Browser Care 4 0 1 – Browser Maintenance App

Get your phone tidied up and clear up space to help it run smoother and quicker and boost speed & performance. Eliminate unwanted RAM cache memory data, old browser history or call and text message (SMS) logs to make more storage space available for the apps and data you want eliminate. Uninstall unwanted apps or bloatware and back up important. SEB 2.4.1 for Windows is a maintenance release, which can be used if the refactored, more modern version SEB 3.0.1 misses a feature you need. SEB 2.4.1 fixes an issue which was reported to happen when using the SEB-Moodle Deeper Integration (available by default in Moodle 3.9 and as plugin for Moodle 3.7 and 3.8 ). This page gives a quick overview about the new master data maintenance, which was introduced with SAP BW 7.40 SP05. With this support package, the master data maintenance has been moved from the SAP GUI to a WebDynpro application. That app's search history is stored at My Activity, of course. The Firefox browser is available for iOS or Android, free on both platforms. How you delete the browser history in each is a.

• Browser Care 4 0 1 – Browser Maintenance App Installer
• Browser Care 4 0 1 – Browser Maintenance App Download

Current Versions for Windows, macOS and iOS

Software extensions for supported Learning Management Systems:Moodle, ILIAS.

Windows

Safe Exam Browser 3.0.1 for Windows 8.1 and 10
SHA1: 8d7e987bd4997b0350a7afcba4b51c3dcfed52b9

Download from GitHub project site.

The next major version of Safe Exam Browser for Windows. SEB 3.x for Windows has been completely refactored and uses Chromium as integrated browser engine. However, SEB 3.0.0 does not yet provide the complete feature set of SEB 2.x (e.g. no Additional Resources). Below a list of the most prominent new features and changes:

• New, embedded browser engine (Chromium Version 81.0.4044.138).
• Dedicated builds for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems.
• Supports kiosk mode switch when reconfiguring (e.g. from Create New Desktop to Disable Explorer Shell).
• Action Center (side menu) with same functionality as taskbar (i.e. access to applications and system controls).
• Lock Screen, which is activated if a prohibited application can't be terminated.
• Access to developer tools of browser engine (for web developers).
• Real-time access to SEB application log (e.g. to test features like the URL filter).
• New settings to control browser session (for SEB-Moodle Deeper Integration, available in Moodle 3.9 and as plugin for Moodle 3.7 and 3.8).
• Improved user interface with new features (e.g. thumbnails of open windows in task view [ALT+TAB]).
• Completely automated build system with unit tests.

Version 3.0.1 contains a fix for the issues some users of SEB 3.0.0 observed specifically in BYOD environments. The new version should prevent that anti-malware software falsely identifies SEB 3.0 as malware (false-positive detection using heuristics and similar algorithms).

SEB 3.0.1 does no longer access the Windows Registry by default. This means that power options (shutdown, reboot) are no longer disabled and the options is the Windows Security Screen (accessed by Ctrl+Alt+Del) are not removed.

SEB still prevents the TaskManager to be used. If you prefer the current behavior, you can disable the new setting 'Ignore SEB Service' (setting key sebServiceIgnore = false). If you are using the SEB Windows Service, some of your students might again have to disable or uninstall anti-malware tools to run SEB, unless that software correctly recognizes SEB and doesn't block it. We requested vendors of reported anti-malware applications to correct the false-positive detection of SEB 3.0 and so far got a positive answer from Avast and Bitdefender. Please inform us if you about other anti-malware products which block SEB (product name and version).

See release notes for all changes and read the manual for more information. Mamp pro 5 6 quart.

As SEB 3.0 does not yet support WebRTC functionality (e.g. access to webcams by web applications), we implemented a barebone browser with WebRTC support which can be used as third-party application in a SEB configuration. Visit Chrominimum on GitHub for more information.

Windows Legacy

Safe Exam Browser 2.4.1 for Windows 7, 8.1 and 10
SHA1: aec3ef8a45a40942f8675e7ab77b896e1ce05dba

Download from GitHub project site.

