New Windows driver blocks software from changing default web browser | Hacker News Reader

New Windows driver blocks software from changing default web browser

bleepingcomputer.com

24 pointsaquova14 comments

The most charitable explanation I could come up with for this is that many Microsoft-owned 1st party code paths try to change the default browser to Edge, and Microsoft can’t find them all.

So instead for compliance the compliance team makes it so all the existing Microsoft code to edit the setting doesn’t work any more and only the code owned by compliance team can edit the setting.

This has the “unfortunate” side effect of also breaking 3rd party code that edits the setting.

The proposed reason is nuts. It would basically be Microsoft saying "we set so many random flags to change the default browser to Edge, it was easier to comply with the law by hard locking the ability to change the default browser than to go through and remove them all."

They haven't stopped users from changing their default browser by the proper explicit mechanism in Windows (default applications.) They've stopped shitferret malware from switching it, or yes, other browsers. If I want to change my browser, I'll do it myself.

It's doubtful to me that this is due to malware.

Many malware hijack search settings. However, very few hijack default browsers themselves these days. In the past (10 years ago) it was much more common.

Furthermore, I don't know of many malware that touch the .PDF file extension associations, and there are plenty of other associations that would be better to hijack.

Feels more like a sloppy fix to comply with EU's DMA.

I'm sure HN users are technically competent enough to change the default browser setting. Not so sure about the average Windows user though...

The original post is about someone changing their default browser themselves, and this new system blocks it.

The cynical explanation is that it blocks all software from making the change, including other browsers.

Including Firefox who previously bypassed it:

https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/13/22671182/mozilla-default-...

Do the malware engineers at Microsoft take comfort in what they ship in every new update and advertising push from up above?

> Kolbicz believes this change may be to comply with Europe's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to ensure fair competition and the prevention of anti-competitive practices by six large companies, known as "gatekeepers." These designated gatekeepers are Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft, who had until March to comply with the new regulations.

So, they comply with the act by... increasing the gatekeeping? I'm a bit confused TBH...

I would assume that the intention is that the user sets their default (e.g. Firefox) and this prevents Microsoft from changing it back to Edge.

So, when a user downloads and installs Firefox (already a lot of effort), they will now additionally need to look up a tutorial on how to set Firefox as the default browser, because Firefox won't be able to do it by itself? Yay, progress...

Also, Microsoft doesn't need to create a driver to stop itself from doing nefarious things, it could just simply stop doing those things?

Firefox couldn't do this on its own previously. They'd still have to go through the system menu. If Firefox asks to be the default it just takes you to that menu. Default browser settings have been corrupted by capitalist perverse incentives for a long time. There's big money in being a default so MS and OEMs and Google/FF have been fighting this war forever. The EU just got sick of it, again. Hopefully this is the last time we have to mess with this.

MS pushing Edge as the default without user permission, again, is the problem. I've booted my computer from an update to find Edge my default. Also Outlook will use Edge as the default for opening links even if your system browser is something else. This can be changed with a setting in Outlook, if you can find it.

Per usual MS finds value in anti-consumer and anti-competitive practices. This is how they please stockholders as a publicly traded company.

Firefox can easily open the defaultapps dialog and prompt the user with some text what to do. This is a nothingburger. There is no conspiracy.

Try it yourself: start, run... ms-settings:defaultapps

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