Microsoft Edge’s Chrome Session Hijacking Was A Bug, Now Fixed

Microsoft Edge’s Chrome Session Hijacking Was A Bug, Now Fixed

Several weeks ago, users – including The Verge’s Tom Warren – reported that Microsoft’s web browser was hijacking their entire Google Chrome browsing session into its own as the system rebooted after an update. Microsoft never officially clarified the incident, though the latest update has silently fixed the issue.

Here’s a quick rundown: Warren found out the hard way when his computer automatically launched Edge with all the tabs he opened with Chrome before a Windows Update. It was found that this was a hidden feature within Edge where it’ll constantly monitor the activity on the user’s Chrome sessions, and by design, immediately takes over without the whole importing process if the user explicitly says so. The bug caused the browser to ignore this setting (which is OFF by default) and “hijack” the session instead.

The patch notes on February 15 have briefly mentioned this bug. It states:

Edge has a feature that provides an option to import browser data on each launch from other browsers with user consent. This feature’s state might not have been syncing and displaying correctly across multiple devices. This is fixed.

It is no secret that Microsoft really wants to compete against Google Chrome, despite both sharing the same Chromium browsing engine. Part of the appeal is that having browsers locked in allows companies to push their related services, which, in the case of Edge, includes the Copilot AI.

For now, users can at least breathe a sigh of relief, given Microsoft’s notorious track record when it comes to pestering its users to switch to its browser even if it means creating what many consider as annoyances and even malware-like behavior.

Source: Ars Technica

Pokdepinion: At least this looks to be settled. Hopefully no more incidents like this one, though.