Windows 10: Microsoft Edge has inherited Internet Explorer's security holes

Microsoft Edge was supposed to be a fresh start for the Redmond technology firm

 

MICROSOFT hoped its new minimalist Edge web browser would be a fresh start for the company. But it turns out, that's not quite how it happened.

 

Microsoft Edge, which is a failure compared to rival browsers from Google and Mozilla, was supposed to be a revolutionary new browser for Windows 10.

With deep Cortana integration across the web, support to annotate webpages using a stylus and a stripped-back reading mode, there is a lot to like about Microsoft Edge.

But underneath the shiny new functionality, Microsoft Edge suffers from many of the same security holes as Internet Explorer.

 

Infoworld writer and researcher, Woody Leonhard is suspicious that Edge has been built on "a rotten old foundation."

"Looking at yesterday's Patch Tuesday announcement and the one for November has me wondering how much of this improved security is new bananas – and how much is built on a rotten old foundation.

"For example, yesterday Microsoft released MS15-124, a cumulative update for Internet Explorer, alongside MS15-125, an analogous patch for Microsoft Edge. 

"Out of the 15 CVE holes plugged in Edge, 11 of those same holes were also plugged in IE. 

"Looking back at November's Patch Tuesday, all four of the CVEs fixed by Edge's MS15-113 were also identified as fixed problems with IE's MS15-112.

"That's not a coincidence."

 

Microsoft Edge incorporates Cortana into the web browsing experience

These security flaws are a far cry from the bold promises made by Microsoft Edge senior program manager Crispin Cowan in the months before Windows 10 rolled out worlwide.

"With Microsoft Edge, we want to fundamentally improve security over existing browsers and enable users to confidently experience the web from Windows," he posted in a blog post entitled, Microsoft Edge: Building a safer browser.

"We have designed Microsoft Edge to defend users from increasingly sophisticated and prevalent attacks."

Microsoft is increasingly keen to move users to its new touch-focused web browser and as a result, it has decided to drop support for the vast majority of Internet Explorer users.

 

Users should upgrade to the latest version of Internet Explorer to ensure they are always up-to-date with the latest security patches and updates.

The announcement was made on the Microsoft support pages, " "Beginning January 12, 2016, only the most current version of Internet Explorer available for a supported operating system will receive technical supports and security updates.

"Internet Explorer 11 is the last version of Internet Explorer, and will continue to receive security updates, compatibility fixes, and technical support on Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10."

Millions of people across the globe are still using older versions of Internet Explorer – leaving them open to attacks from hackers and cybercriminals.

 

But despite the latest Microsoft browser being set as the default in Windows 10, users have turned their back on the new software.

According to data from San Francisco-based firm Quantcast, Google Chrome accounts for a staggering 70 per cent of all browser activity on Windows 10 machines.

The news comes after search firm Google announced it too will end support for its hugely popular Chrome browser on some older operating systems by April 2016.

 

Windows Vista, Windows XP, OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, OS X 10.7 Lion and OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will no longer be supported.

The April 2016 deadline is actually an extension to the lifecycle of Google Chrome on Windows XP.

Google announced in October 2013 that support for Chrome on XP would end by April 2015, before pushing that deadline back to December 2015.

To ensure you are running the latest version of Internet Explorer, visit the official Microsoft website and hit download.