Sandboxie + Shadow Defender = ?

It's the most underrated security app. out there.Apart from forums like this it barely rates a mention in the 'respected' computer journals.

 

Honestly, I think that is because virtualization is a concept not familiar to many. The majority of people believe that a malware scanner is the only line of defense, in fact I think that hold true for users here too. If that were not true than I find it very odd that so few people use anything but signature based products with hueristics. In short, they are out to sell their publications not to inform.

 

I totally agree

 

You're probably right.I don't think a lot of people think they're protected unless they have a flashy looking AV util complete with bells and whistles.Plain little SandboxIE just doesn't 'feel' as if it's protecting you,that's why it deserves far greater press coverage to hammer home the fact.

 

Have tried SB several times and have never been able to get on with it - perhaps again in the new year. SD on the other hand is a program that I would recommend to anyone. 2 days ago I helped set up a laptop and before I left the 9 year old user was happily turning on SD to surf. I would say that for many SD is enough so SB aand SD will be more than enough.

 

I use Returnil Free and was concerned on reading this:

http://www.castlecops.com/f288-Returnil_Virtual_System_Release.html

Please note that I'm not trying to instigate a flaming session - I'm just interested in the views of those relying on this kind of s/w without any anti-execute additions as mentioned in the thread.

I've been assuming that running system in memory only (with Returnil / Shadow etc) = safety.

I'd be really interested in knowing what you think - it's the only thread I've ever found that seems to question the merits of a virtualisation only approach.

philby

 

Makes me wonder if it could happen with SD.
Hope not. I didn't see any way of making SD any more secure that it already is.
Hugger

 

Security in layers. While Sandboxie and SD/Returnil seem airtight, there will always be some malware that can circumvent, as rare as it may be. I do strongly believe in a good virtualization strategy, but throwing in a defensewall, OA, or Comodo with D+, etc makes it that much more sound with minimal system impact.

 

Nope. Try this one on for size, no malware in the world can effect you with this. Sandboxie + Shadow Defender + Partition Image on optical media. That is the ultimate virtualization, and you'll have no yeary fees.

 

Don't get me wrong, I totally agree with the approach. I just posted that in reference to the link above re: malware circumventing returnil free. If that was his concern, then that was a solution. IMO, total virtualization is a hard concept for some users to grasp, so the addition of a HIPS or FW helps them feel more secure.