The Microsoft Edge browser. Microsoft
Microsoft’s
Edge browser, which is the replacement for Internet Explorer,
reportedly stores the websites you visit in private browsing mode, according to the findings of a security researcher.
Ashish
Singh, writing in Forensic Focus, exposed the flaw in Edge that stores
website history in the hard drive of the computer, even in private
browsing mode, which can then be recovered to build a history of which
sites were visited.
A
Microsoft spokesperson told Business Insider that the company had
“recently became aware of a report that claims InPrivate tabs are not
working as designed and we are committed to resolving this as quickly as
possible.”
The flaw is damaging for Edge, which has had a rocky start after shipping without extensions
— such as AdBlock or Hola, the VPN service — or other standard features
in Chrome or Safari. Microsoft has said that extensions are coming in summer 2016.
According to The Verge,
other browsers, including Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, have also had
this issue, showing that private browsing mode is not meant to deflect
an investigation of the hard drive.
Edge is currently used by around 3% of the total desktop browser market, according to Netmarketshare.
Internet Explorer, which Edge replaces, has a combined share of 45%.
Windows 10 comes with Edge installed as the default browser.
