Blog

Virtualization Making It Safer To Open EXE Files On Windows

Jan 4, 2019 | Blog

Microsoft recently announced an addition to Windows 10 that should make the lives of Enterprise and power users a whole lot easier.

Running an unknown, untrusted .exe file on your machine can be an event that fills you with dread.

The best case, of course, is that everything turns out fine.  Worst case, the file you thought was going to be helpful winds up being ransomware or some other malicious program that can bring your operation to a screeching halt.

The new feature, called Windows Sandbox, will be included in an as yet unspecified 2019 Windows 10 release, but members of the massive test group will be able to start playing with the feature on or around build 18305.

Any time you want to run an unknown or untrusted program, you’ll be able to create a lightweight instance of Windows 10 and your desktop, running the executable file in isolation from the rest of the system.  Then, whatever consequences arise from running the file will vanish when you close out the virtual session.

The only thing you’ll need to do in order to take advantage of the new capabilities will be to enable virtualization capabilities in your system’s BIOS.  Do that, and you’re all set.

Industry insiders are thrilled at the prospect of the rollout of the new feature, as it gives the business community an easy way to test software in a safe environment.  Currently, the only options available are cumbersome and time-consuming.  As such, they’re not widely used.

The hope here is that Windows Sandbox will be an important plank in a broader strategy designed to stem the tide of ransomware and other forms of attacks that are having an increasingly large impact on the business community.  Kudos to Microsoft!

FBI Program Tasked with Infrastructure Security Compromised

FBI Program Tasked with Infrastructure Security Compromised

The FBI program tasked with ensuring critical infrastructure security has been compromised by hackers, who now offer access to the program's data on the dark web. The breach was initially disclosed by Brian Krebs of Krebs on Security, who claims that the data was for...

Streamline Your Business with the Latest Smart Home Technology

Streamline Your Business with the Latest Smart Home Technology

Are you a business owner looking to get the most out of your Google smart home devices? If so, you're in luck! Google has enabled its Nest products and Android OS with the initial rollout of the Matter smart home standard. This means that businesses now have the...

Data Breach at Sequoia One Exposes Sensitive Customer Information

Data Breach at Sequoia One Exposes Sensitive Customer Information

What do you do when your most personal information has been compromised? This is likely the question that customers of Sequoia One asked themselves earlier this month as they were informed that the company had been hacked. Sequoia One specializes in the management of...

Cisco Reports Critical IP Phone Vulnerability

Cisco Reports Critical IP Phone Vulnerability

As a business owner, it's important to stay informed about potential vulnerabilities that could impact your organization. Recently, Cisco reported a critical vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2022-20968, affecting its IP Phone 7800 and 8800 Series. This new vulnerability...

Google Chrome Releases Two New Features

Google Chrome Releases Two New Features

Google Chrome is one of the more commonly used web browsers. Over the years, though, Chrome has gained a reputation for utilizing a large portion of a computer's memory. This can be a problem if you're running other resource-intensive tasks and don't want to slow...

Get a Free Consultation

 

Fill out the form below to receive a free consultation and learn how we can make your technology worry-free!

 

Contact Information

  • 39301 Badger Street, Suite 500
    Palm Desert, CA 9221
  • (760) 333-8523
  • info@icn.tech