You can install extensions in browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. These extensions serve to better manage tabs, optimize downloads or can even be an antivirus. But of course, are they really safe? Could they spy on you? That’s just what we are going to explain. In fact, you should be very careful if you plan to install an extension. Especially if you do it outside the official app store, because you could put your security at risk.

Extensions can spy on you

Beyond whether you want to delete your browsing history, there is something fundamental that can put your privacy at risk: Chrome and Firefox extensions. There are add-ons that can be a real security problem. Hackers can sneak in modified or malicious extensions to collect information and spy on you.

Therefore, you may have some extension installed, and it is spying on you without you knowing it. Even if you want to take precautions, such as deleting your browsing history, if you have such an add-on you could be targeted by cyber criminals. In addition, they will be collecting information of all kinds. Through a fake extension, they will not only access your browsing history and everything you do online. In fact, they could also steal your credentials and passwords. For example, they could have access to your bank details when you make a payment, your username, and password when you log in to Facebook, etc. When we are going to install an extension, we are always warned that the add-ons could collect all the websites we visit. Even everything we type, so we should only install legitimate ones.

In short, browser extensions can be a real problem for your security. Don’t just take into account deleting the history and other general measures. In fact, you should also take a good look at what you have installed in your browsers and prevent them from spying on you through extensions.

How can we minimize the risk of being spied on.

Our recommendation is that you only install the extensions that are really necessary. For example, some ad blocker, the PDF reader and little else. Also, before installing an extension, you should look at the reviews in the official Firefox and Chrome add-on stores. This way, you could see if it is an extension that is working or really just there to try to scam users. There are certainly a lot of controls for uploading an extension to the official stores. However, keep in mind that it is not always possible to control all extensions that are uploaded or updated.

Tips when using browser extensions

So, what do you need to do to use browser add-ons safely? Our advice is to always download extensions from reliable sources. You can go to the Chrome or Firefox add-on store, for example. It is essential to download extensions from a legitimate and secure site, to make sure with some certainty that it does not have any malware or will spy on us. Although we must also keep in mind that 100% security does not exist, this is a maxim in the world of computer security.

Avoid downloading software from third party sites. In fact, it is likely that they have been modified. Cybercriminals often take legitimate software and then make modifications in order to infect computers or mobile devices. In addition, you should check very carefully what you are installing. We urge you not to install the first extension that pops up in the search engine, you should do your research. You can check reviews and ratings from other users. This will help you to know if you are installing something safe or, on the contrary, could be a risk to your security. You should not install an add-on that has bad ratings, for example.

On the other hand, it is key to keep them updated. An extension may be secure today. However, maybe in a while it will have some vulnerability that a cybercriminal can exploit. Updating it may allow you to correct these flaws. In addition to avoid being spied on or having your privacy compromised in any way. Another factor to keep in mind is to protect your device properly. Avoid using your computer without antivirus. D as this can allow malware to enter through browser extensions. A good security program can be helpful to be more protected.

Some final recommendations.

As you can see, extensions can be used by hackers to spy on you through your browser. It is key that you take action. For example, you should only install add-ons that you see as reliable and that really contribute something positive. You can always protect your browser bookmarks to avoid intruders.

Another very important recommendation is not to use too many extensions in your web browser. In fact, every extension you install will slow down your browser a bit. Moreover, it will make it consume more resources (especially RAM memory). Install only the extensions you need, and no more. You may at some point install a new extension. Then, later, you realize that you don’t use it. Consequently, the best thing to do is to uninstall it so that it stops consuming resources for no reason.

Conclusions

Extensions for web browsers such as Chrome or Firefox are really useful. However, we must pay close attention to how many extensions we install and also where we install them from. It is essential that we only install the ones we really need. In addition to uninstalling the extensions that we are not using in order not to slow down the web browser too much. In this way we avoid that the consumption of resources such as RAM does not skyrocket.

Regarding where to download them, always do it from official browser stores. Surely these have had to go through different revisions to be available for download. Unlike third-party websites where the level of review is probably clearly lower.

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Edge Add-ons Store

As mentioned above, Microsoft has its extension store. Therefore, it is possible to install them directly from the browser itself. If we want to use the browser to view our photos and perform basic editing tasks, we must consider the following add-ons.

Photo Editor

We are talking about a free add-on specially designed to be able to view and edit our photos quickly. This extension for Edge supports the most popular image formats such as JPG, JPEG, PNG, and GIF. Consequently, we will be able to use it to edit our photos. In addition, we can quickly enhance them to share or save them. It includes some of the most common functions for this purpose. Therefore, we will be able to add rounded corners, change brightness and contrast, add filters and blur any photo.