SEB 2.4.1 for Windows is a maintenance release, which can be used if the refactored, more modern version SEB 3.0.1 misses a feature you need. SEB 2.4.1 fixes an issue which was reported to happen when using the SEB-Moodle Deeper Integration (available by default in Moodle 3.9 and as plugin for Moodle 3.7 and 3.8).

Please note our new update policy: We will only support the latest SEB version and will remove all older SEB versions after a grace period. Only with updated SEB versions you can achieve the best possible security and stability of e-assessments. Before asking any support question or reporting a bug, install the latest SEB version and try to reproduce the issue with the most recent version. We can't answer questions anymore when the SEB version isn't mentioned or when you don't confirm you tried it with the current version.

New in SEB 2.4.1:

Browser Care 4 0 1 – Browser Maintenance App Installer

• Fixed issue when the old browser window stayed open while reconfiguring with seb(s) link, together with the Firefox file open dialog. Should fix issues when using SEB-Moodle Deeper Integration.
  
• Implemented fix for VMware Windows Registry error: The Registry value for 'Enable VMware Client Shade' will now only be set if the active configuration explicitly says so (see new setting in SEB Config Tool / Registry / 'Set VMware configuration'. Don't enable this setting if you are not running SEB in a VMware Horizon View virtual desktop.
  
• Added Zoom to list of prohibited applications. If you want to use Zoom together with SEB, you have to set its 'Active' property to false (Applications / Prohibited Processes).
  
• Added expansion of environment variables in path of permitted processes. This allows to configure applications to run as permitted process, which need to be installed in subdirectories of the user directory, for example %AppData%.

New since SEB 2.4:

• Config Key feature, hash checksum value to verify settings used by SEB. The Config Key can be generated automatically by a compatible exam system together with the SEB config to be used for an exam. All SEB versions supporting the Config Key generate the same key, as long as the same SEB config file is used.
  
• Implemented setting keys to control clearing cookies when starting/ending a session (examSessionClearCookiesOnStart / examSessionClearCookiesOnEnd). This can be used to keep users logged in (SEB started with client settings) after an exam session was started.
  
• Now TLS 1.2 is supported for downloading .seb files using sebs:// links.
  
• Added more default prohibited processes.
  
• Private clipboard should now also work correctly with rich-text editors like TinyMCE (fixed double pasting of text).
  
• Additional bugfixes.

See release notes for all changes.

Other features:

• Using the powerful feature 'Additional Resources', external and embedded webpages, full or partial websites, HTML5 web applications and PDF documents can be accessed securely and easily in exams using icons in the SEB task bar (similar to permitted applications) or hierarchical popup menus.
• Support for encrypted .seb setting files which allow to individually configure SEB per exam. The configuration is compatible with the Windows, Mac and iOS versions of SEB. Use the separate SEB Windows configuration tool to create .seb settings.
• Buttons in the SEB task bar for back to start, reload page, change keyboard layout, switch Wi-Fi network, change audio volume and a display for the current time improve usability in exams.
• Feature to quit SEB after the exam is submitted by specifying a quit link and placing this on the summary page displayed by your LMS after submitting the exam.
• The Browser Exam Key allows an exam module to authenticate the connecting SEB version and its settings. Plug-ins offering this functionality have been released for the learning management systems Moodle and ILIAS, OpenOLAT from version 10.2 has built-in support.
• Configurable options (per exam) in the user interface: Size and positioning of browser windows (main window with the quiz and additional browser windows) can be preset. The SEB main browser window can be displayed full screen or as a sizable and movable window.
• Permitted third party applications are easy to start and to switch to (autostart together with SEB and by clicking on its icon in the SEB task bar). Prohibited processes and applications can be defined which are closed when SEB starts up. SEB contains a list of default prohibited processes too.
• PrintScreen can be blocked, the clipboard is cleared when SEB is started and stopped.
• Security feature which monitors processes and hinders all non-permitted applications to open, become active and display windows while SEB is running.
• Individual proxy settings, URL filters and server certificates can be used per exam.
• SEB config files saved for configuring a client can contain embedded cryptographic identities (X.509 certificates with private key) which will be installed in the Windows Certificate Store and then can be used to decrypt .seb config files without having to use a settings password.
• Screen saver and idle sleep are paused while SEB is running to prevent having to enter an screen unlock password before the exam starts.

