Enhancing PC Security with Sandboxie
To safeguard your computer from malware threats, utilizing a sandbox environment is an effective strategy. This approach allows programs to run without altering your system permanently, thus providing a layer of protection against malicious software.
What is Sandboxie?
Sandboxie is a versatile, sandbox-based isolation tool designed for 32- and 64-bit Windows NT operating systems. Developed by David Xanatos after transitioning to open source, Sandboxie originally came under the stewardship of Sophos following its acquisition from Invincea, which in turn obtained it from the creator, Ronen Tzur. The software creates an isolated virtual environment that allows users to test untrusted applications and browse the internet securely.
Variants of Sandboxie: Plus vs. Classic
Sandboxie is available in two primary editions: Plus and Classic. Although they share the same core components—ensuring equal security and compatibility—their user interfaces differ significantly. Sandboxie Plus boasts a modern interface built on the Qt framework, enabling access to a range of new features added since its open-source transition. In contrast, the Classic version uses an older MFC-based interface, lacking support for many modern capabilities, although some can still be manually configured through the Sandboxie.ini file.
Latest Updates in Sandboxie Plus 1.15.10 and Classic 5.70.10
The recent updates have introduced several enhancements and fixes to improve user experience:
New Features
- Implemented ‘BindAdapterIP=192.168.100.123’ and/or ‘BindAdapterIP=::ffff:c0a8:647b’ options to enforce the use of a specified host IP by sandboxed applications.
- Note: Connections will fail if the designated IP isn’t bound to one of the network interface controllers (NICs).
- Process-specific configurations can be set in the INI, for example, ‘BindAdapterIP=program.exe, 192.168.100.123’, though this can’t be done via the UI.
Improvements
- Enhanced handling of Patreon certificates for better performance.
- Updated the certificate tab; the serial entry is now consistently visible, and detailed certificate information is only displayed upon mouse click, improving overall data visibility.
- Streamlined processes for applying new certificates, making it more efficient for users.
Bug Fixes
- Resolved issues such as Firefox 137.0 generating SBIE2328 notifications in Sandboxie Plus v1.15.9.
- Fixed the absence of SbieShellExt.dll in version 1.15.9.
- Tackled a memory leak caused by Process_GetCommandLine (#4658).
- Ensured that Thunderbird 102.15.1 loads all extensions correctly under Sandboxie Plus v1.15.9.
- Corrected a problem where invoking SetParent led to a failure in changing a window to a message-only state (#4656).
- Resolved Unicode name retrieval issues related to evaluation certificates.
- Fixed the display issue where the delete content message box did not always remain on top (#4673).
How to Download Sandboxie
To obtain the latest versions of Sandboxie, follow these links:
Sandboxie Plus: 64-bit | 32-bit (~20.0 MB, Open Source)
Sandboxie Classic: 64-bit | 32-bit (~3.0 MB)
Additional Resources
For further information about Sandboxie, visit the following links:
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