It also allows you to download images from social networks. So, we can get content from Instagram and WhatsApp, for example. Any image edited with this add-on can be downloaded and even printed. It also allows you to display it from the gallery.

Photo effects

This add-on for Microsoft Edge allows you to create photos that really stand out, so you can share them on your social networks. With this in mind, it adds different effects to surprise friends. Moreover, this is a free application that allows us to transform our normal images that we take with the cell phone camera into extraordinary graphics. It also has a good number of features to modify the light settings, eliminate blurring. In short, we can apply different effects to achieve a really striking and spectacular result.

Simply upload any photo to the extension. You can then add text, filters and clipart. Afterwards we will be able to consult photo filters, clipart functions and experiment with its black and white filters. Once finished, we can save the new photo back to our computer.

Watermark Photos & Images

This add-on allows us to edit our photos to protect our copyrights on them. This way, we avoid that other people can use them without our permission. To achieve this, insert a watermark to photos or specific text on it. With this in mind, we simply have to press the Add watermark button and start using this add-on. Remember that it allows us to choose the position where we want to add the watermark. It supports batch editing, so we will be able to add the same watermark to all our photos at the same time.

One concern is the privacy of our data. However, the developers of this extension assure that security is guaranteed. In fact, the software only takes care of adding the tag to the photos and then automatically deletes them from its servers after an hour. Consequently, they are not saved at any time.

Using the Chrome Web Store

The fact that Microsoft Edge is based on Chromium will allow Microsoft’s browser to support extensions in the Google Store. However, it may happen that the supplement does not work completely correctly. This happens because it is not specially designed for Microsoft Edge. However, there should be no problems in most cases.

Photo editor PhotoStudio for images

This add-on allows you to use your PC camera to take pictures. On the other hand, we will be able to modify, import and edit any kind of images and graphics. To do so, it provides us with a flexible area with a multitude of editing functions, effects, and filters. Consequently, this gives a greater creativity to the final result. It also allows us to use custom filters that we have created with other popular programs such as Photoshop, GIMP or Lightroom. In short, we can make adjustments to brightness, contrast, or clarity and give free rein to our creativity.

Obviously, it is possible to do cut, rotate and rotate work and add text. With this in mind, it has a font library that can be swapped, expanded or reduced. In addition, it provides stickers and a Brush tool. It should be noted that it is specially optimized for interaction on touch screens, supporting different brush strokes that can be edited both in terms of thickness and color. Once finished, we can download or share the modified images.

Easy Online Image editor

We are talking about an excellent tool to edit photos, create banners, and make professional logo designs quickly. We are talking about a splendid tool for editing photos and creating banners and logos quickly and easily. Furthermore, we will have different tabs with functions. For example, Basic to crop, rotate, resize or merge images. The Text tab allows us to add text, with numerous fonts available. Additionally, the Drawing tab allows us to use the Brush tool with seven types of shapes to draw. We can also add different filters (sepia, noise, grayscale, etc.). It is also possible to insert stickers (bubble, beaches, animals, clouds…) and add shapes such as a triangle, rectangle, etc.

Very well, in this way, we have seen the Best Microsoft Edge extensions for viewing and editing photos. What are you waiting for to start tinkering with your photos directly from your favorite browser? Bye!

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VPNs for Microsoft Edge

When it comes to installing a VPN on a computer, we can opt for one of these two formulas:

• The use of a VPN client.
• The use of a VPN add-on or extension in the browser.

It should be noted that the way they work is entirely unique. Regarding VPNs for Microsoft Edge, they will work through an add-on or extension that we will install in the browser. Therefore, we can divide VPNs into two categories in terms of how they are used:

• VPNs through clients or applications are those that, when they are running, affect all the programs that connect to the Internet.
• A VPN with a browser extension, in this case we will only be able to maintain private browsing when using only the browser in which the extension is installed. A specific case is the VPN extensions for Microsoft Edge, which we will see below.

We can also classify these VPN browser extensions into two types:

• Paid ones: these are the ones that respect anonymity. In addition, they have the advantage over the free ones that we will get higher speeds. They also offer many additional features specifically oriented to security.
• Those that are free: here we have the danger that our browsing history ends up being sold to third parties. It should also be borne in mind that offering this service has an economic cost and that the investment must be amortized in some way. In this case, it is advisable to read the usage agreements cautiously.

Having made this distinction, let’s take a look at the best VPN extensions for Microsoft Edge.

