Skip to content

No Security Filtering

NoSecurityFiltering is a sandbox setting in Sandboxie Ini available since v1.0.0 / 5.55.0. This setting disables all remaining security filtering mechanisms in Application Compartment mode, providing maximum compatibility at the cost of virtually all security protections.

Prerequisites

Important

NoSecurityFiltering only functions when NoSecurityIsolation is also enabled. This setting has no effect in standard sandbox mode.

Usage

[DefaultBox]

NoSecurityFiltering=y

Syntax

NoSecurityFiltering=<y/n>

Where:

  • y disables all security filtering (only effective in Application Compartment mode).
  • n (default) maintains standard filtering mechanisms.

Interaction with Individual Filter Settings

NoSecurityFiltering serves as a master override that enables the individual filter disable settings:

  • DisableFileFilter: Disabled file filtering (same effect as NoSecurityFiltering for files).
  • DisableKeyFilter: Disabled registry filtering (same effect as NoSecurityFiltering for registry).
  • DisableObjectFilter: Disabled object filtering (same effect as NoSecurityFiltering for objects).

When NoSecurityFiltering=y is set, all three individual disable settings are automatically activated12[^3].

UI Integration

In Sandboxie Plus, this setting appears as:

  • Checkbox: "Disable Security Filtering (not recommended)"1.
  • Location: Sandbox Options > Security Options > Sandbox Isolation.
  • Availability: Only enabled when "Disable Security Isolation" is checked2.

Use Cases

This extreme configuration might be justified for:

  • Legacy Software: Applications with severe compatibility issues.
  • Development Tools: Build systems requiring unrestricted system access.
  • System Utilities: Administrative tools that must access host resources.
  • Testing Scenarios: When you need to verify application behavior without any restrictions.

Debugging and Development

NoSecurityFiltering can be useful for:

  • Diagnosing Compatibility Issues: Determining if filtering mechanisms cause application problems.
  • Development Testing: Running development tools that require unrestricted access.
  • Legacy Application Support: Supporting applications that cannot function with any filtering.

Alternative Granular Controls

Instead of disabling all filtering, consider these individual controls:

  1. UI label in OptionsWindow.ui: The checkbox text "Disable Security Filtering (not recommended)" clearly indicates the security implications and discourages casual use of this setting. ↩↩

  2. UI dependency in OptionsAdvanced.cpp: The code ui.chkNoSecurityFiltering->setEnabled(ui.chkNoSecurityIsolation->isChecked()); ensures that NoSecurityFiltering can only be enabled when NoSecurityIsolation is also active, enforcing the Application Compartment mode prerequisite. ↩↩