Microsoft Adding MiTM Adware to Detection!

[Corrine]

Effective March 31, 2016, Microsoft will be adding "man-in-the-middle" detection! From Keeping browsing experience in users’ hands:

Ad injection software has evolved, and is now using a variety of ‘man-in-the-middle’ (MiTM) techniques. Some of these techniques include injection by proxy,  changing DNS settings, network layer manipulation and other methods. All  of these techniques intercept communications between the Internet and  the PC to inject advertisements and promotions into webpages from  outside, without the control of the browser. Our intent is to keep the  user in control of their browsing experience and these methods reduce  that control.

There are many additional concerns with these techniques, some of these include:
 

• MiTM techniques add security risk to customers by introducing another vector of attack to the system.
  
• Most modern browsers have controls in them to notify the user when  their browsing experience is going to change and confirm that this is  what the user intends. However, many of these methods do not produce  these warnings and reduce the choice and control of the user.
  
• Also, many of these methods also alter advanced settings and  controls that the majority of users will not be able to discover,  change, or control.
  

To address these and to keep the intent of our policy, we’re updating our Adware objective criteria to require that programs that create advertisements in browsers must only use  the browsers’ supported extensibility model for installation, execution,  disabling, and removal.

The choice and control belong to the users, and we are determined to protect that.