SEB configuration editor for creating and modifying .seb settings files for Safe Exam Browser:

• Allows to define all options for the Windows and Mac versions of SEB 2.x.
• Can save .seb files for individual configuration per exam and per exam client, which are protected by strong encryption against manipulation.
• Configuration files can configure a SEB exam client to show for example a portal page with the current exams.
• Configuration files can be used to start an exam with individual configuration (like specific security and user interface options, permitted third party applications and additional resources, Browser Exam Key for authenticating these settings and the SEB application to an exam server, Quit Link to close SEB automatically when an exam is submitted etc.).
• Supports .seb files encrypted with password or X.509 (public/private key cryptography) certificates. For debugging purposes .seb configuration files can be saved unencrypted in an human readable XML format.

See release notes for all changes and read the manual for more information.

macOS

Current version of Safe Exam Browser for macOS 10.15, 10.14, 10.13, 10.12, 10.11 (limited support for 10.10, 10.9, 10.8* and 10.7*)
Build 2EAD. SHA1: 50da8b61c17d56a88b29a40f61dc6379d605b4f0

Download from GitHub project site.

Beyond compare 4 1 9 download free. SEB 2.2.2 for macOS is a maintenance update for SEB 2.2.1, with some improvements and bug fixes:

• Fixed that PDF documents were not displayed when Acrobat PDF viewer is installed.
• Prevent Preferences window to be opened in Moodle 3.9 when using automatically generated settings (option 'Configure manually'). SEB now uses the default setting allowPreferencesWindow=false in exam configuration files (client configs still have allowPreferencesWindow=true as default setting).
• Fixed: Cannot start SEB by opening .seb file on macOS <= 10.12.
• Fixed false positive detection of not allowed process because of partial match of process executable name.
• Now controlling resizing of Preferences panels and scrolling oversized panels to the top when displaying them the first time

New since the major update SEB 2.2 for macOS:

• Prohibited Processes settings for blocking specific processes and applications from running together with SEB.
• Preset prohibited processes covering communication, screen sharing and recording apps. Let us know if you would like to suggest applications and tools to be added to those preset prohibited processes (we need information about the software and its name and Bundle Identifier (if applicable).
• Added settings to allow to reconfigure SEB, even it is already running in a secure exam session.
• Implemented setting keys to control clearing cookies when starting/ending an exam session (examSessionClearCookiesOnStart / examSessionClearCookiesOnEnd). This can be used to keep users logged in from the previous session after an exam session was started (and SEB reconfigured with new settings).
• Added setting to enable Web Inspector (web developer tools) in Preferences/Browser (same settings key allowDeveloperConsole as in SEB for Windows 3.0. If enabled and right click isn't disabled (see Preferences/Security/Hooked Keys/Enable Right Mouse), you can right click/ctrl-left click on a web page element and open Web Inspector with 'Inspect Element'.
• Added Mac-specific settings for blocking screen shots and screen recording. The separate settings allow to run SEB correctly in parallel with some remote proctoring tools.
• Added separate Mac setting for the Private Clipboard feature.
• Added Mac-specific setting for blocking screen sharing over the network (VNC): key screenSharingMacEnforceBlocked (default: false, then the value of the existing key allowScreenSharing is used).
• Added all SEB for iOS settings in Preferences window.
• Fixed that a wrong Config Key was calculated because of specific new default settings added in a new SEB version. This was the cause why SEB 2.1.4 did not work correctly with the new SEB integration in Moodle 3.9.

