveal its original wireless earbuds, which should be renamed OnePlus Pods, although it is now releasing new headphones that have yet to be unveiled. Meanwhile, a Tipster proposed the listing of earbuds on the subscription portal of Amazon India and suggested that the retailer should publish them.  OnePlus is claimed to have also been approved by Finnish agency SGS Fimko for TWS earbuds. When introduced, this is the first one from OnePlus, the True Wireless Stereo(TWS). The new headphones are also scheduled to arrive next to OnePlus Nord on 21 July. OnePlus India shared a preview on its Twitter account earlier today. The company shared a photo of their Wireless Bullets, Wireless Bullets 2, and Wireless Z Bullets with the following titles: "A throwback picture? Not quite. A sign of what's next in line? Maybe." Tipster Mukul Sharma tweeted at the same time that OnePlus TWS headphones were listed in Amazon India's subscription site. This further fuelle...

Vivo V19 With Company Teased Selfie Cameras With Dual-Hole-Punch, Launched in India Soon

Vivo is scheduled in India under its V-series to introduce a new camera-centered phone. The telephone is the Vivo V19 . However, the version that will be introduced in India will possibly vary slightly from what was introduced earlier this week in Indonesia. We are thinking explicitly about the Vivo V19 model, which the division of the business in Malaysia teases last year and packs two-pilot selfie cameras. Vivo allegedly calls it a Dual I display but it looks just like one that we have seen on a lot of recently released phones such as Realme 6 Pro, Poco X2 and the Indian version of the Oppo Reno 3 Pro. According to an IndiToday story, the Vivo V19 is soon to be released in India. The phone will also concentrate on its mastery of light-fast images, while for double-punched selfie cameras, as the Vivo Malaysia Twitter teaser calls Vivo V19. The teaser from Vivo Malaysia's Instagram also shows double-hole selfie punch cameras from a different perspective, suggesting it...