Google is implementing a change to Chromium that “downgrades” the launch of Google Chrome so that it does not run with administrator privileges on Windows, with the aim of enhancing security.
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Microsoft introduced a similar feature in Edge in 2019. When users opened Edge with elevated privileges , a warning appeared suggesting they restart the browser without administrative privileges. Microsoft later modified the feature to automatically prevent Edge from running with administrative privileges. Now, Microsoft is bringing the same improvements to Chromium, with developers submitting a relevant addition to the Chromium source code
As spotted by Leo on Platform X, Microsoft has confirmed that Chrome will now automatically “downgrade” when users try to launch it with administrator privileges.
Microsoft also added a command line option, "-do-not-de-elevate", which prevents de-elevation after an automatic restart , to avoid possible infinite loops.
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This feature does not apply in cases where Chrome is launched with elevated privileges in automation mode, so as not to interfere with tools that require administrative privileges to run automatically. However, in general, Microsoft warns that launching the browser with administrative privileges is not a good practice.
When Chrome is run as Administrator, it gains elevated privileges, which means that anything you download and open through the browser will also run with administrator privileges — which is a serious security risk.
If you accidentally download and execute a malicious file, it can run with full access , potentially compromising your entire operating system without any warning.
See also: Chrome 136 fixes 20-year-old bug in browser history
Based on the above, an important conclusion is that running browsers with administrator privileges poses a serious threat to system. Especially in corporate or professional environments, adhering to the principle of “least privilege” is critical.
Source: bleepingcomputer
