What is sandboxing?

20th February 2025

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) published a document on the usefulness of sandboxes for enhancing data security* - but how exactly can it be used to keep your IT network secure?

Sandboxing is the process of isolating suspicious code in a controlled environment so that it can be evaluated safely, without it spreading to other parts of the network or system.

It is the equivalent of me writing this article: I don’t immediately post it, first I write a draft and send it to a colleague to make sure there are no embarrassing mistakes (or at least I hope there aren’t)!

In the sandbox the code is monitored: it tracks interactions with the file system, system calls and network activities. By analysing these behaviours, it can be determined if the code is malicious or not.

There are three types of sandboxes:

Manual: requires human interaction – provides a high level of control but is time consuming.

Automatic: less human involvement, quicker and more scalable.

Hybrid: combines both to balance control with efficiency.

Additionally, each sandbox can include the following elements:

Virtual Machines: simulate computer systems to provide high isolation for testing.

Emulators: mimic aspects of hardware or software to test against.

System-Level Sandboxes: fully isolated systems, useful for examining code that interacts with system level processes.

Application-Level Sandboxes: restrict an application from accessing certain system resources while allowing access to others.

The purpose of sandboxing is to create a safe testing ground. It can enhance your security, stopping threats before they escalate. It is particularly effective against zero-day threats – it can spot new malware that other security implementation might miss.

If you have any questions regarding sandboxing, please contact one of our expert team HERE.

*https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6267e44dd3bf7f55c5f5101d/GOV.UK_Sandbox_Report.pdf