What does the term "sandboxing" refer to in the context of cybersecurity?

The term "sandboxing" in the context of cybersecurity refers to running untrusted code in a controlled environment to analyze its behavior. This approach allows security professionals to isolate potentially malicious software or code from the rest of the system, ensuring that it cannot harm critical components or sensitive data while its behavior is assessed. In a sandbox, the untrusted code can be executed and monitored without the risk of causing widespread impact, which is essential for understanding threats and vulnerabilities. This method provides invaluable insights into how the code behaves, what actions it attempts to perform, and whether it interacts with other systems, which are crucial elements in threat detection and response.

In contrast, using a cloud environment for data backup involves storing data remotely, while creating a redundant storage system focuses on ensuring data availability and recovery. Implementing network segmentation enhances security by dividing a network into smaller, more manageable sections, reducing the risk of a breach affecting the entire network. While all these practices are important components of a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, they do not encompass the specific functionality and purpose of sandboxing in analyzing untrusted code.