Main features:

• Support for encrypted SEB setting files (file type .seb) which allow to individually configure SEB per exam. You can use the same .seb files for starting exams on SEB Windows clients and SEB clients on macOS.
• Comfortable built-in editor for the platform-independent SEB configuration files, which can also set all additional individual settings for the Windows version.
• SEB features an optional dock/task bar displaying an icon for the SEB browser with controls for its open browser windows, additional buttons and display widgets.
• SEB can easily be quit after the exam is submitted by specifying a quit link and placing it on the summary page displayed by your LMS/exam system after submitting the exam.
• The Browser Exam Key allows an exam module to authenticate the connecting SEB version and its settings. Plug-ins offering this functionality have been released for the learning management systems Moodle and ILIAS, other systems have built-in support: OpenOLAT, Inspera Assessment and others.
• User interface can be customized: Size and positioning of browser windows (main window with the quiz and additional browser windows) can be preset. Main window can be displayed full screen. An indicator shows network activity.
• SEB can optionally display the standard macOS menu bar and a tool bar in browser windows, functions like 'About SEB', quit, open preferences, reload page, zoom page/text and browsing back/forward are therefore easier accessible.
• Enhanced URL filter including teaching mode to control access of the SEB browser to web links and resources. Saved settings files contain URL filter rules which also work in SEB for Windows.

See release notes for all changes and important information about new features and settings in SEB 2.2.1, which might require you to update your SEB configuration files.

* Please note: On macOS 10.7/10.8 SEB can only be used as an exam client, the preferences window is not available. Run SEB on macOS 10.9 or higher to create a .seb configuration file to configure SEB clients running on OS X 10.7/10.8 as well. With default settings, SEB 2.1.4 runs only on macOS 10.11 El Capitan or newer (as macOS 10.10 or older provide a clearly outdated and less compatible WebKit browser engine). You can change this setting if you want students to be able to use older macOS versions.

iOS

Browser Care 4 0 1 – Browser Maintenance App Download

Current version of SafeExamBrowser for iOS 9.3.5 and newer

SEB for iOS opens a web browser without an address and search bar, loads a pre-configured webpage and locks an iPad (or iPhone or iPod Touch) into a single app kiosk mode.

New in SEB 2.1.17 for iOS:

• SEB 2.1.17 runs by default on iOS 14, removed check for running on iOS beta.
• New scroll lock button for better usability while using some drag-and-drop and drawing question types.
  
• Now displaying a disclaimer about the requirement to add an issue description before sending log files to the SEB developers in the integrated mail composer.
  
• Now writing SEB and iOS version and device info into log files.
  
• Fixed that a different Config Key was calculated on iOS 9/10 than on iOS 13/14 with some rare configuration files containing a deprecated setting.
  
• Error message in case AAC couldn't be started properly and device needs to be restarted will only show on iOS versions older than iOS 13.0.
  
• Fixed that SEB assumed an opened URL could be a Universal Link if decrypting the config from that URL failed.
  
• Fixed a common crash when the 'Search Network' button in the Initial Configuration Assistant is tapped.

• Config Key feature, hash checksum value to verify settings used by SEB. The Config Key can be generated automatically by a compatible exam system together with the SEB config to be used for an exam. All SEB versions supporting the Config Key generate the same key, as long as the same SEB config file is used.
  
• Implemented setting keys to control clearing cookies when starting/ending a session (examSessionClearCookiesOnStart / examSessionClearCookiesOnEnd). This can be used to keep users logged in (SEB started with client settings) after an exam session was started.
  
• Now TLS 1.2 is supported for downloading .seb files using sebs:// links.
  
• Added more default prohibited processes.
  
• Private clipboard should now also work correctly with rich-text editors like TinyMCE (fixed double pasting of text).
  
• Additional bugfixes.

See release notes for all changes.

