The first thing users do after installing a new OS is download Chrome or Firefox. Not surprising, considering how reliable Internet Explorer is.
Starting today, Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer get a security boost through the use of the SmartScreen function. But this still pales in comparison to Google Chrome’s and Mozilla Firefox’s security, unfortunately.
The Microsoft Edge was meant to replace Internet Explorer as a viable option for browsing the internet. But it didn’t bring anything new to the fray. True, it runs better than Internet Explorer, but that doesn’t really mean anything because the aforementioned IE runs in an extremely poor manner.
The fact that almost 98% of users switch immediately to a better option, like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, browsers that run better, provide a higher degree of security and have a plethora of added features still stands. Microsoft will have to do a lot more in order to prove that it is actually capable of developing a reliable internet browser.
SmartScreen will block malicious websites and other similar threats in a manner akin to how Google Chrome’s protection works. But because Edge is based on IE, it doesn’t really hold up. Some users have actually reported that the alleged perfect drive-by download security fails in some circumstances. But having an antivirus installed that constantly check your internet cache circumvents that problem almost entirely.
Drive by downloads are processes which are carried out without the user knowing about them. This type of malware is found on malicious websites and consist of trojan viruses that are directly downloaded to your hard-drive from the moment you click the access link. These downloads are usually made inside the cache portion of your browser history when the user decides to play an Adobe Shockwave video or other such applications.
Even if in some instances SmartScreen may fail, it is still in the early stages of its lifetime. Through extensive updates and patches, Microsoft Edge may one day even rival Google Chrome. But the company has made yet another faulty decision in its marketing, limiting the availability of the new malware blocking SmartScreen only to Windows 10 users. Considering that some consumers still use Windows 7 due to its popularity as well as extended support towards software, this limitation will further hinder Edge’s growth.
One of the reasons why users should choose Edge for its SmartScreen option is because the actual malware block is rather subtle, similar to how Google’s Safe Search functions. If a certain website is considered by the program as a threat, the entire page will be turned red, alerting the user that the site in question contains threats. In most instances, malware advertising will be simply blocked from the page, allowing you to still browse the site without the dangers posed by viruses or malware.
Even if Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer get a security boost as of today, some of their faults still empower the general consensus that Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are the way to go when looking at web browsers. Only time will tell if Microsoft will eventually reach Google or Mozilla in the internet browser race, but this will require extensive work from the company in order to add more features and strengthen the browser’s reliability.
Image source:www.pixabay.com
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