SafeSpace is an internet security product which protects your computer and your private information from malware attacks when using internet facing applications, such as web browsers, or viewing/editing any content that has been downloaded from the internet.

It works by containing your internet applications and content inside a protective environment, which virtualizes any unauthorized changes to your computer, and blocks all access to private files.

Every file which exists on your computer, whether part of the operating system, or part of an installed application can be accessed by internet applications. Whenever a file is modified, added or deleted, it is hard to detect, and even harder to undo. Malware typically manifests as executable files in the file system, tampering with existing files and updating the Registry to hide itself.

SafeSpace acts as a glass barrier around your computer. It is completely transparent to internet applications, allowing visibility of the computer’s files and registry. But when the application writes any changes, they are written onto the glass, inside the SafeSpace environment. The application can ‘see’ that the changes have been made to the computer, but the real computer underneath remains unchanged.

When the SafeSpace environment ends, the glass is wiped clean, instantly removing all the changes made, and once again showing the unchanged computer underneath.

By default, SafeSpace blocks access to any files which are not part of the operating system, or part of an installed application. This means that no matter where you store your private files, they will be inaccessible to applications that are either connected to the internet or being used to view/edit internet content.

Thanks to SafeSpace’s inbuilt content tracking system, you can download and store files from the internet wherever you want. Files downloaded from inside SafeSpace are clearly indicated, so you know what is safe and what is potentially unsafe, and when you open a downloaded file, it automatically opens inside SafeSpace. With SafeSpace you don’t have to worry about organizing your files or keeping track of internet downloads, which carry the potential risk of malware infection.

SafeSpace allows you to define various levels of access to folders, from read-only access to full control. You can also define a folder to have virtual access, which forces your internet applications to modify a virtual copy of the files within that directory and its subdirectories, leaving the real files intact.

SafeSpace virtualizes all changes made to your computer’s configuration, including the addition, modification or deletion of system and program files. It also virtualizes all changes made to the computer’s registry.

At the end of your SafeSpace session, these changes are wiped clean, so the next time you use your internet applications, your computer is completely free from any unwanted changes.

SafeSpace automatically removes any administrative rights from internet applications, which means that any attempts to perform system or administrative tasks are prohibited.

SafeSpace should be used for any application which regularly displays or downloads content from the Internet. By default, SafeSpace will protect Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Windows Live Messenger / MSN Messenger. The SafeSpace Console allows you to add other applications which are not automatically protected.

No. Once installed, SafeSpace automatically configures your favourite web browsers and instant messengers to run inside SafeSpace, and automatically protects your private files.

Antivirus and antispyware use a principle called blacklisting, where signatures are used to identify known malware. This is inadequate when dealing with unknown or suspicious content, meaning that no protection is offered against zero day malware outbreaks.

SafeSpace does not rely on signatures, heuristic analysis or behavioural rules. It doesn’t care whether the content being viewed is malicious or not. All activity inside SafeSpace is isolated, and is removed when you log off, leaving no trace of the changes made.

There is no silver bullet for solving the problem of malware. Antivirus is just as important for removing known malware and for protecting you against other non-internet borne threats. SafeSpace solves the problem of zero day malware attacks which cannot be dealt with by antivirus.

By using SafeSpace in combination with antivirus, you will be protected against malware – both known and unknown.

SafeSpace is an internet security solution, which uses lightweight application level virtualization to isolate specific internet facing applications and any applications that are being used to view or edit internet content which has either been downloaded or is being accessed directly from an internet facing application. This should not be confused with other virtualization technologies, such as operating system virtualization technologies e.g. VMware, Microsoft Virtual PC and application streaming solutions e.g. Microsoft SoftGrid and Citrix Application Streaming.

SafeSpace currently supports the following operating systems: -

• Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (32-Bit Edition) or
• Microsoft Windows Vista (32-Bit Edition)