Sandboxing
What is Sandboxing?
Sandboxing is like having a security checkpoint for your emails.
When you receive an email, it goes through a special area called a sandbox before reaching your inbox. In the sandbox, the email is carefully inspected for any potential dangers, like viruses or suspicious links. Attachments are "opened," links are "clicked," and HTML content carefully read to detonate any payloads that may be hidden inside, all within this safe environment.
If the email passes the inspection, it is allowed into your inbox, ensuring that you receive safe and secure emails without any harmful surprises.
In terms of how UpStream works, the Sandboxing phase resides at Stage 7 of our protection stack and is the most intensive set of scans that the emails go through.
How does Sandboxing work?
Sandboxing is an email security technique that provides protection to email recipients by subjecting incoming emails to a controlled and secure environment for analysis. Here's how it works and the benefits it offers:
When an email is received, it is directed to an isolated client-like environment known as a sandbox.
Within the sandbox, the email undergoes a series of thorough security checks and inspections. This includes analyzing the email's content, attachments, links, and other elements that may pose a risk.
Advanced security systems and algorithms are employed to detect and identify potential threats, such as viruses, malware, phishing attempts, or suspicious behavior. These systems compare the characteristics of the email against a database of known threats and patterns associated with malicious activity.
In the event that the email is identified as potentially harmful or suspicious, it may be quarantined within the sandbox or subjected to further analysis. This additional scrutiny allows our systems to investigate and take appropriate actions to mitigate the potential threat, as well as identify the behaviors and add them to our protection databases for the future, just like the human immune system.
If the email passes the security checks and is determined to be safe, it is released from the sandbox and delivered to the recipient's inbox. The recipient can then access and interact with the email without any concerns about potential risks. UpStream’s Dynamic Link Scanning (Link Lock) technology protects against links whose webpages change after the time of delivery as well.
What does Sandboxing do for me?
The benefits of Email Sandboxing for Email Recipients are numerous, but the especial attention goes towards the Zero-Day Attack protection that this security layer provides. More on that below:
Protection from Malicious Content: Email sandboxing acts as a security barrier, ensuring that potentially dangerous emails do not reach the recipient's inbox. By subjecting emails to rigorous inspections, it helps identify and block malicious content, such as viruses or malware, safeguarding the recipient's system and data.
Prevention of Phishing Attacks: Phishing emails often attempt to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or performing harmful actions. Email sandboxing helps detect and prevent such attacks by analyzing email content, links, and attachments, thereby reducing the risk of falling victim to phishing attempts.
Enhanced Security against Unknown Threats and Zero-Day Attacks: Sandbox environments provide a controlled and isolated space for analyzing emails. This allows security systems to detect and protect against new or previously unseen threats. By continually updating their threat databases and algorithms, email sandboxing systems can effectively identify emerging risks and safeguard recipients from evolving email-based attacks.
Peace of Mind: Email sandboxing adds an extra layer of security to the email delivery process. Knowing that emails are being thoroughly inspected and potential threats are being blocked before reaching the inbox provides recipients with peace of mind, allowing them to confidently interact with their emails without worrying about unintentionally exposing themselves to risks.