# A good protection from viruses? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 24, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-protection-from-viruses/732370 "2015-09-24T03:21:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-protection-from-viruses/732370/1 "2015-09-24T03:21:53Z")
I need some good protection for my old computer. Does [Sandboxie](http://www.sandboxie.com/) really work? What does a sandbox do? ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-protection-from-viruses/732370/2 "2015-09-24T03:47:37Z")
Really, can anyone share their experience? Do viruses still get through? Malwarebytes Antimalware still lets viruses through. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-protection-from-viruses/732370/3 "2015-09-24T04:33:57Z")
I see _lots_ of ads for [this guy’s](https://www.google.com/search?q=picture+of+PC+Matic+ceo&biw=1350&bih=634&tbm=isch&imgil=PpkGsFVEfP0QkM%253A%253BIo4e-PSQrH1lmM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.williamsonpsp.com%25252Fchronicles%25252F2014%25252F09%25252F09%25252Fsay-pc-matic-21-times-fast%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=PpkGsFVEfP0QkM%253A%252CIo4e-PSQrH1lmM%252C_&usg= __-SfcoBG9omVq9FHjotg40HBySzw%3D&ved=0CDgQyjdqFQoTCLLDs_npjsgCFcWyHgod3-IJew&ei=PHsDVrK1EsXlet_Fp9gH#imgrc=PpkGsFVEfP0QkM%3A&usg=__ -SfcoBG9omVq9FHjotg40HBySzw%3D) antivirus software. He has the face of someone who knows whassup. I’d give it a try. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WilyQuixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WilyQuixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WilyQuixote)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-protection-from-viruses/732370/4 "2015-09-24T08:02:46Z")
It’s been a while since I’ve actually come across a virus in the wild; of greater concern is malware. I don’t know if Sandboxie protects against malware. A quick glance through Google suggests it has been well received and is presumably very effective (not 100% effective, but good enough) at what it claims to do. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-protection-from-viruses/732370/5 "2015-09-24T16:26:45Z")
Sandboxie does a good job of protecting you while you browse. It runs the browser (or other software) inside a virtual and temporary “sandbox.” Your browser thinks it is running normally but it is actually confined to a temporary Sandboxie folder. Your browser can write all the malware it wants but when you exit the browser, Sandboxie erases all the session contents from the sandbox. The disadvantage is if you want to store passwords or download files, those are contained inside the virtual temporary sandbox and will be deleted when you exit. However, Sandboxie does a pretty good job of prompting you to save those files to your “real” computer if you wish. Even with Sandboxie I would still run an antivirus program like Avira or Avast. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-protection-from-viruses/732370/6 "2015-09-24T20:35:48Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Even with Sandboxie I would still run an antivirus program like Avira or Avast. OUCH! How do viruses still get in? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-protection-from-viruses/732370/7 "2015-09-24T21:07:19Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > OUCH! > > How do viruses still get in? If you use an email client (rather than just using a webmail service) then that’s a potential virus vector. There’s infection through USB drives too to consider. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2015, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-protection-from-viruses/732370/8 "2015-09-24T21:29:04Z")
> [@CCitizen](#): > > OUCH! > > How do viruses still get in? Flaws in software are discovered all the time. Attacking the sandboxie virtual environment is probably not much of a priority as its adoption is very limited. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-protection-from-viruses/732370/9 "2015-09-25T18:46:49Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Flaws in software are discovered all the time. Attacking the sandboxie virtual environment is probably not much of a priority as its adoption is very limited. That is sad. Should I get Sandboxie? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-protection-from-viruses/732370/10 "2015-09-25T18:58:25Z")
Sanboxie does nothing to protect your from viruses; it just creates a space where viruses are contained (though some viruses detect if they’re in a sandbox and refuse to run). If infected, you can just remove the sandbox – but that will delete any files you saved while running it. These days, viruses get in via web page – usually the ads on a perfectly legitimate site. Most antivirus will do about the same job of protection, but you will have to occasionally scan with Malwarebytes and/or adwcleaner. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-good-protection-from-viruses/732370/11 "2015-09-26T23:58:30Z")
Thanks – where can I learn more about Sandbox? Can viruses quarantined in Sandbox folder affect the rest of my files?