Secure Virtual Desktop

When you're connected to free Wi-Fi in a dubious Internet caf?, it's probably not the best time to log in to your bank or download documents from work. Sometimes, though, you just don't have access to a connection with better security. If you really need to transmit sensitive communications over an untrusted network, OPSWAT's free Secure Virtual Desktop can help.

Secure Virtual Desktop requires no installation, so you can use it even when logged in with a non-Administrator account. You simply download the app and launch it. After an optional check for active malware, it switches into a secure version of the Windows desktop. Your regular desktop is still present; you can even switch back and forth.

When you're using the secure desktop, the only browser permitted is Internet Explorer, and it always runs in InPrivate browsing mode. Anything you save locally while using the secure desktop will vanish when the session ends. PrintScreen and printing in general isn't allowed. It also blocks access to network and removable drives. Apps running on the main desktop can't interact with secured apps. It even prevents copy/paste between the secure desktop and the regular desktop.

It's easy to see when you're in secure mode. The desktop background changes, all desktop icons vanish, and a small floating window with a shield icon indicates that you're in secure mode. Clicking a button in that floating window lets you switch back and forth between regular and secure desktops.

While Secure Private Desktop is not itself a Virtual Private Network (VPN) tool, OPSWAT promotes it as enhancing VPN security. During a secure session, your IP address is masked. I found that IP geolocation placed my test system in Georgia when it's really in California. That means Google and other sites that gather information associated with your IP address will be fooled.

Active Malware Check
I tried launching Secure Virtual Desktop on the twelve malware-infested test systems that I use for antivirus testing, to test the effectiveness of its pre-launch scan for active malware. It found some, but not all, of the active threats on half the systems, and warned that my secure session might conceivably be compromised. It erroneously reported no malware on three of the test systems, and failed to run properly on the other three. That quick scan for active malware is a nice idea, but it clearly doesn't actually detect all threats.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/RuiNOIVKeso/0,2817,2406766,00.asp

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