This Edge release includes 9 Chromium-based and 1 Edge-specific security update. However, the highest severity rating of these security updates is “High,” and not “Critical.” The Edge-specific vulnerability addressed is CVE-2022-41035 which is a spoofing vulnerability whose severity is “Moderate.” Some new features have also been introduced with this release, while some policies have been deprecated and will become obsolete in the next release. Edge 106 offers a more reliable web defense as it rewrites the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen library. Moreover, Microsoft has also increased the maximum number of work results from 2 to 4 in the Omnibox search.
Release Summary
Complete Release Build: 106.0.1370.34Release Date: Monday, October 3rd, 2022Compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 7 (32-bit and 64-bit), Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.Previous Build: Edge 105Bug Fixes: 10. More information about security fixes can be found here.
Improvements in Edge 106
Feature Improvements
Microsoft has improved the web defense for Microsoft Edge. The Microsoft Defender SmartScreen library which was introduced with Edge 103, will now be rewritten with improved performance, making your browsing more secure. Moreover, the NewSmarScreenLibraryEnabled policy is now deprecated and will become obsolete when Edge 107 is released later this month. Microsoft has also increased the maximum number of results that appear below the Omnibox from 2 to 4, offering greater visibility to more work results. However, for this change to take effect the AddressBarMicrosoftSearchInBingProiderEnabled policy needs to be enabled, which can be found at the following location inside the Group Policy editor:
New Policies
The following list of policies has been introduced with Edge 106:
EfficiencyModeEnabledDescription: Enables efficiency mode which helps extend battery life by saving computer resources. By default, efficiency mode is enabled for devices with a battery and disabled otherwise.Location:Computer Coniguration » Administrative Templates » Windows Components » Microsoft Edge » Configure Efficiency modeEfficiencyModeOnPowerEnabledDescription: Allows efficiency mode to become active when the device is connected to a power source. On devices with no battery, this policy has no effect.Location:Computer Coniguration » Administrative Templates » Windows Components » Microsoft Edge » Configure efficiency mode when the device is connected to a power sourceInternetExplorerIntegrityAlwaysUseOSCaptureDescription: Configure this policy to control whether Microsoft Edge will use the “OS capture engine” or the “Browser capture engine” when capturing browser windows in the same process using the screen-share APIs.Location:Computer Coniguration » Administrative Templates » Windows Components » Microsoft Edge » Configure always use OS capture engine
Deprecated and Obsolete Policies
Some policies have also been deprecated with Edge 106, while some have become obsolete. Description: Enables efficiency mode which helps extend battery life by saving computer resources. By default, efficiency mode is enabled for devices with a battery and disabled otherwise. Location: Description: Allows efficiency mode to become active when the device is connected to a power source. On devices with no battery, this policy has no effect. Location: Description: Configure this policy to control whether Microsoft Edge will use the “OS capture engine” or the “Browser capture engine” when capturing browser windows in the same process using the screen-share APIs. Location: Deprecated Policies:
NewSmartScreenLibraryEnabledShadowStackCrashRollbackBehavior
Obsolete Policies:
OulookHubMenuEnabledEdgeDiscoverEnabled
Update to Edge 106
If you already have Microsoft Edge on your PC, you can simply upgrade it to the latest build using the guide given further down below. If not, use the links given in the next section to install it now. Microsoft Edge comes preinstalled in Windows 11 and 10. Learn how to uninstall Microsoft Edge. If you wish to reinstall Edge, you can go here. Once it relaunches, you can return to the About page and check that it has been updated to version 106.0.1370.34.Edge updated
Download Security Baseline for Microsoft Edge 106
The security baseline for Edge 106 is pretty much the same as it was for Edge 98, except for the few policy changes which we have already mentioned above. To gain more control over the browser and your PC, you can install this security baseline using the given steps: You have now successfully installed the latest security baseline for Microsoft Edge 106. To run the baseline for Active Directory, you should run the Baseline-ADImport script instead. With that, there is also an issue with this Edge update.
Closing Thoughts
Since this update does not address any critical vulnerabilities, therefore there is no rush to install the latest Edge release at the moment. That said, we always recommend that you have the latest available software installed to mitigate any issues and security threats unless they introduce more problems than they fix. There are currently no known issues with Edge, which is why it may be safe to upgrade to Edge 106. Also see:
Microsoft Edge 108 + Security Baseline: Policy To Disable Web Select, New Security UpdatesDownload Microsoft Edge 106 Security BaselineMicrosoft Edge 105 Released With Critical Security Fixes, Security Baseline; Still Might CrashDownload Microsoft Edge 98 Security BaselineDownload Microsoft Edge 98 with Edge Bar and Reduced Resource Consumption
