Filed under: Internet, Security
Protect your browsing session with Sandboxie
Sandboxie lets you do this by setting up a sort of virtual hard drive that's separated from the rest of your disk space. When you install or launch a program from within Sandboxie, anything you download will be written to the Sandbox. If you download a file and want to move it to your unprotected hard drive, you can do that. But if your web browser, instant messenger, or e-mail client contracts a nasty virus, your computer will be safe and you can just delete the infected files from your Sandbox.
The one down side is that it takes longer to launch programs within Sandboxie. But once they're up and running you shouldn't notice too much difference between the applications you're running from Sandboxie and any other application on your desktop.
If the whole concept sounds familiar, it is. Last week ZoneAlarm launched a public beta of ForceField, an application that does basically the same thing. The main difference is that ForceField is a commercial application (when it emerges from beta it will cost $30), while Sandboxie is free. ForceField does have a more polished interface and to be honest, we'd be more likely to install it on mom's computer than Sandboxie. But if you're looking for a security solution and you have some technical chops, Sandboxie might be worth a looksie.
[Thanks BeechSundowner!]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Lou said 5:04PM on 10-02-2007
Cool program! Sandboxie def looks like a keeper :)
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Filipe Godinho said 8:29PM on 10-02-2007
Great idea! Looks like a competitor for a virtual browser appliance, but maybe faster... will anyone benchmark both side by side.
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Ethan Dickerson said 9:50AM on 10-03-2007
I downloaded and ran Sandboxie for a while to test it out. It's a snap to install and it puts an icon in your tray. Your applications (IE browser) look the same to you. It just creates a temp directory between yourself and the internet where everything runs. I'm not having that many problems with security so I don't need to run it but if you are worried about the internet downloading things onto your PC then it might be a good idea to run it through sandboxie.
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Ethan Dickenson, Author, Today's 'Best of Breed'
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JerryChance said 1:02PM on 10-04-2007
I've used Sandboxie for Yonks and Yonks. It is truly the BEST - and you can't fault the price of course!!
JC
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randycarlton said 6:22PM on 10-06-2007
I've used Sandboxie for about six months. It's a pleasure to use, but there are a few downfalls. I use Firefox. If you install new extensions, they will only show up in the sandbox. If you delete the sandbox files which is good to do occasionally, you'll lose any differences (changes in preferences, extensions, etc.) between the sandbox and the regular installation. Make sure you set up the regular installation properly and keep it up to date with the sandbox. This is actually very useful since you can go back to your default setup when you delete the sandbox files (thus, taking out all the bloat from use). The program throws up a nag screen for donations after 30 days. One other thing I would recommend is to create a shortcut to your sandboxed downloads.
With that said, it is still a good piece of software for tech savvy people.
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