> Source: [sk181889](https://support.checkpoint.com/results/sk/sk181889)

# sk181889 - Threat Emulation fails with the error "Internal virtual sandbox communication error" after restoring a Gaia backup on Threat Emulation Appliance

| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| Solution ID | sk181889 |
| Date Created | 2024-01-31 |
| Last Modified | 2026-03-10 |
| Technical Level | Advanced |
| Products | Security Gateway |
| Versions | R81.20, R81.10 (EOS), R81 (EOS) |
| OS | Gaia |
| Platform | TE |

## Symptoms

- * SmartConsole / SmartView shows logs from the Threat Emulation Software Blade with the error "`Internal virtual sandbox communication`".

  Example:

  `Verdict: Error`

  `Errors: Win7,Office 2013,Adobe 11: Internal virtual sandbox communication error . WinXP,Office 2003/7,Adobe 9: Internal virtual sandbox communication error .`

  `Type: Log`

  `Blade: Threat Emulation`

  `Product Family: Threat`

  `Description: Threat Emulation`
* The issue started after restoring a Gaia backup on the Threat Emulation Appliance.

* Collecting a Gaia backup on the Threat Emulation Appliance fails due to an expired TEMU (Threat Emulation) contract.

## Cause

The TEMU (Threat Emulation) contract has expired before the Gaia backup was collected.

As a result, after restoring this Gaia backup, the Threat Emulation did not have the required valid TEMU contract.

## Solution

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