BufferZone Pro is now free – as in FREE

[Jack]

BufferZone Pro is now free – as in FREE

How BufferZone Works
Signature-based security software keeps your PC from picking up known viruses and malware as you surf the Web, but it can't necessarily catch a brand-new "zero day" threat. BufferZone Pro 3.0 addresses this problem by encapsulating all downloaded software inside its virtual environment (the zone). Programs running in the zone can't make any permanent changes to your system, and emptying the zone wipes them out as if they had never been installed.
More details - link

Trustware just made the Pro version of BuffeZone free!So if you are using a 32bit Operating System you can try this software :

Download : link​

 

[bogdan]

This is great news, but only if they are continuing the development of this application. Last year they offered this product for free, for a limited time. During that period, I've used it for some time and it seemed that it had some incompatibilities with various applications including some security products. At that time, BufferZone was not compatible with Online Armor and you couldn't save bookmarks in Google Chrome if the browser was sandboxed. I'll check it out again to see if incompatibilities are still there.

 

[Jack]

i've tried BufferZone and it's an awesome piece of software,i think that it's way better then Sandboxie.
Like you said their are some minor problems with Chrome's bookmarks and Online Armor but overall it's MUST on 32bits

 

[bogdan]

This was my first impression too. It is easy to use. By default it sandboxes all application that are not digitally signed. It can take snapshots of your sandbox (but no multiple sandboxes). But those small incompatibilities proved to be important after a week or two. And there is no workaround, since BufferZone doesn't provide a way to edit rules for files/registry. In Sandboxie, an advanced user can fix small incompatibilities on his own. I've suggested this feature on their forum, I don't know if it is implemented in this new version.

 

[LaserWraith]

This was my first impression too. It is easy to use. By default it sandboxes all application that are not digitally signed. It can take snapshots of your sandbox (but no multiple sandboxes). But those small incompatibilities proved to be important after a week or two. And there is no workaround, since BufferZone doesn't provide a way to edit rules for files/registry. In Sandboxie, an advanced user can fix small incompatibilities on his own. I've suggested this feature on their forum, I don't know if it is implemented in this new version.

So...will it ignore digitally signed malware?

 

[bogdan]

No, you can customize that setting if you want. At least as far as I can remember.

 

[bogdan]

Unfortunately the problem with sandboxed browsers (tested with Firefox and Chrome) are the same.

New bookmarks:

There is no direct access to the bookmarks file(s). So if you bookmark a site inside a sandboxed (inside bufferzone) browser the change doesn't reflect in your "real" profile folder and if you open the browser un-sandboxed (outside bufferzone), the new bookmark will not be there. Why is this an issue? Because you are supposed to clean the sandbox from time to time or after an infection. But if you do so you will loose all your bookmarks.

Fix: To overcome this issue you might want to use a bookmark service like Xmarks. (See installing extensions bellow)

Also the red boarder around Chrome doesn't show on my XP virtual machine.

Installing addons/extensions:

Same issue with direct access to files as above. Becasue I want my extentions to be available permanently, I install them outside buferzone. If I've previously run my browser inside bufferzone the extentions won't be there.

Fix: Install extentions outside Bufferzone, Empty Buffer Zone (including files and registry). Now when you start your browser inside bufferzone your extentions will be there.

My preferred solution would be that developers add a new feature: the option to add advanced rules for apps. For the example the above problem would have been solved by adding chromes profile folder (or just the bookmarks file) to a list of files that Chrome could have direct access to while sandboxed.

 

[HeffeD]

My preferred solution would be that developers add a new feature: the option to add advanced rules for apps. For the example the above problem would have been solved by adding chromes profile folder (or just the bookmarks file) to a list of files that Chrome could have direct access to while sandboxed.

Yes, the sandbox could definitely use some added configurability.

However, I think a better option would be a case-by-case basis. Tell BZ you're going to install an extension, and you'd like it to apply both inside or outside the zone.

Or for extensions like AdBlock Plus that regularly update your filter subscriptions, a feature like Sandboxie has would be nice. You can give your browser direct access to the ABP folder so it can apply filter updates that survive a sandbox clearing, but you aren't giving access to all of your extensions or your complete profile.

One thing I really like about the BZ sandbox is that you can add files to the zone directly from Windows Explorer. You don't need to open the GUI. And a nice touch is that it leaves a pointer to the file in the original folder with a BZ icon overlay to inform you that it's actually in the sandbox. I love this from an organizational standpoint.

Same goes for downloads. You can download something to the folder of your choice, but it's really hanging out in the sandbox. I wish other sandboxes did this.

And yes, I've noticed the red border is a bit buggy, which does little to inspire confidence. You need to open the BZ GUI to ensure it's actually sandboxed. Some indicator like the # sign on active windows like Sandboxie has would be a nice option. I've encountered many applications that don't have the border.

 

[bogdan]

It has useful features but small incompatibilities can't be ignored. The target of this application is all users (including novices) so developers should avoid such issues.

Only after using it for some time and testing its features you come to realize that it still needs some work.