Windows 10: Security baseline released for Microsoft Edge version 85

Brink · Aug 28, 2020

We are pleased to announce the enterprise-ready release of the security baseline for Microsoft Edge version 85!

We have reviewed the settings in Microsoft Edge version 85 and updated our guidance with the addition of one setting that we will explain below. A new Microsoft Edge security baseline package was just released to the Microsoft Download Center. You can download the version 85 package from the Security Compliance Toolkit.

SHA-1

A new (but, ironically, deprecated) setting has been added to version 85: Allow certificates signed using SHA-1 when issued by local trust anchors. While it might seem odd that we are adding a deprecated setting to the baseline, this one is important. Microsoft Edge forbids certificates signed using SHA-1 by default, and the security baseline is enforcing this to ensure Enterprises recognize that allowing SHA-1 chains is not a secure configuration. Should you need to use a SHA-1 chain for compatibility with existing applications that depend on it, moving away from that configuration as soon as possible is critical to the security of your organization. In version 92 of Microsoft Edge (mid-2021) this setting will be removed, and there will be no supported mechanism to allow SHA-1, even for certificates issued by your non-public Certificate Authorities, after that.

App protocol prompts

While they may not seem directly related to security, app protocols are something you should be mindful of, as they provide a mechanism for escaping the browser sandbox. New policies to help manage these might therefore be useful in your organization as you strive to balance security and productivity.

To make managing app protocols easier, we first added a flag in version 82, exposed a user-facing option in version 84, and have added a policy for the IT Pro to manage them in version 85: Define a list of protocols that can launch an external application from listed origins without prompting the user. For a detail discussion on the topic, we recommend reading Eric Lawrenceâs blog here.

Commonly seen with applications like Microsoft 365 Apps, Microsoft Teams, Skype, the user is by default prompted to allow the external application to launch as depicted in the below examples.

Leveraging this setting will suppress that prompt and reduce noise to the end user by approving the content at the enterprise level. Reducing end user prompts both improves user productivity and helps them make better decisions when an unexpected request appears by reducing prompt fatigue!

While you are at Ericâs blog, be sure to check out his other posts.

Baseline Package Refresh

Since a new setting has been added we have updated the security baseline package which will include the usual artifacts, as well as a list of new settings from version 84 to 85 and version 80 to 85. This way, those that have been keeping up with the blog have a smaller set of settings to review, and those only looking at the actual released package can see all the changes.

As a friendly reminder, all available settings for Microsoft Edge are documented here, and all available settings for Microsoft Edge Update are documented here.

Please continue to give us feedback through the Security Baselines Discussion site and via this post!
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Source: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/...5/ba-p/1618585

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Brink · Aug 28, 2020

Security baseline news for Microsoft Edge version 81

We have reviewed the new settings in version 81 of Microsoft Edge and determined that no new security settings are required. The settings recommended in the version 80 baseline will continue to be the security baseline for version 81! This means we will not be releasing our typical package.

Version 81 of Microsoft Edge adds 15 new computer- and user-based settings. There are now 285 enforceable Computer Configuration policy settings and 269 User Configuration policy settings. Using our streamlined approach, our baseline remains at 12 Group Policy settings. We have attached a spreadsheet with the new settings to make it easier for you to find them.

The version 80 package continues to be available as part of the Security Compliance Toolkit. Like all our baseline packages, this package includes:

Importable GPOs

A script to apply the GPOs to local policy

A script to import the GPOs into Active Directory Group Policy

A spreadsheet documenting all recommended settings in spreadsheet form (minus the version 81 setting that are attached to this blog)

Policy Analyzer rules

GP Reports

We always welcome feedback through the Baselines Discussion site.
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Source: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/...1/ba-p/1303621

Latest Microsoft Edge released for Windows

Brink · Aug 28, 2020

Security baseline (DRAFT) release for Chromium-based Microsoft Edge 79

We are pleased to announce the draft security baseline for the initial stable release of the new Microsoft Edge! Please review the security baseline (DRAFT) for Microsoft Edge version 79, and send us your feedback through the Baselines Discussion site.

What are security baselines?

Every organization faces security threats. However, the types of security threats that are of most concern to one organization can be completely different from another organization. For example, an e-commerce company may focus on protecting its Internet-facing web apps, while a hospital may focus on protecting confidential patient information. The one thing that all organizations have in common is a need to keep their apps and devices secure.

A security baseline is a group of Microsoft-recommended configuration settings that explains their security impact. These settings are based on feedback from Microsoft security engineering teams, product groups, partners, and customers.

Why are security baselines needed?

Security baselines are an essential benefit to your organization because they bring together expert knowledge from Microsoft, partners, and customers.

For example, there are 200+ Microsoft Edge Group Policy settings for Windows. Of these settings, only some are security-related. Although Microsoft provides extensive guidance on these policies, exploring each one can take a long time. You would have to determine the security impact of each setting on your own. Then, you would still need to determine the appropriate value for each setting.

