Microsoft Disables Edge Bar for New and Inactive Users

Last week, Microsoft launched Edge 129 in the Stable Channel, introducing several updates, including the deprecation of the CryptoWallet feature, adjustments to the operating system requirements, and various minor improvements to the browser’s functionality. Following this, the company has rolled out another update for Edge 129, addressing “various bugs and performance issues,”fixing security vulnerabilities, and altering the behavior of the Edge Sidebar for certain users.

Starting with Edge 129.0.2792.65, the Edge Sidebar will be disabled by default for new and “inactive sidebar users”to provide a more streamlined and less cluttered interface. However, users can easily re-enable the sidebar by navigating to Menu > Settings > Sidebar.

According to Microsoft, this change will not impact those who currently utilize the sidebar actively. Furthermore, IT Administrators have the ability to manage the sidebar’s availability using the HubsSidebarEnabled policy.

For those unfamiliar with the feature, the Edge Sidebar offers quick access to built-in tools such as a speed test, calculator, unit converter, and more. Additionally, users can open tabs and pin their favorite websites to the sidebar for easy access.

The latest update also addresses four significant Chromium security vulnerabilities:

CVE-2024-9120 (high severity): A use-after-free vulnerability in Dawn in Google Chrome versions prior to 129.0.6668.70 that allowed remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption through a crafted HTML page.

CVE-2024-9121 (high severity): An inappropriate implementation in V8 in Google Chrome versions prior to 129.0.6668.70 that could have allowed remote attackers to perform out-of-bounds memory access through a crafted HTML page.

CVE-2024-9122 (high severity): A type confusion issue in V8 in Google Chrome versions prior to 129.0.6668.70 that enabled remote attackers to execute out-of-bounds memory access via a crafted HTML page.

CVE-2024-9123 (high severity): An integer overflow in Skia in Google Chrome versions prior to 129.0.6668.70, which could permit remote attackers to conduct out-of-bounds memory writes through a crafted HTML page.

In addition to the release of Edge 129.0.2792.52 in the Stable Channel, Microsoft also introduced version 128.0.2739.97 in the Extended Stable Channel, which includes security patches along with fixes for bugs and performance issues.

To update Microsoft Edge, simply open the edge://settings/help page. The browser will check for available updates, download them, and prompt you to restart once they are ready for installation.

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