Other features:

• Using the powerful feature 'Additional Resources', external and embedded webpages, full or partial websites, HTML5 web applications and PDF documents can be accessed securely and easily in exams using icons in the SEB task bar (similar to permitted applications) or hierarchical popup menus.
• Support for encrypted .seb setting files which allow to individually configure SEB per exam. The configuration is compatible with the Windows, Mac and iOS versions of SEB. Use the separate SEB Windows configuration tool to create .seb settings.
• Buttons in the SEB task bar for back to start, reload page, change keyboard layout, switch Wi-Fi network, change audio volume and a display for the current time improve usability in exams.
• Feature to quit SEB after the exam is submitted by specifying a quit link and placing this on the summary page displayed by your LMS after submitting the exam.
• The Browser Exam Key allows an exam module to authenticate the connecting SEB version and its settings. Plug-ins offering this functionality have been released for the learning management systems Moodle and ILIAS, OpenOLAT from version 10.2 has built-in support.
• Configurable options (per exam) in the user interface: Size and positioning of browser windows (main window with the quiz and additional browser windows) can be preset. The SEB main browser window can be displayed full screen or as a sizable and movable window.
• Permitted third party applications are easy to start and to switch to (autostart together with SEB and by clicking on its icon in the SEB task bar). Prohibited processes and applications can be defined which are closed when SEB starts up. SEB contains a list of default prohibited processes too.
• PrintScreen can be blocked, the clipboard is cleared when SEB is started and stopped.
• Security feature which monitors processes and hinders all non-permitted applications to open, become active and display windows while SEB is running.
• Individual proxy settings, URL filters and server certificates can be used per exam.
• SEB config files saved for configuring a client can contain embedded cryptographic identities (X.509 certificates with private key) which will be installed in the Windows Certificate Store and then can be used to decrypt .seb config files without having to use a settings password.
• Screen saver and idle sleep are paused while SEB is running to prevent having to enter an screen unlock password before the exam starts.

SEB configuration editor for creating and modifying .seb settings files for Safe Exam Browser:

• Allows to define all options for the Windows and Mac versions of SEB 2.x.
• Can save .seb files for individual configuration per exam and per exam client, which are protected by strong encryption against manipulation.
• Configuration files can configure a SEB exam client to show for example a portal page with the current exams.
• Configuration files can be used to start an exam with individual configuration (like specific security and user interface options, permitted third party applications and additional resources, Browser Exam Key for authenticating these settings and the SEB application to an exam server, Quit Link to close SEB automatically when an exam is submitted etc.).
• Supports .seb files encrypted with password or X.509 (public/private key cryptography) certificates. For debugging purposes .seb configuration files can be saved unencrypted in an human readable XML format.

See release notes for all changes and read the manual for more information.

macOS

Current version of Safe Exam Browser for macOS 10.15, 10.14, 10.13, 10.12, 10.11 (limited support for 10.10, 10.9, 10.8* and 10.7*)
Build 2EAD. SHA1: 50da8b61c17d56a88b29a40f61dc6379d605b4f0

Download from GitHub project site.

Beyond compare 4 1 9 download free. SEB 2.2.2 for macOS is a maintenance update for SEB 2.2.1, with some improvements and bug fixes:

• Fixed that PDF documents were not displayed when Acrobat PDF viewer is installed.
• Prevent Preferences window to be opened in Moodle 3.9 when using automatically generated settings (option 'Configure manually'). SEB now uses the default setting allowPreferencesWindow=false in exam configuration files (client configs still have allowPreferencesWindow=true as default setting).
• Fixed: Cannot start SEB by opening .seb file on macOS <= 10.12.
• Fixed false positive detection of not allowed process because of partial match of process executable name.
• Now controlling resizing of Preferences panels and scrolling oversized panels to the top when displaying them the first time

New since the major update SEB 2.2 for macOS:

• Prohibited Processes settings for blocking specific processes and applications from running together with SEB.
• Preset prohibited processes covering communication, screen sharing and recording apps. Let us know if you would like to suggest applications and tools to be added to those preset prohibited processes (we need information about the software and its name and Bundle Identifier (if applicable).
• Added settings to allow to reconfigure SEB, even it is already running in a secure exam session.
• Implemented setting keys to control clearing cookies when starting/ending an exam session (examSessionClearCookiesOnStart / examSessionClearCookiesOnEnd). This can be used to keep users logged in from the previous session after an exam session was started (and SEB reconfigured with new settings).
• Added setting to enable Web Inspector (web developer tools) in Preferences/Browser (same settings key allowDeveloperConsole as in SEB for Windows 3.0. If enabled and right click isn't disabled (see Preferences/Security/Hooked Keys/Enable Right Mouse), you can right click/ctrl-left click on a web page element and open Web Inspector with 'Inspect Element'.
• Added Mac-specific settings for blocking screen shots and screen recording. The separate settings allow to run SEB correctly in parallel with some remote proctoring tools.
• Added separate Mac setting for the Private Clipboard feature.
• Added Mac-specific setting for blocking screen sharing over the network (VNC): key screenSharingMacEnforceBlocked (default: false, then the value of the existing key allowScreenSharing is used).
• Added all SEB for iOS settings in Preferences window.
• Fixed that a wrong Config Key was calculated because of specific new default settings added in a new SEB version. This was the cause why SEB 2.1.4 did not work correctly with the new SEB integration in Moodle 3.9.

Main features:

• Support for encrypted SEB setting files (file type .seb) which allow to individually configure SEB per exam. You can use the same .seb files for starting exams on SEB Windows clients and SEB clients on macOS.
• Comfortable built-in editor for the platform-independent SEB configuration files, which can also set all additional individual settings for the Windows version.
• SEB features an optional dock/task bar displaying an icon for the SEB browser with controls for its open browser windows, additional buttons and display widgets.
• SEB can easily be quit after the exam is submitted by specifying a quit link and placing it on the summary page displayed by your LMS/exam system after submitting the exam.
• The Browser Exam Key allows an exam module to authenticate the connecting SEB version and its settings. Plug-ins offering this functionality have been released for the learning management systems Moodle and ILIAS, other systems have built-in support: OpenOLAT, Inspera Assessment and others.
• User interface can be customized: Size and positioning of browser windows (main window with the quiz and additional browser windows) can be preset. Main window can be displayed full screen. An indicator shows network activity.
• SEB can optionally display the standard macOS menu bar and a tool bar in browser windows, functions like 'About SEB', quit, open preferences, reload page, zoom page/text and browsing back/forward are therefore easier accessible.
• Enhanced URL filter including teaching mode to control access of the SEB browser to web links and resources. Saved settings files contain URL filter rules which also work in SEB for Windows.

See release notes for all changes and important information about new features and settings in SEB 2.2.1, which might require you to update your SEB configuration files.

* Please note: On macOS 10.7/10.8 SEB can only be used as an exam client, the preferences window is not available. Run SEB on macOS 10.9 or higher to create a .seb configuration file to configure SEB clients running on OS X 10.7/10.8 as well. With default settings, SEB 2.1.4 runs only on macOS 10.11 El Capitan or newer (as macOS 10.10 or older provide a clearly outdated and less compatible WebKit browser engine). You can change this setting if you want students to be able to use older macOS versions.

iOS

Browser Care 4 0 1 – Browser Maintenance App Download

Current version of SafeExamBrowser for iOS 9.3.5 and newer

SEB for iOS opens a web browser without an address and search bar, loads a pre-configured webpage and locks an iPad (or iPhone or iPod Touch) into a single app kiosk mode.

New in SEB 2.1.17 for iOS:

• SEB 2.1.17 runs by default on iOS 14, removed check for running on iOS beta.
• New scroll lock button for better usability while using some drag-and-drop and drawing question types.
  
• Now displaying a disclaimer about the requirement to add an issue description before sending log files to the SEB developers in the integrated mail composer.
  
• Now writing SEB and iOS version and device info into log files.
  
• Fixed that a different Config Key was calculated on iOS 9/10 than on iOS 13/14 with some rare configuration files containing a deprecated setting.
  
• Error message in case AAC couldn't be started properly and device needs to be restarted will only show on iOS versions older than iOS 13.0.
  
• Fixed that SEB assumed an opened URL could be a Universal Link if decrypting the config from that URL failed.
  