In modern organizations, the security threat landscape is constantly evolving, and IT administrators and policy-makers must keep up with security threats and make required changes to Microsoft Edge security settings to help mitigate these threats. To enable faster deployments and make managing Microsoft Edge easier, Microsoft provides customers with security baselines that are available in consumable formats, such as Group Policy Objects backups.

Security baseline principles

As with our current Windows and Office security baselines, our recommendations for Microsoft Edge configuration follow a streamlined and efficient approach to baseline definition when compared with the baselines we published before Windows 10. The foundation of that approach is essentially this:

The baselines are designed for well-managed, security-conscious organizations in which standard end users do not have administrative rights.

A baseline enforces a setting only if it mitigates a contemporary security threat and does not cause operational issues that are worse than the risks they mitigate.

A baseline enforces a default only if it is otherwise likely to be set to an insecure state by an authorized user:

If a non-administrator can set an insecure state, enforce the default.

If setting an insecure state requires administrative rights, enforce the default only if it is likely that a misinformed administrator will otherwise choose poorly.

(For further explanation, see the “Why aren’t we enforcing more defaults?” section in this blog post.)

How can you use security baselines?

You can use security baselines to:

Ensure that user and device configuration settings are compliant with the baseline.

Set configuration settings. For example, you can use Group Policy, System Center Configuration Manager, or Microsoft Intune to configure a device with the setting values specified in the baseline.

Download the security baselines

For version 78, see Security baseline (DRAFT) for Chromium-based Microsoft Edge, version 78.

For version 79, see Security baseline (DRAFT) for Chromium-based Microsoft Edge, version 79.

Future draft security baselines versions will be posted to the Microsoft Security Baselines Blog, and final security baselines will be available in the Security Compliance Toolkit (SCT).

Learn about Microsoft Edge in the enterprise

Check out our Microsoft Edge enterprise documentation to learn more about deploying and managing the next version of Microsoft Edge.

– Forbes Higman, Program Manager, Microsoft Edge enterprise security
– Brian Altman, Program Manager, Microsoft Edge manageability
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Source: https://blogs.windows.com/msedgedev/...draft-edge-79/

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Brink · Aug 28, 2020

Security baseline (DRAFT) release for Chromium-based Microsoft Edge 79

Microsoft is pleased to announce the draft release of the recommended security configuration baseline settings for the next version of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium, version 79. Please evaluate this proposed baseline and send us your feedback through the Baselines Discussion site.

The settings recommended in this baseline are identical to the ones we recommended in the version 78 draft. None of the settings introduced in the version 79 policies meet the bar for inclusion in the baseline for broad use. We are republishing the baseline package because the names of several of the recommended settings were changed (for example, references to “SSL” were replaced with “HTTPS” or “TLS”).

Like all our baseline packages, the downloadable draft baseline package (attached to this blog post) includes importable GPOs, a script to apply the GPOs to local policy, a script to import the GPOs into Active Directory Group Policy, and all the recommended settings in spreadsheet form, as Policy Analyzer rules, and as GP Reports. It also includes a spreadsheet showing the changes in the available GPO settings between versions 78 and 79.

Microsoft Edge is being rebuilt with the open-source Chromium project, and many of its security configuration options are inherited from that project. These Group Policy settings are entirely distinct from those for the original version of Microsoft Edge built into Windows 10: they are in different folders in the Group Policy editor and they reference different registry keys. The Group Policy settings that control the new version of Microsoft Edge are located under “Administrative Templates\Microsoft Edge,” while those that control the current version of Microsoft Edge remain located under “Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Microsoft Edge.” You can download the latest policy templates for the new version of Microsoft Edge from the Microsoft Edge Enterprise landing page. To learn more about managing the new version of Microsoft Edge, see Configure Microsoft Edge for Windows.

As with our current Windows and Office security baselines, our recommendations for Microsoft Edge configuration follow a streamlined and efficient approach to baseline definition when compared with the baselines we published before Windows 10. The foundation of that approach is essentially this:

The baselines are designed for well-managed, security-conscious organizations in which standard end users do not have administrative rights.

A baseline enforces a setting only if it mitigates a contemporary security threat and does not cause operational issues that are worse than the risks they mitigate.

A baseline enforces a default only if it is otherwise likely to be set to an insecure state by an authorized user:

If a non-administrator can set an insecure state, enforce the default.

If setting an insecure state requires administrative rights, enforce the default only if it is likely that a misinformed administrator will otherwise choose poorly.

(For further explanation, see the “Why aren’t we enforcing more defaults?” section in this blog post.)

Version 79 of the Chromium-based version of Microsoft Edge has 217 enforceable Computer Configuration policy settings and another 201 User Configuration policy settings. Following our streamlined approach, our recommended baseline configures a grand total of twelve Group Policy settings. You can find full documentation in the download package’s Documentation subdirectory.
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Source: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/...e/ba-p/1066051

Windows 10: Security baseline released for Microsoft Edge version 85

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