Endpoint Security

Sophos Makes Sandboxie Free in Transition to Open Source

Sophos this week removed the license check and activation requirements from Sandboxie, essentially making the isolation tool free.

The move, the cybersecurity firm says, is the first step it makes toward releasing the sandbox-based isolation program open source.

Ionut Arghire

September 13, 2019

Sophos this week removed the license check and activation requirements from Sandboxie, essentially making the isolation tool free.

The move, the cybersecurity firm says, is the first step it makes toward releasing the sandbox-based isolation program open source.

Initially developed by Ronen Tzur, Sandboxie was acquired by endpoint protection company Invincea in 2013. In February 2017, Sophos acquired Invincea, and Sandboxie became part of its portfolio.

With a focus on securing endpoints, network, email, and mobile systems, as well as on providing unified threat management, Sophos never looked at Sandboxie as a significant component of its business.

In fact, the company has been exploring options for its future for a while, and says that simply ending Sandboxie completely would have been the easiest and least costly decision.

“However, we love the technology too much to see it fade away. More importantly, we love the Sandboxie community too much to do that. The Sandboxie user base represents some of the most passionate, forward thinking, and knowledgeable members of the security community and we didn’t want to let you down,” the company explains.

Thus, the company decided to give Sandboxie back to its users by making it an open source tool.

Until the transition to open source is completed, however, Sophos is making all restricted features of Sandboxie completely free.

The first version to remove said restrictions is 5.31.4, which can be downloaded from its dedicated website. The tool is compatible with Windows 7, 8.1 and 10, but not with Windows XP. Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the application are available.

Sophos will provide additional information on the evolution of the open source project as it brushes up the details.

Written By Ionut Arghire

Ionut Arghire is an international correspondent for SecurityWeek.

Latest News

Click to comment

Mapping Threat Intelligence to the NIST Compliance Framework Part 2

How threat intelligence is critical when justifying budget for GRC personnel, and for threat intelligence, incident response, security operations and CISO buyers.

Landon Winkelvoss

Password Dependency: How to Break the Cycle

Hackers rarely hack in anymore. They log in using stolen, weak, default, or otherwise compromised credentials. That’s why it’s so critical to break the password dependency cycle. But how can this be done?

Torsten George

Why CISOs Make Great Board Members

Cybersecurity-related risk is a top concern, so boards need to know they have the proper oversight in place. Even as first-timers, successful CISOs make for successful board members.

Galina Antova

A Change in Mindset: From a Threat-based to Risk-based Approach to Security

A threat-based approach to security often focuses on a checklist to meet industry requirements but overlooked the key component of security: reducing risk.

Marie Hattar

Secrets to a Good Security Webinar or Conference Presentation

Tips for making a presentation that will help improve the state of security programs and reflect favorably on the presenters and their companies

Joshua Goldfarb

Application Security

Source Code Security Firm Cycode Launches With $4.6 Million in Funding

Cycode, a startup that provides solutions for protecting software source code, emerged from stealth mode on Tuesday with $4.6 million in seed funding.

Eduard KovacsSeptember 24, 2019