Microsoft Edge for macOS receives interesting security updates

Microsoft Edge for macOS receives interesting security updates Super Duper safe mode for the Microsoft Edge browser is in development for macOS, a feature that should improve browser security without impacting performance by disabling the "Just-in-Time-Compilation" JavaScript interpreter in Edge. As reported by MSPoweruser, using the JIT engine can improve website performance, but Microsoft's browser vulnerability research team suggests that its use could be responsible for a large number of browser vulnerabilities. "Performance and complexity often come at a cost, and we often bear that cost in the form of security bugs and subsequent fixes," Microsoft explains. "Examination of CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) data after 2019 shows that approximately 45% of CVEs issued for V8s were related to the JIT engine."

Some popular sites like Youtube and Facebook will have it disabled for now. Our plan is to allow users to control which sites work without SDSM, but we still need to implement the logic and find a good default value. August 24, 2021 See more

Security support for Mac devices running Edge

Super Duper Secure Mode might sound like a name that was coined on the spot, and Microsoft notes that it will likely switch to something a bit more "professional" in the future, but the feature has been around on Windows devices ever since. and is already available to test on Edge Beta, Dev, and Canary (albeit behind an experimental flag). As mentioned in Johnathan Norman's tweet above, the feature will be disabled by default for all Edge Insiders on a handful of websites like FaceBook and YouTube due to issues where SDSM causes them to break. Despite this, Microsoft plans to let its users control the feature and where it can be applied in a future update. Microsoft expects Super Duper Secure Mode to be "something that will change the landscape for modern exploits and dramatically increase the cost of operations for attackers." There's still a lot of testing to be done on Insider channels before it's generally available on macOS, but if you're particularly interested, you can try out the current version of Super Duper Secure Mode on the Microsoft Insider Canary branch.

Microsoft Defender endpoint graph

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Additional security for M1-based Macs

SDSM isn't the only thing Microsoft has in store for Mac users, with an announcement published on August 25 confirming that Defender for Endpoint has now been updated to include native support for Mac M1 and Apple Silicon, so users won't they will be needed. use the Rosetta 2 emulator to use the software. "The update will deliver our latest unified package designed to work seamlessly on Intel and M1-based Mac devices," program manager Helen Allas writes on the official Microsoft blog. "With native support for M1, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on Mac no longer requires the Rosetta 2 emulator to run on M1-based Big Sur devices. Microsoft Defender for Endpoint does not explicitly take any action on Rosetta 2. If Rosetta 2 is no longer needed on a device, it is the responsibility of the user or organization to remove it."

Analysis: Mac users are thriving right now

Macbook Pro M1

(Image credit: Avenir) While Mac owners have historically used tools like Apple Rosetta to run applications that aren't optimized, the continued development of native support for the new M1 architecture has been welcome. Although useful, emulation almost always results in decreased performance because valuable computing resources are required for translation. Considering how frequently web browsers are used, any drop in performance is very noticeable and can be a frustrating experience if you rely on emulation to perform necessary tasks. Fortunately, many updates and features have been released in the past few months since the release of the M1 SoC, which means that many applications that require emulation can now run natively. As Apple continues to move away from Intel chips towards its own custom silicon, we'd expect users to rely less on Rosetta 2. With new products expected to hit shelves in the coming months (notable new Apple models are expected to MacBook Pros with a powerful new M1X SoC) and available inventory thanks to Apple's leading chip supplier TSMC, which prioritizes Apple controls, now is a great time. to be a Mac user. Today's best Apple Macbook Pro 13" (M1 2020) deals

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