Surfshark

Surfshark is one of the best VPN services that we can hire. One of the reasons that makes it an ideal option is that it offers unlimited connections, a kill-switch along with support for torrents. In addition, it can block ads and trackers completely automatically and transparently to the user.

Surfshark does not store our records and provides top-notch security. It also has more than, 3200 servers in more than 65 countries. We are talking about a paid service available for $2.49 per month.

PureVPN

PureVPN specializes in ensuring security and anonymity while browsing. In addition, to maintain security, we will connect to a 256-bit AES encrypted network. Moreover, 10 multiple logins are allowed so that all family members are protected.

Other features include WebRTC leak protection, kill-switch and no activity logging. PureVPN has more than 6,500 servers, more than 96 locations and is present in more than 78 countries. This VPN extension for Microsoft Edge is available from $10.95 per month. However, you can opt for the 24+3 months plan for a one-time payment of $53.95.

NordVPN

NordVPN is probably one of the most popular and recommended VPN services. In addition to VPN clients for different operating systems, NordVPN has extensions for different browsers. In this case, excellence requires payment. This service is available starting at $11.99 per month. Although at the time of writing this post, there is a 2-year offer for a payment of $78.96.

Moreover, this service has more than 5,200 servers located in 60 countries and a strict no registration policy. In addition, we can use NordVPN on six devices simultaneously, and it offers advanced security and privacy features. Some of its features include ad and tracker blocker, automatic switch, Tor over VPN and double VPN.

Windscribe

Windscribe is a VPN service with a presence in over 100 locations and 60 countries. One of the reasons why it is famous is thanks to its generous free plan. By registering and confirming your email address, you can get 10 GB per month to surf anonymously. This free plan allows you to choose from a dozen different countries, including the United States and several European countries.

Windscribe offers military-grade encryption and its extension blocks ads, trackers, malware, and cookies. It can stop web page notifications and spoof your time zone, location, and language. One good thing to note is that it offers unlimited simultaneous connections. As for the price, it is available for monthly payments of $9. The annual plan costs $49.

Zen Mate

ZenMate is also a well-known VPN with 4,100 servers in more than 80 countries. It comes with military-grade encryption and a kill-switch. We are not asked for any registration, and switching countries is elementary.

ZenMate is also a well-known VPN with 4,100 servers in more than 80 countries. It comes with military-grade encryption and a kill-switch. We are not asked for any registration, and switching countries is elementary. This VPN extension for Microsoft Edge has a pretty decent free version. Although, if you go for the paid plan, you can start by paying $10.99 per month.

Hotspot Shield

Hotspot Shield offers connections in over 115 locations, with speeds up to 1Gbps for its paid version. Thanks to military-grade encryption and a no-logging policy, you can rest assured that your activity is private and secure.

As for its free plan, it only offers connection in the United States. Its extension offers us a lot of information from the current speed, session duration, data consumed and blocked threats. It also has ad blockers, trackers, and cookies. The free plan is limited to one location, 500 MB per day and a speed of 2 Mbps. The monthly premium plan involves the payment of $12.99.

Okay, so we have seen the best VPN extensions for Microsoft Edge. In this list we explore free and paid options as well. So, you have another option to better protect your privacy. See you soon!

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In Linux, we have a lot of different web browsers. Of course, of all of them, Firefox is the most popular one because it is an Open Source software. But it is also increasingly common for other browsers to support Linux which we consumers like.

Well, recently Microsoft has released the first test version of Edge for Linux. This default web browser for Windows 10 comes to Linux to give some battle in the browsers.

Yes, it may not seem necessary, but in Ubuntu, many users come from Windows, which will facilitate the transition.

Before we start we want to point out that the software is in a very early stage of development. So we only recommend its use on a trial basis and never on a workstation.

Install Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu 20.04 / Debian 10

Microsoft Edge for Linux is available as an Alpha so you can download the package from the Dev Channel section.

To download it, go to this link.

And download the DEB package for Ubuntu and Debian.

Now you have to read and accept the license terms of this Microsoft software for Linux

Upon acceptance, the download will begin.

To install it, you can open your file browser and double click on the DEB package installed.

Another way to install it is to use the terminal, which is a little faster.

Open a terminal and access the folder where the package is downloaded. The default is Downloads.

cd Downloads/
sudo apt install ./microsoft-edge-dev_88.0.680.1-1_amd64.deb

And then you can run it from the main menu just like any other application.

Now you can use Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu or Debian

So, enjoy it.

Conclusion

Microsoft Edge has come to Linux to give us one more alternative. It seems that it is not so necessary but always more alternatives is better for all users. Thanks to this post you have learned how to do the installation.

