CAPE Sandbox vs Windows Sandbox
CAPE Sandbox
github.comWindows Sandbox
learn.microsoft.comSide by side
| Figure | CAPE Sandbox | Windows Sandbox |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Sandbox Software | 8.2 (#7) | 7.4 (#17) |
| Founded | 2016 | 1975 |
| Purpose | CAPE is a malware sandbox that executes malicious files in an isolated environment while recording behavior and collecting forensic artifacts. | Windows Sandbox provides a lightweight isolated desktop for testing, debugging, exploring unknown files, and experimenting with tools. |
Plans
In their own words
CAPE Sandbox
CAPE Sandbox is a free, open-source malware sandbox that executes malicious files in isolation while recording behavior and forensic artifacts. It captures API-hook activity, file changes, network traffic as PCAP, desktop screenshots, and full memory dumps. Malware classification can use YARA scans of unpacked payloads, Suricata scans of network captures, and behavioral signatures from API-hook output. CAPE also performs dynamic unpacking and extracts malware configuration through static and dynamic analysis. Its programmable debugger supports custom unpacking and configuration extractors, anti-sandbox countermeasures, and instruction traces. Configuration parsing works with CAPE’s framework and the listed RATDecoders, DC3-MWCP, MalDuck, and MaCo projects. Documentation covers a REST API, distributed deployment, and endpoints for tasks, reports, files, PCAPs, and machines. Additional integrations include Box-js, Curtain, LibreNMS, and Suricata. The project recommends Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Windows 10 or Windows 11 23H2 targets, and KVM. Active unpacking is off by default because it may affect detonation quality.
Windows Sandbox
Windows Sandbox has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.