Opinions on "Sandboxie" - Like a Latex Virtual Glove?

[jakeny]

There's a program called, "Sandboxie," that I've seen mentioned online that is supposedly like a "virtual latex glove" you can place over your computer so that when you browse the internet whatever you come across won't affect your hard-drive stuff.

Some quick questions for you experts here:

a.) Is this program reputable? (Are there any serious flaws or drawbacks to it, for example?)

b.) How does it work/what does it do (in layman's terms)? ...Is there rrrrrreally no way that what I do online could affect my system if I use this program? I'm just a little skeptical about this, because if it's really that great, then why wouldn't everyone use it and put anti-virus program folks out of business?

If it turns out to be legit, I'm thinking of using it, but just want to be sure first!! Thanks everyone!

 

[setishock]

If it seems to be too good to be true then most likely it isn't. A firewall and a good real time anti virus will do the same thing.

BUT

You are the final defense when you're online. Be selective where you go and what you look at and/or download. Not all websites are friendly. Some are just out to get you any way they know how.

So if you decide to ignore any of the warnings, keep a copy of the OS you're running handy. Some stuff out there is so nasty you'll have to wipe the drive and start over from scratch.

 

[strollin]

To answer the OPs questions:
1) Yes, sandboxie is a reputable program
2) It works by isolating the rest of your system from the system within the "sandbox". If the files within sandboxie get infected with a virus or whatever they can be safely deleted without effecting the integrity of your system.

My guess why more people don't use it is because it's extra work to setup and keep maintained. I've heard good stuff about it but have never actually used it.

Sandboxie is more effective than a good AV and a Firewall but doesn't aim at stopping the infection but instead, prevents the infection from spreading to your system. The best AV is ALWAYS a step behind since it cannot recognize brand new viruses until that virus has been identified and it's signature is made known to the AV.

 

[Celegorm]

My guess why more people don't use it is because it's extra work to setup and keep maintained. I've heard good stuff about it but have never actually used it.

This. I heard about it a while ago a and knew people in college that would swear by it, but it was always too much setup for me.

 

[iPwn]

^ Consider too that most people struggle with a start menu, let alone configuring a virtual host.

@OP
What sandboxie does is virtualize a operating system/environment/host/etc., and then execute the application inside that. The virtual one cannot see outside of it's box, so it can't access your stuff on the PC.
This is not to say that it's impossible. The program has to use some path to get from your hardware to the application you're running in a "sandbox" so it is plausible that a program or person compromises that path and gains access to the root file system.

 

[jakeny]

To answer the OPs questions:
1) Yes, sandboxie is a reputable program
2) It works by isolating the rest of your system from the system within the "sandbox". If the files within sandboxie get infected with a virus or whatever they can be safely deleted without effecting the integrity of your system.

My guess why more people don't use it is because it's extra work to setup and keep maintained. I've heard good stuff about it but have never actually used it.

Sandboxie is more effective than a good AV and a Firewall but doesn't aim at stopping the infection but instead, prevents the infection from spreading to your system. The best AV is ALWAYS a step behind since it cannot recognize brand new viruses until that virus has been identified and it's signature is made known to the AV.

Alright, thanks guys. I'll look into it then.

BUT, interesting, I just realized that my Avast Internet Security has a button called "Sandbox." I think this might be the Avast version of the same thing? If so, then it'd be even easier for me to use, since it's already part of my AV program!! I'm so slack with exploring Avast that I didn't even realize that button existed until today.

Last question:

Suppose someone gets some kind of virus/malware "inside" this sandbox thingy:

a.) How would they know it?
b.) How would they delete it or get rid of it? (Would this be annoying to deal with and make the "sandbox" program less worthwhile?)

Thanks one last time you guys!

For me, I'm thinking that I'll probably only use this thing if it's i.) free; and ii.) relatively easy and headache-free to use.

 

[Draygoes]

Clicking the Sandbox button in Avast will do pretty much the same thing that sandboxie will with a bit less hassle. I will admit though that I have not used it much, so I would check Google on the specifics.
I would still like to recommend Sandboxie, as that is a tool that I have used often in the past to great success.

To answer your last two questions...
1. You are likely not to know if you get infected in the sandbox, as programs are not allowed to add themselves to your system startup. Just, please do not run any tools that are designed to clean your computer or other such tasks from it, as they will not work.
2. Sandboxie will explain that part after the installation. (At least, it used to.)