So, share this post and join our Telegram channel and our Facebook page. Also, buy us a coffee 😉

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How to activate DoH in Google Chrome

To use DoH in the Chrome browser, put this in the URL field:

chrome://flags

The advanced configuration options for Chrome will be displayed immediately. Please, inside the search engine enter DNS and then select Secure DNS Lookup. Then change the option to Enabled. Finally, restart the browser to set the changes.

How to activate DoH on Microsoft Edge

The new version of Microsoft Edge uses Chromium, which is the same engine as Chrome. Well, to enable this technology in this browser, please enter the following text in the navigation bar:

edge://flags/#dns-over-https 

Select the option highlighted in yellow. And in the menu on the right, enable DoH.

How to activate DoH in Mozilla Firefox

To activate this protocol in Mozilla Firefox it is necessary to enter the browser options. With this intention, please enter the following text in the navigation bar:

about:preferences

Once there, scroll down to the Network Settings.

A new window with all the network options will be displayed immediately. Please scroll down until you get to the DoH related option. Please check the box to enable it, and then select the DNS provider. Again, restart the browser to set the changes.

Conclusion

Ultimately we have seen how to enable DoH in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. This way providers will not be able to know which web you visit. This represents a breakthrough in privacy and security. This is all for now before I say goodbye I invite you to see our post about how to free ram memory in Windows 10. Bye!

The post How to activate DoH in Chrome, Firefox, and Edge appeared first on Linux Windows and android Tutorials.

Edge integration with cloud services at an early stage

The latter aims to replace Google services with their Microsoft equivalents. This includes setting up Bing as the standard search engine, synchronizing user profiles via Azure instead of Google Cloud, or using SmartScreen instead of Google Safe Browsing.

In a further step, Microsoft wants to integrate services that are particularly appealing to companies. Examples include logging on to Azure Active Directory with support for conditional access and integrating the Information Protection DRM service to prevent users from printing or copying specific pages.

An enterprise tab is also planned, which automatically displays content from an intranet, frequently used web applications, or documents from Office 365 when opened.

The integration of most of these services is underway and will be available in upcoming releases. At some point, the Windows 10 security feature “Application Guard” will run the browser in an isolated VM to prevent malware from infecting the system.

Due to its management features, Microsoft has already declared the current preview to be Ready for Business. The focus is on the administrative templates that are now available, so that companies can manage the browser using group policies. In the future, the settings available for GPOs will also be offered as CSPs for Mobile Device Management.

ADMX from the Chromium project

One might be surprised that Microsoft was able to provide more than 180 GPO settings for the Chromium-based browser right away, since the predecessor only had about 50 after several updates.

However, a comparison with Chrome’s group policies shows that Microsoft did not develop the GPO support for Edge itself. The ADMX template is essentially from Chromium, and Microsoft has only added or changed a few settings.

Microsoft did not or was not allowed to completely remove those settings that were tailored for Google services. Hence, the template still contains settings for Google SafeSearch, YouTube, and Cast.

The settings follow Chrome’s logic, which is atypical for group policies, because some of them only define default values that can be changed by the user. The configuration by GPOs is normally mandatory, whereas the Group Policy Preferences are meant to set modifiable default values.

This design by Google is obviously a tribute to a multi-platform browser that should be managed with similar settings across all operating systems.

In order not to lose track of the many settings admins might have configured through group policies, Edge provides a detailed list, which can be found using the URL edge://policy

Again, this is not an invention of Microsoft. Rather, all Chromium-based browsers have this feature (in Chrome you enter chrome://policy). In addition, the ZIP archive with the ADMX templates contains documentation in HTML format like Chrome, and the file is called microsoftedge_policy_list.html.

Deployment via offline installer

Microsoft advertises the availability of an offline installer as another business feature. Private users receive a setup program by default that downloads the required binaries from the Internet. The MSI package contains all the files required for the browser. It also allows silent installation via group policies, SCCM, or similar tools.

As you can easily see, the new Edge is a Win32 application and no longer a UWP app. The implementation as an app turned out to be a major mistake. As such, it has not been available on older versions of Windows or on Windows 10 LTSC. Because of its dependence on Windows 10, Edge’s market share has remained low so far.

It can be safely assumed that the Chromium-based browser will be shipped with the operating system in the future. But if you are still working with older versions of the OS, you can install Edge yourself. Previews for Windows 7 and 8.x are already available. Microsoft also offers the browser for macOS; Edge already runs on Chromium under Android.

