Windows Edge Provides Safer Way To Brows For Enterprise Users
By: Jim Stickley and Tina Davis
October 23, 2018
We have so many choices when it comes to navigating what is the maze we refer to as “The Internet.” We don’t have a choice with many things that are involved with doing this, but we do have a choice in what browser we use to get the information we want and need. For more users, there is now a significantly safer choice than ever before. For those running Microsoft Window 10 Enterprise (note: feature not available on Windows Home versions), you can actually create a separate computer within the computer to do the initial searching separately in a virtual computer “sandbox” and protect the contents on your machine from malware. Whaaaaat???? Mind blown...
Yes, that’s right. You can create a “separate” computer if you’re using Windows Edge on a Windows 10 Enterprise device. To do this, you will need to use a somewhat hidden feature of that product called Windows Device Application Guard (WDAG). It was intended to be used by organizations running Windows 10 Enterprise to add a layer of security to its users’ browsing experience and keep the network safer from any malicious activity. When you enable WDAG, it creates a separate Windows Virtual Machine session (sometimes referred to as a sandbox) and anything that may be attacking within that browser session, only affects that virtual section. It’s genius, actually.
For most organizations, this feature will be managed by the IT Department and users will not have to do anything. But for those in the small business world that users manage their own environment, here is how to enable WDAG. First, make sure you’re running Windows 10 Enterprise. It’s not available on the Windows 10 Home version, unfortunately. Hopefully you have already installed the October 2018 update for Windows 10 Enterprise (aka version 1809). If so, open “Settings” and click on “Update & Security,” then “Windows Security,” then “App & browser control.” Scroll down to the “Isolated browsing” option and enable WDAG.
You can use WDAG by clicking the three dots in the upper right corner of your browser window. Then select “New Application Guard window.” There should be a WDAG indicator in the upper left corner to show you it’s active.
If you haven’t installed the October 2018 update yet, you can still enable it by following these steps:
- Enter Turn Windows features on or off in MS Edge or Cortana search bar.
- Inside the Control Panel, scroll down the list and check the “Windows Defender Application Guard” box.
There are limitations to this new feature. For example, you cannot import Favorites, you cannot download, extensions are disabled (which is not a bad thing), and there is no built-in ad blocker. However, the fact that you can separate your browsing sessions from the rest of your files makes this a very handy feature indeed.