New Update Win32 App Isolation now available in preview

MuzzMelbourne

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Microsoft announced the public preview launch of Win32 app isolation, a new Windows 11 security feature designed to sandbox 32-bit desktop applications.

Recently announced during Microsoft's Build 2023 conference, Win32 app isolation uses AppContainerto boost security by mitigating the potential harm caused by compromised applications and protecting the user's privacy.

It also ensures that apps are running with low privilege and implements the principle of least privilege to prevent unauthorized access to the user's information without first asking for consent.

"The Win32 application is launched as a low integrity process using AppContainer, which is recognized as a security boundary by Microsoft," said David Weston, Microsoft VP for Enterprise & OS Security.

"Consequently, the process is limited to a specific set of Windows APIs by default and is unable to inject code into any process operating at a higher integrity level."
 

Ink

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Reality check via Improved Windows Security? Microsoft launches Win32 app isolation - gHacks Tech News

In one sentence: Win32 App Isolation needs to be implemented by developers to give users more control and limit the capabilities of exploits.
Closing Words

It is doubtful that Win32 App Isolation will get a lot of traction in the coming months and even years. The biggest hurdle is that developers need to implement it in their applications. While some may do, especially those with a focus on privacy, security or important data, most will likely ignore the feature.

There is also the chance that Win32 App Isolation prompts may annoy users, if they see too many prompts for data access throughout their workday.

Last but not least, Win32 App Isolation will likely be exclusive to Windows 11 and future versions of Windows.

Taken together, there is a good chance that some Windows programs will implement Win32 App Isolation, but the vast majority will likely ignore the feature.


GitHub: GitHub - microsoft/win32-app-isolation: Tools and documentation for Win32 app isolation
 

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