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Cybersecurity vocabulary · Malware

Sandbox

Meaning in cybersecurity, with examples

/ˈsændbɑːks/nounCommon term

In cybersecurity, sandbox means: An isolated, controlled environment where suspicious files or programs can be run safely to see what they do, without any risk to real systems.

In Turkish: sandbox, kum havuzu, yalıtılmış test ortamı

How it is used

Email gateways and malware analysts 'detonate' attachments in a sandbox and read the sandbox report. The word is also used for browser and app sandboxes that limit what code can do. Some malware checks whether it is in a sandbox and hides its behaviour.

Example sentences

  1. We ran the attachment in a sandbox, and it tried to contact three unknown domains.

  2. The email gateway holds attachments until the sandbox analysis is finished.

Common collocations

  • sandbox analysis
  • detonate in a sandbox
  • sandbox report
  • sandbox evasion
  • malwareShort for 'malicious software': any program written to damage systems, steal data, spy on users or take control of a device without permission.
  • payloadThe part of malware or an attack that carries out the actual harmful action, such as encrypting files or opening remote access, after the initial delivery.
  • antivirusSecurity software that scans files and devices to detect, block and remove malware, using known signatures and suspicious behaviour.
  • EDREndpoint detection and response: security software on laptops and servers that records activity, detects suspicious behaviour and lets analysts investigate and respond remotely.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Malware

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