Build 2024: Microsoft Edge for Business Gets New Security Features to Prevent Data Leaks

Key Takeaways:

• Microsoft Edge for Business will add new screenshot prevention capabilities to protect against data leaks.
• A new Edge management service will help IT admins track outdated browser instances to patch zero-day vulnerabilities.
• Microsoft Edge will soon offer real-time video translation for popular websites like YouTube and LinkedIn.

At its Build conference this morning, Microsoft unveiled new security features coming to its Edge for Business experience that launched in August 2023. These new capabilities are designed to protect organizations against data leaks and security vulnerabilities.

Microsoft Edge for Business is a new dedicated work experience that allows users to better separate their better separate private browsing activities from work-related tasks. The feature is enabled by default for all commercial customers that use the Microsoft Entra ID service for signing into the browser. Microsoft Edge for Business offers AI-powered features, enterprise-grade security, productivity, and manageability capabilities.

Screenshot Prevention

First off, Microsoft Edge for Business is getting new screenshot prevention capabilities to prevent data exfiltration in the browser. This security feature will block users from taking screenshots on select web pages that are labeled as protected or sensitive.

Microsoft says that IT admins will be able to configure screenshot prevention policies across Microsoft 365, Microsoft Intune Mobile Application Management, Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps, and Microsoft Purview. The screenshot prevention feature will become generally available in the coming months.

Stay up to date

With the Edge management service, IT admins will be able to track outdated managed browser instances. This capability should help organizations to patch zero-day security vulnerabilities that could lead to sophisticated cyberattacks. The service will let administrators perform mitigation activities like enabling enhanced security mode, automatic browser updates, and forcing a browser restart to install updates. Microsoft plans to roll out this feature in preview in the next few weeks.

Real-time video translation coming to Microsoft Edge

Lastly, Microsoft announced today that new real-time video translation capabilities are coming soon to its Edge browser. This AI-powered feature will automatically translate video content across YouTube, LinkedIn, Coursera, Reuters, Bloomberg, CNBC News, and other popular websites.

At launch, Microsoft Edge will support video translations from English to Hindi, German, Italian, Spanish, and Russian as well as from Spanish to English. Microsoft also plans to add support for more languages and video platforms, though there is no ETA yet.