• Fixed a common crash when the 'Search Network' button in the Initial Configuration Assistant is tapped.

Main Features:

• The single app kiosk mode used by SEB is built into the iOS operating system and therefore provides a high level of security.
• Students cannot switch to other apps, access other websites or communicate with other students during an exam.
• Notifications, FaceTime/voice calls and screen shots are also blocked.
• SEB for iOS works both on unmanaged iOS devices like students' own iPads as well as on iOS devices owned and managed by an institution.
• SEB for iOS is compatible with the existing versions for macOS and Windows. You can use the same SEB config links and files to start exams in SEB from Safari or Mail or to configure SEB to display your institution's exam system start/portal page.
• In SEB for iOS exams with individual settings can also be started by QR codes.
• SEB for iOS can be installed and configured using a mobile device management system, as it supports the iOS feature 'MDM Managed Configuration'.
• SEB for iOS is also compatible with Apple Classroom.
• This version contains some new features currently unique to the iOS version and almost all features of the macOS/Windows versions. Please check the compatibility of SEB for iOS version 2.1.14 with your exam system.

See release notes for complete list of new features and changes. Check out the SEB for iOS manual which explains all features (currently being updated for SEB 2.1.16). In addition, we published a first version of a tutorial which will help exam administrators to better understand how to configure and use SEB for iOS. It also includes how SEB for iOS can be used together with the Apple Classroom app. More topics will be added to this tutorial over time.

Learning Management Systems

Moodle

This plugin ensures that the right and unmodified SEB version using the correct (secure) settings is connecting to a Moodle quiz. After installing this plugin you can copy the Browser Exam Key hash code generated by SEB for the SEB settings used into the quiz settings in Moodle (see manuals for Windows/macOS versions of SEB).

ILIAS

This plugin ensures that the right and unmodified SEB version using the correct (secure) settings is connecting to an ILIAS instance with a specific user role. After installing this plugin you can copy the Browser Exam Key hash code generated by SEB for the SEB settings used into the ILIAS settings (see manuals for Windows/macOS versions of SEB).

In olden times, when mobile apps wanted to show web content, they would open the URL in the default browser. This caused the browser to become the active application, and depending on the platform, may have also required the user to perform more than just a single tap to return to the previous app. Keep in mind that this was happening while apps were just beginning to gain traction and marketers were scrambling to identify valuable metrics in this new app space. In the effort to keep metrics going 'up and to the right', it was only natural that publishers would want users to stay in 'their' app for as long as possible, and lo! The in-app browser was conceived as a means to this end.*

*Kirk's completely fabricated in-app browser origin story

What are in-app browsers and what problems do they solve?

In-app browsers on iOS and Android are similar in many ways. Both are usually created by making instances of WebViews (supported in Android v1, iOS 2+) and by loading either a public URL or some content from your app's resources, or a string of HTML into this instance via public methods. Both provide public methods for crude navigational controls (e.g. go back or forward), access to the JavaScript environment from native code, as well as a means for customizing the User Agent string. Each also offers their own platform-specific methods for enabling/disabling bits of functionality (e.g. enable Web Storage API, allow inline and automatic video playback).

What do Facebook and Twitter do for in-app browsing?

The most popular examples of apps that use bespoke in-app browsers are probably Facebook and Twitter. Twitter on iOS and Facebook on Android feature a read-only navigation bar, iOS Facebook's navigation bar accepts user-input and does more than just search the web. Both browsers provide crude navigation controls for forward and back: no bookmarks, tabs, shared sessions, or shared cookies. Facebook offers a way to 'save' URLs but this is separate from the default browser bookmarking experience. Both browsers sport 'share action sheets' which are confined to sharing URLs on their individual platforms and for opening pages in other browsers. Analytics platforms refer to these experiences as 'Safari (in-app)' rather than enumerating the source applications. Twitter on Android appears to use Chrome Custom Tabs, which is discussed in more detail below.

What security risks do custom in-app browsers present for users?

