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Microsoft The Internet

Microsoft Edge Is Getting a Built-In VPN Powered By Cloudflare (xda-developers.com) 34

Posted by BeauHD from the what-to-expect dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from XDA Developers: Microsoft is testing a VPN-like service for its Edge browser, adding a new layer of security and privacy to the browsing experience. A recently-discovered support page on Microsoft's website details the "Microsoft Edge Secure Network" feature, which provides data encryption and prevents online tracking, courtesy of Cloudflare. While it isn't available yet, even if you have the latest Dev channel build, the Microsoft Edge Secure Network feature appears to be similar in nature to Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 service. This is essentially a proxy or VPN service, which encrypts your browsing data so that it's safe from prying eyes, including your ISP. It also keeps your location private, so you can use it to access geo-restricted websites, or content that's blocked in your country.

Microsoft Edge's Secure Network mode will require you to be signed into your Microsoft account, and that's because the browser keeps track of how much data you've used in this mode. You get 1GB of free data per month, and that's tied to your Microsoft account. Most VPN services aren't free, so this shouldn't come as a surprise. Cloudflare itself doesn't keep any personally-identifiable user data, and any data related to browsing sessions is deleted every 25 hours. Information related to your data usage is also deleted at the end of each monthly period.
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Microsoft Edge Is Getting a Built-In VPN Powered By Cloudflare More

Microsoft Edge Is Getting a Built-In VPN Powered By Cloudflare

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  • Now where have I heard this before...

    Oh yeah, half way down the front page of SlashDot:

    https://it.slashdot.org/story/... [slashdot.org]

  • your browsing data is safe from prying eyes (Score:4, Insightful)

    by QuietLagoon ( 813062 ) on Friday April 29, 2022 @08:18AM (#62489230)
    Including safe from Microsoft's prying eyes?

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      They already have the browser, if they wanted to illegally spy on you they could just build that function into Edge.

      This free VPN offer is potentially valuable, as the more people using VPNs the less effective tracking via IP address becomes. At the moment many trackers use IP address as one data point among many.

      • The free VPN would be far more valuable it it was not limited to 1GB. Today's media heavy websites will quickly use that bandwidth without the consumer doing much about it.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gtall ( 79522 )

        you want us to trust MS? Bwahahahahahaha!!!!

      • --- they could just build that function into Edge. --- how do you know that's not there already?

      • Microsoft Edge's Secure Network mode will require you to be signed into your Microsoft account

        Yeah, that's not happening.

  • This feature will be redirecting your data (Score:3)

    by sinij ( 911942 ) on Friday April 29, 2022 @08:18AM (#62489232)
    Wait a second. VPN due to how it works also redirects all VPN traffic, which must be decrypted at each end point to continue routing. While this means that other parties only see your VPN gateway traffic, the reverse is true for VPN gateway that now can see all your traffic. This mean Cloudfare will be able to track you and also see anything that is not specifically encrypted. This is unprecedented level of visibility allowing them to profile all your browsing. Should we trust Cloudfare with such data?

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Probably not but some massive percentage of the Internet already goes through them due to idiots using their service in front of practically every online system.

      This is also likely an indirect way for Microsoft to collect the same full spy view without violating laws in an obvious manner.

      There is no VPN in existence I would trust anyway.

      For that matter, should we really be trusting ISP's with such data?

    • The data is encrypted end-to-end on most VPNs. The envelope for the packets isn't encrypted to preserve the ability to route it without decrypting, but the actual contained data from the remote server/your endpoint is.

      If VPN traffic had to decrypt at every hop it would have no purpose.

  • Yeah who the heck would trust that VPN, we all know where that data is going lol.

  • DONT WANT (Score:5, Informative)

    by DarkOx ( 621550 ) on Friday April 29, 2022 @08:48AM (#62489290) Journal

    In the enterprise space this is a data leak, policy enforcement, and forensics nightmare.

    In the consumer space its not much better. Layer-7 firewalls and similar are finally getting simple enough and inexpensive enough for users purchase and use at home.

    There are all kinds of reasons I might want to be able easily look at the traffic the browser is sending too -or- have an endpoint security package I trust doing it. Browsers are essentially VMs running code randomly sourced from all over with a lot of that being heavily obfuscated. Now that HTTPS everywhere is pretty much the reality - local network adjacency attacks that VPNs might have prevented in the past are moot; about the only advantage to the consumer is privacy, and the only privacy advantage there is the remote IP you are connecting to and maybe some DNS leaks; which would be protected equally well via DoH.

    With a few exceptions, VPNs for basic web browsing to otherwise public endpoints offer no-tangible security improvement and complicate or defeat other useful measures people could be taking. This is stupid.

    • In the enterprise space this is a data leak, policy enforcement, and forensics nightmare.

      This is Microsoft we're talking about. I will bet you my first born that enterprise clients have control over this including policy enforcement and logging. Shit I'd be surprised if they didn't offer you some service to implement your own VPN down the line.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by DarkOx ( 621550 )

        Well true. I m sure there will be helpful solutions to pump all the data into Azure Express Route, and log every last mouse click into Azure Sentinel while managing the configuration with InTune hosted on Azure...

         

  • If this is implemented, and Micro$oft isn't stealing your data, I would consider using Edge more often. One has to wonder if this is a way to chip away at Chrome's market share. A VPN that I I didn't have to configure or to which I didn't have to subscribe along with deleting all of my personal data each time I close the browser would make this a pretty good daily browser for searching the web.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gtall ( 79522 )

      "Micro$oft isn't stealing your data" You get right back to us when you determine whether MS is stealing or not stealing the data.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      this way cloudfare, an american corporation subject to NSAs hush hush warrents gets to have all your traffic, if your anywhere outside of the USA this should be absolutely an appauling feature

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by UpnAtom ( 551727 )

      Opera's had one for several years and you're not limited to a GB (which is very little if you're watching videos).
      Oh, they're also subject to Norwegian privacy laws rather than the US' non-existent privacy laws.

  • Who will undoubtedly still scrape every bit of marketable data from your use of Windows.
  • Edge was a body kit on a 1970s Pinto.

    This is just bolting on a new hood ornament and gas cap.

  • Do you mean just like the VPN Opera [opera.com] has had for ages?
  • If your stuff is going through the msCloud, then what is the point?

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