Forum Discussion
Device Guard
I'm running into an issue running downloaded binaries in a Windows Sandbox. The error indicates that the Device Guard feature is protecting my system.
How do I override this protection? Is there an interactive security control, or perhaps a registry variable, that applies?
My research thus far has located a method for establishing Code Integrity Policies. Is this an aid to this problem?
Thanks in advance.
4 Replies
I spent a couple annoying hours on this today, 30 July 2026. My guess is that a recent preview update made Device Guard more strict. In theory, Smart App Control can be disabled, then rename the .cip files (policy files for device guard). However, renaming these files requires booting into recovery mode. Then even when I used the BIOS to disable secure boot, I could not restart Windows. I had to restore the .cip file names. I am now running with secure boot and Smart App Control enabled.
My problem was with personal, custom executables that I had scheduled to run from the task scheduler, such as to update my web site with a message of the day. I think I could satisfy Device Guard by signing the EXEs, but I don't want to mess with certificates for these silly little programs. I solved my own problem by placing the EXEs (with required DLLs and such) into folders under "c:\Program Files". For the moment, Device Guard allows these EXEs in this folder.
As for your sandbox, maybe you can find a way to sign your EXEs with free certs. Or maybe your sandbox has its own Program Files folder.
It's my own personal computer, not a business computer. How can I circumvent these protections for specific binaries, while maintaining the integrity of the Windows Sandbox? Or should I instead pursue a pure virtual machine alternative solution?
The Device Guard feature in Windows provides a security layer that enforces code integrity policies, which can prevent the execution of untrusted binaries, especially in environments like Windows Sandbox. If you're encountering errors related to Device Guard when running downloaded binaries, it indicates that the security policies are blocking their execution.
The issue you're facing with the Windows Sandbox is more likely due to the Windows Sandbox's own security features, specifically the "Device Guard" feature, which might be misinterpreted as the same feature. This "Device Guard" in Windows Sandbox refers to the sandbox's own security profile, which includes Code Integrity (CI) policies and Device Guard rules.
