Latest Microsoft update crashes Windows Sandbox

IT security services specialists and Windows 10 systems administrators were excited about the main novelty that Microsoft included in the latest update: Windows Sandbox. However, this new feature seems to have disappointed for several cybersecurity enthusiasts.

Windows Sandbox is a virtual desktop environment in which the user can run suspicious files without damaging the rest of their operating system; according to the IT security services specialists, the sandbox environment is one of the main security tools to deal with potentially harmful software.

When announcing the launch of Windows Sandbox, Microsoft claimed that this tool was not a common virtual machine, because everything that is required for its operation is in Windows, so users do not have to install third-party virtual machines plugins. “Windows Sandbox is ready to use just after its installation”, Microsoft mentioned.

Despite the expectation that Windows Sandbox had caused, the company confirmed that users who installed the KB4497936 update would find an error window displaying the following message: “Windows Sandbox could not be started”.

First of all, IT security services specialists mention that Windows Sandbox is only present in the May update for Windows Pro and Windows Enterprise users; Windows Home system administrators have no impact, as Windows Sandbox is not available for this deployment.

The error primarily affects Windows Insider program participants, which allows some system administrators to obtain a version of Microsoft tools prior to their official release (the KB4497936 update was only released for these users).

Microsoft issued a statement confirming the error: “This failure occurs on devices where the operating system language has been modified during the installation process for Windows 10 updates. We will work to implement a solution to be launched at the end of June”.

According to specialists of the International Institute of Cyber Security (IICS), it could be to some extent understandable that the tool has failed, because those affected by the error requested to obtain a previous version of the sandbox, which can be useful for the company before the Windows Sandbox official release.