Create Setting to Disable Microphone in VM

[Swass]

Please consider creating a setting to disable the microphone in a VM settings, apart from existing audio settings. Currently, the microphone is turned on the moment a VM is started, if the null device is not set and audio is turned on. This is because VirtualBox is requesting access to the microphone because the VM may require it, and Windows and VirtualBox have no knowledge of whether the VM application is accessing the microphone. The consequence of the microphone being on, in the case of a headset, is a constant hissing sound and also hearing sounds through the microphone through the earphones. Even attempting to mute the microphone doesn't stop the hissing. A setting to disable the microphone but still enable audio output would prevent this from occurring.

Below is the original issue originally submitted as a problem to the Windows category.

This is a strange issue, but when I start a VM on my Windows host, if the Audio is turned on and not set to the null device, it will immediately turn on the microphone. Using my USB headset, you will immediately hear a hissing noise from turning the microphone on. Muting the microphone through the headset does no good, although it does keep me from hearing myself. As far as Windows is concerned, the application (VirtualBox) is requesting access to the microphone. The same hiss comes when you go into sound settings in Windows and click the record tab, where it enables the microphone. It would seem the right solution is to have a setting in VirtualBox that allows you to disable microphone. So to be clear, the issue isn't that the microphone produces a hissing noise when enabled, but rather that VirtualBox enables the microphone immediately upon starting a VM because the guest may want to use it. Since Windows has no way to know if a guest VM application needs access to the microphone, this is understandable, but there should be a way to disable the microphone entirely with a VM and not by way of disabling it in Windows.

[socratis]

Moving to "Suggestions", since this is not about your host, but a more generic suggestion.

[hmijail2]

I second this. It's ironical that one reason to use VMs is security, and yet the moment you start running VirtualBox it behaves as if it was already spying on you. How can we know that some malware didn't get into the VM?

[socratis]

If you're concerned about security, turn off audio. Especially if it is a USB audio. Easy.