INFRA
INFRA
INFRA
HP’s new security software turns every browser tab into an isolated sandbox
HP Inc. may have exited the breach prevention market after splitting from its enterprise technology arm in 2015, but helping customers keep their personal computers secure remains a priority.
The technology giant today unveiled a new piece of software called Sure Click that aims to protect users of its business-class EliteBook laptop lineup from online threats. The tool is based on software from Bromium Inc., an Andreessen Horowitz-backed startup that specializes in endpoint protection. Its main claim to fame is a virtualization platform based on Xen, the hypervisor powering the world’s top public clouds, that has been optimized to run on consumer devices.
The Bromium Microvisor can break up an application into virtual machines that are isolated both from one another and the operating system below. If a user needs to multiple PDF documents, for example, then the software will launch each file in its own separate instance to prevent the spread of malware. Sure Click applies the same concept to browser sessions.
The tool automatically splits off every Internet Explorer or Chrome tab that a user opens into a dedicated sandbox that HP claims is isolated all the way down to the hardware level. As a result, any malware that happens to find its way into the browser window would have to break out of the virtual machine before being able to target the operating system, an impassable barrier for most online threats. When a user closes the compromised tab, the virtual machine is deleted and the malware goes with it.
HP will first make Sure Click available for downloaded on its EliteBook x360 1030 G2 sometime in the spring and then plans to make the technology a “standard feature” of the laptop series. The capability should appeal both to consumers who use the company’s machines in their personal lives and businesses that want to protect employees from hackers. Within the latter group, Sure Click should be particularly welcome for smaller firms that can’t afford many of the sophisticated breach prevention tools used by their larger peers.
Image courtesy of HP
Since you’re here …
… We’d like to tell you about our mission and how you can help us fulfill it. SiliconANGLE Media Inc.’s business model is based on the intrinsic value of the content, not advertising. Unlike many online publications, we don’t have a paywall or run banner advertising, because we want to keep our journalism open, without influence or the need to chase traffic.The journalism, reporting and commentary on SiliconANGLE — along with live, unscripted video from our Silicon Valley studio and globe-trotting video teams at theCUBE — take a lot of hard work, time and money. Keeping the quality high requires the support of sponsors who are aligned with our vision of ad-free journalism content.
If you like the reporting, video interviews and other ad-free content here, please take a moment to check out a sample of the video content supported by our sponsors, tweet your support, and keep coming back to SiliconANGLE.
