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I have installed chrome on Kali Linux. But It doesn't run. After searching on the internet I found a solution in which you have to disable sandbox if you wanna run google chrome as a root user. According to my research sandbox is computer security box that prevents from executing malicious URL (correct me if I am wrong).

So here's my question:

  • I wonder is it safe to disable sandbox ?.

  • if it is not safe so Is there any software like a sandbox to prevent malicious URL to execute ?.

I like to use google chrome since the beginning and it is hard to switch to Firefox. I have never used Firefox.

Note: this question is for all Linux distribution.if you know only about Kali Linux feel free to only answer on Kali Linux.

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    Your understanding of the purpose of the sandbox is mainly correct. And thus you answer your question yourself - it increases the risk if you disable sandbox. Looking for different software which adds another sandbox is the wrong way to go. Instead figure out why it fails with sandbox enabled and make sure it works as designed with sandbox enabled. But - how to do this is off-topic here.
    – Steffen Ullrich
    Commented Feb 1, 2018 at 6:44
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    Instead of running Chrome as root with a disabled sandbox, you should create an unprivileged user to run Chrome with.
    – Arminius
    Commented Feb 1, 2018 at 6:45
  • @Arminius I feel that this should be the answer here.
    – Tom K.
    Commented Feb 1, 2018 at 7:55
  • @Arminius: please add this as answer. I've missed in the question that the OP was trying to run the browser as root - probably because I consider this as too far away from any sane behavior.
    – Steffen Ullrich
    Commented Feb 1, 2018 at 9:14
  • @Arminius i think i have only your specified way to run a chrome.
    – muneeb_ahmed
    Commented Feb 1, 2018 at 11:48

3 Answers 3

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Instead of running any browser as root, you should create a new unprivileged user to run Chrome.

As @McMatty quoted, disabling the sandbox removes an essential security layer that's protecting you from compromise if an attacker exploits a vulnerability in the browser.

Also note that Kali Linux is a special-purpose OS that's not meant to be for everyday use. (The fact that root is the default user is a hint at that.) So if find yourself starting to customize it a lot, you might want to change your setup, using your main OS alongside Kali which you only use for pentesting.

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Nope you don't want to be doing that. Its preventing malicious code from executing on your machine.

Sandbox leverages the OS-provided security to allow code execution that cannot make persistent changes to the computer or access information that is confidential.

https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/master/docs/design/sandbox.md

There will be other ways to run chrome on Kali if you really want that. What are you using the browser for? Kali is a Pentest platform after all and I wouldn't be using if for regular desktop activities.

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    I am a computer science student and recently graduated. I am really passionate about information security expertise area. that's the reason I am using Kali Linux as pentester(not yet become a pentester working on it). I guess i have to create a normal user and i will use chrome in it.
    – muneeb_ahmed
    Commented Feb 1, 2018 at 11:42
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How about simply telling OP that there is a --no-sandbox switch that you can add to the chrome executable?

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