Installation into the user profile

From Chromium, Edge also inherits a peculiarity that admins don’t like much. If users lack administrative rights, the setup will install the browser in their profile. This allows them to bypass the company’s standard browser.

However, if you install Edge as an administrator under the directory %ProgramFiles%, the setup removes the private installations on this computer.

No more updates using WSUS

Due to Edge’s multi-platform orientation, Microsoft uses a unified mechanism for updates like the one already used in Chrome.

If admins do not want to have another auto-updater in their network that receives the bits for each individual computer separately, they can disable it via a GPO. Microsoft provides its own ADMX template for the management of updates.

However, it is then up to the companies to keep the browser up to date by distributing the latest MSIs. This is especially important when security issues have been fixed. Compared to Internet Explorer, this means a step backwards because the legacy browser can be automatically updated via WSUS in a corporate environment.

Switching between languages

The decoupling of Edge from Windows is also evident in another feature. Chromium-based Edge allows the user to switch between different languages. Normally, a Windows application should automatically adopt the regional settings of the operating system.

In a browser, switching between display languages can lead to unwanted problems because the value for ACCEPT_LANGUAGE in the HTTP header also changes. Many websites then automatically present their content in the language specified there.

Internet Explorer mode

As an additional feature for companies in the current preview, Microsoft names the Internet Explorer mode, previously known as IE Enterprise mode. Its purpose is to redirect web pages to the IE if they cannot be displayed properly in a modern browser.

To do this, you create a site list in XML format and load it via a GPO. The URLs stored there will be opened automatically by Internet Explorer in the future. This process is transparent for the user, the page will simply open in a new tab.

The post How to Install Microsoft Edge (Chromium) Using Group Policy appeared first on Linux Windows and android Tutorials.

Since Microsoft released their Edge browser after going a long path with Internet Explorer, they’ve been trying to popularize it with users. Microsoft even introduced a separate link in the Windows Store for the Edge browser extensions. This isn’t all; a new change will definitely put users into a great discomfort.

The new “Edge” law

When using the default Windows Mail app, if you click any link, it would previously open the default web browser. By default, it’s safe to assume that your default browser is not Edge. But in the newest release, the clicked links will open through Edge browser.

Obviously, if you previously used Internet Explorer, you’ll notice remarkable changes in Edge browser. It’s improved and powerful. But that doesn’t mean that it’s compulsory for everyone, right? Microsoft always tries to push their products on their customers, this is nothing new.

Fortunately, this feature is only available in the Insider Preview build of Windows 10. As users try it out, they’ll provide their feedback on the Feedback Hub. Hopefully, Microsoft will change this feature in the future. If you’re interested to get access to Insider Preview builds and check out the latest features, get Windows 10 Insider Preview.

If you want to switch from Windows to Linux, it’s the best to check out some of the awesome Linux distributions of 2018.

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How it works

Google’s Project Zero team discovered the flaw within an important exploit mitigation technique in Edge. That flaw can bypass the security check. ACG (Arbitrary Code Guard) is used in Edge that helps to thwart malicious codes from loading into memory. Using this defense system, the target is to ensure that only properly signed codes can load into memory. However, this process is very troublesome while working with JIT (Just-in-Time) compilers used in the modern browsers.

JIT compilers translate the codes of JavaScript into native code to run faster and smoother. It doesn’t check the sign of the code, allowing some unsigned codes to run in a content process. In order to make JIT compilers work with ACG, Microsoft programmed JIT compiling to run in its own, isolated sandbox. Microsoft claimed that it was a significant achievement.

The issue is in the way that the JIT compilers build executable data into the content process. A compromised content, using “ACG bypass via UnmapViewofFile”, can predict the address which a JIT process is going to call VirtualAllocEx() next. It also allows to allocate a writable memory region on the same address JIT server’s going to write and create a soon-to-be-executable payload there.

Google informed Microsoft about this medium-severity issue in mid-November. After Google’s 90-day deadline passed, Google revealed the details about the bug. Microsoft confirmed the ACG bypass in response to Google to February’s Patch Tuesday. It seemed that the patch was targeted for the issue. However, Microsoft said that the bug was a more complex one than they primarily thought. Now, Microsoft targets to release security patch in Patch Tuesday in March.

How to stay secured

For Microsoft Edge users, it’s the best, for now, to avoid using the browser. The bug is publicly available and so, available to cybercriminals at the same time. They’re more likely to take the situation to their advantage. Microsoft’s fix is also quite late to provide any protection against such attacks.

That’s why it’s the best to use other popular & alternative web browsers, for example, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera etc. For an additional defense layer, get the best antivirus software of 2018.

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