Microsoft is testing a new security feature for the Edge browser, called Super Duper Secure Mode. it disables JIT compilation in JavaScript.
Yes, you read that title right. Microsoft is testing a new security feature for its Edge browser and, at least for the time being, it’s called Super Duper Secure Mode. The goal of SDSM is to increase security while browsing the web by disabling just-in-time (JIT) compilation for JavaScript. There are other features that are part of SDSM, though. JavaScript is a fundamental part of the web, but it also brings about its own share of problems, and the JIT engine is responsible for a good chunk of them. According to Bleeping Computer, which initially spotted information on SDSM, roughly 45% of vulnerabilities in V8 JavaScript are related to the JIT engine. Microsoft’s Jonathan Norman also notes that disabling JIT compilation “kills half of the bugs” that attackers can leverage for security exploits in JavaScript.
