Dell Kace offers browser-in-a-sandbox

Secure Browser uses app virtualisation to isolate it from Windows.

Dell's Kace subsidiary has released a secure browser aimed at protecting business users from malware.

Available immediately as a free download, the Dell Kace Secure Browser is a version of Mozilla Firefox isolated from Windows using application virtualisation technology.

This approach delivers a browser-in-a-sandbox capable of containing any malware threats, preventing them from making changes to the rest of the system, according to the firm.

"If you can secure the browser, you have a better chance of stopping attacks before your anti-virus and anti-malware tools can detect them," said Rob Meinhardt, chief executive and co-founder of Kace.

While anyone can download and use the Secure Browser, Dell Kace customers get additional value as it integrates with the firm's K1000 Management Appliance for central deployment and admin control.

Administrators can apply policies to restrict access to whitelisted sites, or prevent access to specific blacklisted sites. A reset button reverses any changes that may have been made to the Secure Browser during a web session.

The Secure Browser is based on Kace's own application virtualisation technology, which the firm gained through the acquisition of Computers In Motion several years ago.

This is already used in the K1000 Management Appliance to deliver applications to endpoint systems.

However, the Secure Browser downloads a standard Windows Installer package that anyone can run, and is ready configured with Adobe Reader and Flash plug-ins.

While this version of the Secure Browser is based on Firefox, a version using Internet Explorer is due for release later this year.