Two Questions about Sandboxie

@Brummelchen Now there's a challenge. Advocating the simultaneous use of SD and DF with a straight face.
I've been dabbling with DF and Sboxie for a while now and finally gave up on finding that irrefutable YouTube tester and his/her ensuing video proving (more or less) the combo works at least as well as it may appear to in theory.

 

lol Too late. My friend let me install it on her new computer. However, she and her husband feel go about it so far.

 

I have an additional related question. On my friend's new computer/laptop, (and she said that she installed Windows 11), is there something different that you do to open a browser page sandboxed when using Windows 11? Because with my Windows 10 desktop, all that I have to do is either click on the Sandboxie-desktop icon to launch the default browser (which in both my case and my friend's case is Edge) or right click on the default browser (or on any app to sandbox it) and then click on "Run Sandboxie" from the resultant dialogue box, and then your app is sandboxed. However, the Sandoboxie-desktop icon is not showing on my friend's new laptop, and "Run Sandboxie" is not appearing after right clicking on an app. Can some help me with this?

 

Good. Perhaps they would get something out of reading this article on Sandboxie that I wrote a few years ago.

https://win10.guru/toolkit-item-sandboxie-by-guest-author-bo-elam/

At the time I discovered Sandoxie, in my search for Sandboxie related material I came upon the video below. I am not into videos or watching videos about security, but this video in particular, I think is special. It is one of the things that really got me enthused about Sandboxie. It is a three part video (it is worth it to watch all 3 parts). The link is for part 1. Perhaps you like to watch it, and share it with your friends.

In my opinion, more important than what he does in the video is what he says in the video about SBIE. I suggest you listen to him with care and believe me when I tell you that what he says, is how it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GueXMq-Vyi8

If your friends installed the Plus version (I think that's what they installed), follow the link posted by Stapp.

If they installed Classic, have them open the page below, by navigating there via Configure>Windows shell integration, and selecting the options to Add the Desktop shortcut and for the Run sandboxed option to appear when right clicking a file.



I kind of think new users should not play with too many Sandbox settings when they first start using Sandboxie. But tell your friend, that eventually, whe she starts to get used to SBIE, she will be able to configure all her browsers to open automatically when clicking the programs icon (No need to right click). She ll be able to do this also with other programs. Some people use Sandboxie mainly to run their browsers but really, Sandboxie is designed to run most common programs that computer users use on daily basis.

There are only 3 settings that I think new users should change from Default on day one. 1. Is to set the sandbox to delete on closing. When you set the sandbox this way, what gets deleted is not the program itself, but the activity that you carried on when you ran your browser under the protection of SBIE. You want to do this for better security.

Go to Sandbox settings>Delete>Delete Invocation, and select "Automatically delete contents of Sandbox".

When I started using Sandboxie, one of the thins that I liked the most was that I came to realize real quick that you don't have to lose usability or convenience when using SBIE. I use my browsers same way I would use them if I was not using SBIE. Using Sandboxie is a Win Win situation, you don't lose convenience and you become secure. So, 2 and 3 have to do with convenience. 2. You want to save Bookmarks. I think it would be highly inconvenient if we couldn't save Bookmarks out of a sandboxed session.

In the Classic version, to save Boolmaros for Edge, you open Sandbox settings>Applications>Web Browser>Microsoft Edge, and tick "Allow direct access to Microsoft Edge Bookmarks".

Number 3. You want to save downloads out of a sandboxed session. To set it up this way, You go to:

Sandbox settings>Quick recovery, and add the folders that SBIE will save downloads from. One of this folders has to be the folder that you have Edge (In Edge settings) set to download to.

Bo

 

But the computers you are talking about are managed by tech specialists and not new users "maintaining" their own pc's after installing SB or other similar programs. Very different situations.

 

Sure. Probably by a wide majority most "new users" have neither the time, the interest, nor the inclination to delve into the learning curve of imaging, using other backup apps to store data on external drives, and employing the likes of SD, DF, etc.
And when and if things break, as they eventually will... Oh, well. On that note, perhaps it's becoming increasingly trendy that when you brick your system... just go out and buy another replacement box and be done with it. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

thats why i wrote about backups at last, backups are more vital and important than DF or SD. but both can add backup feature with its ability for "virtuality" until restart for unknown software where sandboxie is not capable. with regular usage windows is hard do "brick, or get broken. thats why backups are so important to return to a working environment after (requiered) restart.

 

Deep Freeze is as hardcore as it gets for this type of software. A fantastic piece of software (the local college uses it on all their computers) but a massive downside is the protected environment will still allow suspicious software to run rampant (unless the user / system admin has heavily locked down the running of files etc)..........So your files can be compromised before rebooting the computer.

This is why I prefer Sandboxie (especially for web browsing) as I can restrict say a web browser to run just the web browser without being able to execute anything else and blocking all read /write access to my files etc.

 

Agreed.

