Sandboxie

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Sandboxie is an open-source OS-level virtualization solution for Microsoft Windows.[1][2][3] It is a sandboxing solution that creates an isolated operating environment in which applications can run without permanently modifying the local system.[1][4] This virtual environment allows for controlled testing of untrusted programs and web surfing.[4][5][6]

After various ownership transitions (Sophos[7][8][9] acquired Invincea[10][11][12] which acquired Sandboxie from the original author, Ronen Tzur), Sophos eventually dropped support and released the code as open-source.[13] The day after the Sophos announcement, a third-party developer known as David Xanatos forked the open-source projectTemplate:Efn[14][15] and expanded it later with Sandboxie Plus.[16]

History

Sandboxie was initially released in 2004 as a tool for sandboxing Internet Explorer. Over time, the program was expanded to support other web browsers and eventually, arbitrary apps.[17]

In December 2013, Invincea announced the acquisition of Sandboxie.[10] The original developer Ronen Tzur further announced he would no longer be involved with the program.[11][12]

In February 2017, Sophos announced the acquisition of Invincea.[7][8][9] Invincea posted an assurance in Sandboxie's website that for the time being Sandboxie's development and support would continue as normal.[18]

Version 4.02 introduced support for Windows 64-bit[19] with the exception of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, which was never supported.[20]

Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista SP2 were supported up to version 5.22, after which their support was dropped.[21][22] In September 2019, Sandboxie version 5.31.4 was released under a freeware license "with plans to transition it to an open source tool". The previous commercial license still applied to customers with active licenses until their license expired.[23]

Downtime

In April 2019, the official site was shut down, preventing downloads, installations and purchases, which prompted the creation of a temporary forum in the company's own domain.[24]

In May 2019, the official site returned with the original forums permanently shut down in favor of Sophos' own forums,[24] which were later shut down as well.[25] Between May and September 2019 (when Sandboxie became freeware), the purchase options were still missing.[23]

In response to the announcement of the closure of the Sandboxie website, software developer David Berdik scraped the site's contents and published the archive on GitHub on May 10, 2020.[26]

Open-source

In April 2020, Sophos released the source code (as the source code-only version 5.40[27]) under the GPL 3.0+ license. Sophos stated that they would no longer be involved in the development of Sandboxie and that the open-source community would have to continue development instead.[13]

Sandboxie Plus (fork)

Sandboxie Plus is a fork of the original open-source code[13] and provides two editions of Sandboxie: Plus and Classic.[15]

Sandboxie Plus has been in development since early 2020,[16] while the first stable version was made available on 25 December 2021.[28] It includes numerous improvements:

  • ability for more granular access control rules
  • privacy mode sandboxes that protect user data from illegitimate access
  • app compartment mode that provides less isolation but higher compatibility
  • per-sandbox network firewall based on Windows Filtering Platform
  • modern Qt-based UI with dark mode and built-in support for many advanced options
  • per-sandbox snapshots
  • a hardened lockdown mode
  • support for ARM64-based platforms (starting with v1.5.0) [29]

Although the Classic edition lacks native interface support for Plus features, both editions offer the same security and compatibility fixes. While they remain free for private non-commercial use, a few of the newly developed features are only available to project supporters with a valid "supporter certificate".[30]

Until version 0.4.5, antivirus software, including Microsoft Defender Antivirus, falsely flagged Sandboxie Plus. To clear this false flag, the Sandboxie Plus developer had to pay Microsoft for a digital certificate, which he raised thanks to donors on Patreon.[31] Version 0.5.0 was the first digitally signed version of Sandboxie Plus.[32] An exception exists for the pre-release versions,Template:Efn which are usually not signed to speed up the release process.[33]

Reception

Sandboxie was included in Brothersoft's 2010 Editors Pick list.[34] In November 2011, Gizmo's Freeware gave Sandboxie a rating of 9 out of 10 stars[35] and included it in their Editors' Choice List as the "Best Free Browser Protection Utility".[36] Softonic has given Sandboxie a rating of 8 out of 10 with Elena Santos stating in her review that "Sandboxie is a handy tool to test untrustworthy software without putting your system in danger."[37]

See also

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

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  4. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". [*]
  12. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". [*]
  13. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". [*]
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". Alt URL
  23. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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External links

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