Dell has now taken a new approach to combating online malware, focusing not on its prevention but on effective measures needed to trap it when infection occurs.

The Dell KACE Secure Browser provides a virtualized version of Mozilla's Firefox onto a machine and has the ability to keep malware locked into a browser, rather than having it spill over and infect the entire PC, including the operating system. In techy speak, this is referred as a virtualized sandbox, or "sandboxing" for short.

As one Dell spokesperson said, "Any changes resulting from [unwanted] browser activity may be quickly and easily reset to effectively 'undo' such changes and return [the computer] to its initially installed state."

In a nutshell, the idea behind this type of quarantine is that the user knows exactly where the problem lies in the system and is able to return the PC to its original state prior to an infection. (Source: itpro.co.uk)

The downside to virtualization and sandboxing, however, is that extra processing is required to achieve the safe processing of an application. This ultimately translates to a sluggish browser experience for the user, and will surely be the case for older computers that do not natively support hardware virtualization.

Whitelist and Blacklist Options

With Dell's Secure Browser, there are also options to whitelist and blacklist processes and websites to further prevent infection from well-known causes. So, if an individual attempts to once again access a website that attempted to corrupt their system before, Secure Browser will step in with a blacklisted reminder (should the user choose to input it).

The browser can be installed onto a single PC or across a business network, using the Dell KACE K1000 Management Appliance.

The Future of Anti-Virus

It will be interesting to see how well the new product is able to detect and trap malware within the browser. Good results could signal a change in future approaches to anti-virus detection and solutions.

Although only providing version 3.6 of Firefox for now, Dell is working on an Internet Explorer version. The current edition is only compatible with Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 machines. (Source: itpro.co.uk)