Adobe xd cc v16 0 2. When browsing content from in-app browsers, users may not be aware of the security risks they face. Before its whitelisting restriction in iOS 9, apps could use the method 'canOpenURL' to detect the presence of thousands of installed apps via custom schemes to serve targeted advertisements, later deemed a violation of privacy. In a similar way in-app browsers might also put too much power in the hands of publishers, for example SSL errors can be bypassed or ignored (on Android) and the JavaScript environment is accessible (callable) from native code on both platforms. What this means for users is that unscrupulous publishers can bypass some security features normally available on default browsers in order to gain access to potentially sensitive data.

How hard is it to create your own in-app browser?

Creating your own in-app browser is not a difficult task, however making a 'great' in-app browser is nontrivial. Out of the box there is no WebView 'chrome' at all: no navigation bar or buttons, just the loaded HTML page consuming as much screen real estate as you choose, controlled programmatically by the host application. You can customize the UI to differentiate from the default browser, but you likely don't have as much time, resources, or research as the real browser vendors do, so achieving greatness may be difficult. Basic features such as bookmarking, tabs, shared sessions and cookies, reader mode, and private browsing are 'free' when using the default browser, but require significant effort to duplicate and/or improve upon. And while you can enable some advanced options that may be crucial to your app's use cases via platform-specific WebView APIs, you are now also the maintainer of a browser in addition to focusing on whatever else it is your app is doing.

Have platforms provided any recent solutions for in-app browsing?

In Android, users have always had the hardware 'Back' button, but this hasn't always been the case with iOS. So even while the Android physical 'Back' button is generally expected to return the user to the previous app for the price of a single tap, iOS did not receive this functionality until iOS 9 (as an 'afterthought') with the very small 'Back to App' button that appears in the top leading edge of iOS to return a user back to an app that has opened a current foregrounded app. Right at the same time (since Android 45 and iOS 9), both platforms also began to provide superior in-app browser experiences via Chrome Custom Tabs (CCT) and Safari ViewController (SFSVC), henceforth collectively referred to as Integrated In-App Browsers (IIAB).

How are IIAB different from traditional webviews?

IIAB provide a simple API for creating in-app browsers when your app isn't primarily focused on providing a unique browsing experience. Both provide a read-only, link-driven navigation experience, including forward & back buttons, bookmark & sharing integrations, a button to close the IIAB (to return focus to the app), and the ability to customize some UI colors. iOS additionally provides reader mode and content blocker integration, and neither offering includes an interface for viewing multiple tabs simultaneously. One of the primary user-benefits of IIAB is the sandboxing of the browser functionality, meaning that the app does not have access to potentially sensitive user data. Additionally, the JavaScript environment is not callable from the main application, and SSL cannot be ignored or bypassed, so the experience is significantly more trustworthy for users. Finally, integration with the default browser's sessions and cookies as well as auto-filling of passwords and other similar features provide extra delights for users.

How are the Android & iOS offerings different from each other?

For developers, while IIAB are generally similar, there are a couple of areas where they differentiate significantly from each other. For example, on iOS you also have the ability to programmatically close the SFSVC, but Android does not currently support this operation (although there is an open ticket to address this functionality). Additionally, if you wish to open your app from a URL from inside the IIAB via deep-linking, on Android this requires a physical user gesture (iOS does not at the time of this writing). Although iOS also provides the 'mechanical' ability to create a detached, invisible SFSVC to create a seamless 'magic' authentication experience for your users (not achievable with CCT), you are expressly forbidden from doing so in App Store submitted apps per article 5.1.1 Data Collection and Storage, section vi of the iOS App Store Review Guidelines.

In 2017, if you're still using a hand-rolled in-app browser within your native mobile application, hopefully you are providing a vastly superior experience for your users. If this is not the case, you should immediately look into using Chrome Custom Tabs and Safari ViewController to provide your in-app web browsing experiences. Doing so is easy and will provide improved trust and security as well as a better browsing experience for your users.

Kirk is on twitter at @dmvjs.