And now that SB again allows most installers to run sandboxed, it is great for checking out new programs or to run a 2nd instance if the native program will not allow; and only very rarely do I feel the need to run Shadow Defender.

 

no browser is behaving like this by default. attackers need to use 4 or more methods in a row to hack a browsers security - see googles project zero. and even without adblocker the attacking platform is so small, preliminary is a reduced user account and not admin rights.
so many users create scenarios which will never happen. sorry, but this ruins the truth. in such case i should have been hacked each day more than once. and even in my best days dealing with unknown and questionable software this hitted me NONE. i did not run my browsers in sandboxie since sandboxie exists and anything is ok. long time users often forgot why its called "SandNoxIE". the IE is PITA and vulnerable. although the GUI will be removed this month the API behind will exist until 2029 when MS Edge will deprecate IE comp mode.

The is NO need to run any current browser (maintained and primary browser vendor!!!) to run in sandboxie.

 

For me, there is!!!!

 

you are special, as usual.

 

What Brummelchen fails to understand that he's talking about a different subject. You could also say that there is no need to use an AV as long as you download software from trusted sources and don't click on suspicious links. But from a technical point of view, Sandboxie is still useful protection against zero days. If we will ever encounter these zero days, we simply don't know. But whether someone needs Sandboxie or any other tool is not up to me to decide.

 

This post is for newcomers to Sandboxie (like Capricornia's friends). All I am going to say about Brummelchen's posts in this thread is that he is always attacking Sandboxie or anything that anyone does in their computer that he doesn't approve. He won't convince anyone who has used Sandboxie for 10-15 years and he knows that. But for some reason he enjoys creating doubt about Sandboxie in new Sandboxie users. Ignore him.

The best proof that Sandboxie works is using it. After you use Sandboxie for a while, you know it works.

Bo

 

I can say this with 100% certainty going on since early Sandboxie and even now on my Windows 8.1 and to everyone's surprise guess what. Since I rigorously and consistently rely on (outdated) Windows 8.1, the Sandboxie 5.33 version is still for me (no browser use) the perfect environment in testing new programs and some malware, although I've scaled back on that end a great deal. I use even older versions by Tzuk on other 8.1's and not a hint of any problems. Guess another reason I am sold on Windows 8.1 since older version software prove super effective against nearly anything I can throw at it.

If it wasn't trustworthy my 8.1 machines/systems would been used up by now but Sandboxie, even this old version can't be beat IMHO. Wouldn't expect anything less or it would have been erased away by now.

Now with the Windows 10 DELL @DavidXanatos version is obviously better suited since it's much improved thanks to his absolutely tireless & endless efforts in refining it.

 

And you are unusually smarter than anyone here as usual, ironically.

 

the changelog is longer than my arm. but David fixed a lot of security issues where tzuk gave up in favor of fixing features users demanded.

 

So, if not Sandboxie, what is your opinion on the much lauded VoodooShield here on Wilders and elsewhere? Caveat Emptor if it applies...

 

In any context, at anytime, and in a word-- brilliant.

 

In the most part I do agree with Brummelchen in that vulnerabilities are so rare nowadays with the modern browsers that they tend to be used in targeted attacks, until they're found that is at which point they'll be used on a much broader scale, so if you stay up to date you should be fine. Having said that I still run mine in a sandbox.

What I'm finding myself do more and more nowadays is using Sandboxie as a container for "safe" applications; maybe because I want to be able to keep a clean install image that I can go back to (dBpoweramp has a habit of getting corrupted over time), or because I want to keep my system clean - I find that Windows has fewer problems if you keep the registry and startup clean. Just the other day I was helping someone out on a Music forum and he was having trouble with his tagging software, so I just installed it into a sandbox and I was able to see what was going on without installing it onto my main system (which I wouldn't have done). Likewise there's a tonne of apps that I may only use a couple of times a month, which again all go into a sandbox, so it's not just for security.

 

I don't feel safe running any web browser not sandboxed. It also means I keep a clean browser installation, as I have to load the browser outside of SB to make any permanent changes; PITA at times, but I feel happier.

 

Not true, Tzuk fixed both, security holes and compatiility problems. When the work became too much for one man, he gave up Sandboxie and sold it.

Bo

 

As you know, Sandboxie+ (with and emphasis on +) will most likely become the only option available with Sandboxie. And as an admittedly wild speculation, Sandboxie will evolve to a yearly subscription based app.
If you can stomach those changes, hang in there. IMO it would be a great loss not to see your continued enlightening and enthusiastic posts regarding Sandboxie.

 

You should not present your own impressions or desires as facts. This is misleading for others!

a) David had stated that he will continue the Classic build too (but without further development) as long as there is interest for it. You can find the details in this thread:
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/will-sandboxie-classic-stay.445561/

b) The idea of a yearly subscription is based on your own assumptions/expectations (or whatever it may be):

I doubt that you have any sources for what you call "rather obvious" on the one hand and "admittedly wild speculations" on the other.