Sandbox: Safe New Way to Open Windows Files

With the new year comes change. Microsoft Windows decided to get on the band wagon and help address the fear of opening .exe files for its users. Meet Windows Sandbox. While some users use virtual machine to open these types of files, if you use Microsoft 10, you will be able to launch apps in an isolated desktop environment. Windows sandbox is a new Window’s feature making its debut in the spring of 2019. If you are a current sandbox user, you can get a sneak peak at it starting in January 2019.

Any time you want to run an unknown program, you’ll be able to create a lightweight instance of Windows 10 on your desktop, running the executable file in isolation from the rest of the system.  Then, whatever consequences arise from running the file will vanish when you close out the virtual session. The only thing you’ll need to do in order to take advantage of the new capabilities will be to enable virtualization capabilities in your system’s BIOS.  Do that, and you’re all set.

Industry insiders are thrilled at the prospect of the roll out of the new feature, as it gives the business community an easy way to test software in a safe environment.  Currently, the only options available are cumbersome and time-consuming.  Because of that, they aren’t widely used.

The hope here is that Windows Sandbox will be an important part in a broader strategy designed to stem the tide of ransomware and other forms of attacks that are having an increasingly large impact on the business community.

To learn more about this, please contact Protek at 801.999.4767