Microsoft aims to secure browsing with latest Edge Beta build

What you need to know

• Microsoft recently released Build 98.0.1108.23 for Edge Beta.
• The build includes new security options for administrators to protect against zero-day threats.
• Overlay scrollbars were also added to Edge with the update.

Microsoft rolled out Build 98.0.1108.23 of Edge Beta to Insiders this week. The update adds new security options for administrators and helps people secure their passwords on websites. Overlay scrollbars also come to the browser with the latest Edge Beta build.

Here's what's new in terms of feature updates:

Enhance your security on the web. A browsing mode in Microsoft Edge where the security of your browser takes priority, giving you an extra layer of protection when browsing the web. Administrators can apply the following Group Policies to end-user desktops (Windows, macOS, and Linux) to help protect against zero days. These policies also make that important sites and line of business applications continue to work as expected. This feature is a huge step forward because it lets us mitigate unforeseen active zero days (based on historical trends). When turned on, this feature brings Hardware-enforced Stack Protection, Arbitrary Code Guard (ACG), and Content Flow Guard (CFG) as supporting security mitigations to increase users' security on the web. Group Policies:

• EnhanceSecurityMode
• EnhanceSecurityModeBypassListDomains
• EnhanceSecurityModeEnforceListDomains

Custom primary password. The browser already has the capability where users can add an authentication step before saved passwords are auto-filled in web forms. This adds another layer of privacy and helps prevent unauthorized users from using saved passwords to log on websites. Custom primary password is an evolution of that same feature, where users will now be able to use a custom string of their choice as their primary password. After it's enabled, users will enter this password to authenticate themselves and have their saved passwords auto filled into web forms.

Overlay scrollbars added to Microsoft Edge. We've updated our scrollbars with an overlay-based design. Users can turn this feature on in edge://flags.

Microsoft also rolled out several policy changes with the update:

• AddressBarEditingEnabled - Configure address bar editing.
• EdgeFollowEnabled - Enable Follow service in Microsoft Edge.
• EnhanceSecurityMode - Enhance the security state in Microsoft Edge.
• EnhanceSecurityModeBypassListDomains - Configure the list of domains for which enhance security mode will not be enforced.
• EnhanceSecurityModeEnforceListDomains - Configure the list of domains for which enhance security mode will always be enforced.
• InAppSupportEnabled - In-app support Enabled.
• MicrosoftEdgeInsiderPromotionEnabled - Microsoft Edge Insider Promotion Enabled.
• PrintStickySettings - Print preview sticky settings.
• SandboxExternalProtocolBlocked - Allow Microsoft Edge to block navigations to external protocols in a sandboxed iframe.
• U2fSecurityKeyApiEnabled - Allow using the deprecated U2F Security Key API.

You can download Edge Beta now through Microsoft's website.