Microsoft Edge 96 Stable with Duper Secure Mode now available (changelog)

Today Microsoft released Microsoft Edge Build 96.0.1054.29 as part of their regular 4-weekly update cycle.

The update brings Webview improvements, new PWA features and Quick Links for Office apps, but the most interesting is probable a new Super Dooper Secure Mode which users can enable on dodgy sites.

The Super Duper Secure Mode in Edge disables the JIT and enables new security mitigations. These include enabling the new Controlflow Enforcement Technology (CET) in Edge render process and in the future adding support for Web Assembly, Arbitrary Code Guard (ACG), and other new security mitigations.

Microsoft hopes Super Duper Secure Mode will be  ”something that changes the modern exploit landscape and significantly raises the cost of exploitation for attackers”.

See the full changelog below:

Feature updates

• Cloud Site List Management for IE mode in Public Preview. Cloud Site List Management lets you manage your site lists for IE mode in the cloud without needing an on-premises infrastructure to host your organization’s site list. You can access the Cloud Site List Management feature using the Microsoft Edge Site Lists experience in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. To learn more, see the Cloud Site List Management for IE mode (Public Preview) article.
• Improved handoff between IE mode and the modern browser. Starting with this version of Microsoft Edge, navigations between Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer mode will include form data and additional HTTP headers. Referrer headers, post data, forms data, and request methods will be forwarded correctly across the two experiences. You can specify which data types should be included using the InternetExplorerIntegrationComplexNavDataTypes policy. For more information, see this FAQ: My application requires transferring POST data between IE mode and Microsoft Edge. Is this supported?
• Update Microsoft Edge WebWiew2 using WSUS. IT Admins using Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) to update Microsoft Edge will also be able to update Microsoft Edge WebView2 using WSUS. This capability gives admins an easier servicing process for offline devices.
• WSUS updates for Server. WSUS and Catalog updates for Microsoft Edge channels (Stable, Beta, and Dev) will now apply to Windows Server SKUs that have Microsoft Edge installed, including Windows Server 2022. For more information on how to configure WSUS updates for Microsoft Edge, see Update Microsoft Edge.
• Microsoft Edge AutoLaunch Protocols Component. Microsoft Edge 96 introduces the AutoLaunch Protocols Component that contains lists of scheme-origin dictionaries to automatically allow or block. This protects customers from dangerous schemes (for example, a protocol handler with a 0-day) while eliminating prompts from known-safe pairings (for example, the Teams website can open the Teams client app). If for some reason, you don’t want Microsoft Edge to block vulnerable protocol handlers and allow known-safe pairings, use the toggle in edge://settings/content/applicationLinks, or set the AutoLaunchProtocolsComponentEnabled policy to False.
• Launch Progressive Web App (PWA) directly via protocol links. Let installed PWAs handle links that use a specific protocol for a more integrated experience.
• Quickly view Office files in the browser. Users can now view Office files including documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that they come across while browsing on Microsoft Edge right in the browser without needing to download the file and then open it in a different application. There will be no changes in the file open experience for Office files that are hosted on OneDrive or SharePoint.
• Freeform highlighting on PDFs. The PDF viewing and markup experience is improved with the addition of freeform highlighters. You can highlight sections in PDFs that you don’t have access to, and scanned documents.
• New warning dialog for typosquatting sites. The browser will show a warning on some sites with URLs that look very similar to other sites. This UI uses client-side heuristics to warn users about sites that might be spoofing popular web sites. For more information, see What is typosquatting?.
• Dictionary added to mini-toolbar in Immersive Reader. We’re adding dictionary functionality to the mini-toolbar to assist in your reading and research. You’ll be able to look up the spelling and definitions of words more quickly and easily in the Immersive Reader experience.
• Learn how to solve math problems with Math Solver. We’re excited to announce that you can use Math Solver in Microsoft Edge to get help with a wide range of mathematical concepts. These concepts range from elementary arithmetic and quadratic equations to trigonometry and calculus. Math Solver lets you take a picture of a handwritten or printed math problem and then provides an instant solution with step-by-step instructions to help you learn how to reach the solution without help. Math Solver also comes with a mathematical keyboard that you can use to easily type math problems. This keyboard eliminates the need to search around a traditional keyboard to find the math characters you need. After solving your problem, Math Solver provides options to continue learning with quizzes, worksheets, and video tutorials.

Policy updates

New Policies

• ApplicationGuardUploadBlockingEnabled Prevents files from being uploaded while in Application Guard
• AudioProcessHighPriorityEnabled Allow the audio process to run with priority above normal on Windows
• AutoLaunchProtocolsComponentEnabled AutoLaunch Protocols Component Enabled
• BrowserLegacyExtensionPointsBlockingEnabled Enable browser legacy extension point blocking
• CrossOriginWebAssemblyModuleSharingEnabled Specifies whether WebAssembly modules can be sent cross-origin
• DisplayCapturePermissionsPolicyEnabled Specifies whether the display-capture permissions-policy is checked or skipped
• EfficiencyMode Configure when efficiency mode should become active
• ForceSyncTypes Configure the list of types that are included for synchronization
• InternetExplorerIntegrationComplexNavDataTypes Configure whether form data and HTTP headers will be sent when entering or exiting Internet Explorer mode
• InternetExplorerModeToolbarButtonEnabled Show the Reload in Internet Explorer mode button in the toolbar
• InternetExplorerIntegrationWindowOpenHeightAdjustment Configure the pixel adjustment between window.open heights sourced from IE mode pages vs. Edge mode pages
• InternetExplorerIntegrationWindowOpenWidthAdjustment Configure the pixel adjustment between window.open widths sourced from IE mode pages vs. Edge mode pages
• IntranetFileLinksEnabled Allow intranet zone file URL links from Microsoft Edge to open in Windows File Explorer
• NewSmartScreenLibraryEnabled Enable new SmartScreen library
• PrintPostScriptMode Print PostScript Mode
• PrintRasterizePdfDpi Print Rasterize PDF DPI
• RendererAppContainerEnabled Enable renderer in app container
• ShadowStackCrashRollbackBehavior Configure ShadowStack crash rollback behavior
• SharedLinksEnabled Show links shared from Microsoft 365 apps in History
• TyposquattingCheckerEnabled Configure Edge TyposquattingChecker
• VisualSearchEnabled Visual search enabled

The latest version of the Edge browser can be installed simply by restarting your browser.