Are Android apps run in isolated sandbox/virtual machine on Windows 11 (like apps running in Bluestacks)? I'm interested in terms of security to make sure even malware android apps will not get sensitive data from host?
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1What sandbox do you mean exactly? – mentallurg Nov 10 '21 at 23:19
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1WSA (Windows Subsystem for Android) runs inside a Hyper-V virtual machine. That alone does not guarantee complete isolation since WSL2 also runs in a similar environment but allows the windows filesystem to be accessible from WSL. However, WSA probably is kept isolated, since Microsoft [states](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/mobile-apps-and-the-windows-subsystem-for-android-f8d0abb5-44ad-47d8-b9fb-ad6b1459ff6c#:~:text=files%20available%20in%20Windows) *"files available in Windows aren't accessible in the Subsystem and any mobile apps."* – nobody Dec 12 '21 at 17:07
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Likely.
While I voted your question for closing because it it too broad for the scope of this board, let me just add a couple of considerations.
Android apps are developed using either the SDK or the NDK. The SDK is an implementation of the Java Language Specification, with additional sandboxing (permission model etc). The NDK allows apps to run native code, which is essentially the usage of pointers and direct assembly instructions which would otherwise have to be emulated/interpreted by the JVM.
As for the SDK, it all depends on the Windows's implementation of the Android subsystem.
If Microsoft implements all sandboxing features in AOSP, we can assume the app will run with the same security features. If, for counterexample, Windows does not implement a system prompt for disk access, then the app will have right to use java.io.File APIs unrestricted.
But that's a 10k feet view from the specifications point of view.
There is nothing preventing Microsoft from leaving a security exploit in a sandboxed environment. That's why software is regularly patched.
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