Recently, people have become more aware of the dangers of privacy and malware, so people are looking for ways to protect the devices they use daily.
Sandbox is software that actually helps to check the threats from different online and offline sources by creating a virtual machin environment.
Importance of using Sandbox on your PC
To run various operations on computers we need different software to run particular operations right? where we have to go to Software download sites to download different Softwares. In this case, either site or software may be malicious which is why you need some isolated environment to do such operations.
When we open the Sandbox application it creates a virtual environment where you can browse different suspicious websites, install suspicious/ untrusted software and examine their behaviour, also can do anything else which you usually avoid doing on your actual PC environment.
If you run such suspicious and untrusted codes on your PC directly, your security may be compromised due to different types of Malware, instead of which if you run them on Sandbox which will not harm anything because it is not the actual environment of your PC rather it is a virtual temporary environment which doesn’t cause any damage or action on your Permanent PC environment.
Windows Sandbox: In May 2019 Windows Sandbox was introduced on Educational, Professional, and Enterprise editions of Windows 10, so if you have these versions you can activate it just follow the steps from the How to Safely Run Software With Windows 10 Sandbox article.
Windows Sandbox is not available on Windows 10 Home and lower editions, in this case, stay tuned with this post to know about different Sandbox applications so that you can choose the right one for you.
Best Sandbox Windows applications for safety
① Sandboxie
When it comes to third-party Sandbox applications for Windows operating system Sandboxie is the most popular application.
On the first time use, you will see a lightweight and smooth experience but you feel a little hard to operate it but after getting familiar with all option you will operate it easily.
You can rather run programs from your own same PC on it or download and install different files to check them. To run the existing installed applications from your PC you have to click Sandbox –> default Box –> Run sandbox –> and choose the application you want to run on Sandboxie where it will launch the new window of a chosen app which you can if you want.
Whenever we run any program on Sandboxie the window border of the running program is highlighted with the yellow colour which helps to identify the program running in the Sandboxie, It also allows you to create a shortcut for the sandboxed program.
To know more about Sandboxie read An Introduction and a Quick Guide to Sandboxie.
② Shade Sandbox
If you want to run any program in a virtual environment shade sandbox makes it very easy to do it as you just have to drag and drop the file you want to run.
Then you can run the program in a virtual environment which will be highlighted with the dark violet colour around the window so that you can identify the program running in the shade sandbox.
while the first-time download will create a 30-day limited key if you want to use it for longer you can buy the annual or lifetime key and for business enterprises, the enterprise edition is also available.
③ Comodo Antivirus
I know that this post is about the Sandboxes, Comodo antivirus provides the ‘Run virtual’ option in the default antivirus app which creates virtual space that is why Comodo antivirus is on our list.
When you click the ‘Run Virtual’ option in antivirus, a popup comes ‘Choose and Run’ from which you can choose any application to run in the virtual environment. When I tried to run the Chrome browser, Brave browser it failed to launch which was a little disappointing.
In short for an audit of the windows application in a virtual environment where they cant harm actual PC data Comodo Antivirus is the best.
Shadow defender is also easy to use sandbox which creates a parallel virtual environment of your PC where any action will not affect your actual PC. For instance, if you download some application and run it it will work in a virtual environment and after a test when you click on ‘Exit All Shadow Modes’ your PC will restart and the action which you have done in Active Shadow mode will be erased like they never happened.
while Shadow Defender is active it will show ‘Shadow Mode’ on the upper middle area which will remind you about the virtual environment.
You can easily download and install it from the link given above where you have only 30 days after that you have to purchase the premium version of it.
To know more about the Sandbox you can check the user guide of the Shadow Defender.
⑤ Toolwiz Time Freeze
It works similarly to Shadow defender where Toolwiz Time Freeze creates a virtual clone of your PC environment where you can do any activity which will not affect the actual PC environment.
All the activities and actions you did when Toolwiz Time Freeze was active will vanish when you deactivate it, your PC will restart and will come to its original state.
You can choose some files which will not be affected when it is active.
⑥ BufferZone Pro
There are a lot of options to operate a Sandbox for different conditions which makes it different from others in this list.
From running different Applications to browsing, Connecting malicious smartphones; Bufferzone will help to protect your PC from any malicious attack with the help of a virtual container.
Recently Bufferzone Pro has closed the hosting of the application and has service limited to enterprises only.
If you want to download older versions of it, you can download it from third-party websites which will be only supported on Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista, XP versions of Windows. It is not supported on Windows 10 as the last update came for BufferZone was in 2016 that why there is no patch update came which support Windows 10.
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Other than this R&S®Browser in the Box (Bitbox) and Cuckoo Sandbox application is well recognized.
Bitbox is now available for enterprise
and hardly for personal use that is why it hard to get the service of them.
Cuckoo Sandbox is also a good option to try if you constantly test applications but it is hard to install for common Windows users that is why we haven’t included it in our list.
Conclusion:
If you have confidential information on your PC you must have a Sandbox for web surfing, test different applications for installing apps, and many such activities that can harm your data, then you definitely need a Sandbox.
If you always surf the internet and want a virtual environment only for surfing the internet through a browser then Shade Sandbox is best for you.
If you want to test some applications in Sandbox then Sandboxie, Bufferzone Pro, Comodo Antivirus are enough for you.
In case if you want to run a full clone version of your PC to run it in Virtual space then Toolwiz Timefreeze and Shadow Defender are best for you.
I have used all these Sandboxes personally for a while and still have them on my computer for your help, so have any doubt so don’t hesitate to ask me in the comment section.