Sophos Launches New Firewall Version with Health Check Feature

Secure by Design  

Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, has launched  Sophos Firewall v22. The update enhances Sophos’ Secure by Design pledge with a brand-new Health Check feature and several other security enhancements:

• Health Check – Sophos Firewall OS v22 checks dozens of different configuration settings and compares them with CIS benchmarks (Center for Internet Security) and other best practices, providing immediate insights into areas that may be at risk.

• Hardened kernel – The next-gen Xstream Architecture in Sophos Firewall OS is built upon a new hardened kernel (v6.6+) that provides enhanced security, performance, and scalability to maximize current and future hardware.

• Remote integrity monitoring – Sophos Firewall OS v22 now integrates Sophos XDR Linux Sensor that enables real-time monitoring of system integrity, including unauthorized configuration, rule exports, malicious program execution attempts, file tampering, and more.

• Improved workload isolation – With Sophos’ next-gen Xstream Architecture, SFOS v22 introduces an all-new control plane re-architected for increased defense-in-depth and scalability. The new control plane enables modularization, isolation, and containerization of services.

• Enhanced anti-malware engine – Sophos Firewall OS v22 integrates the latest Sophos anti-malware engine with enhanced zero-day, real-time detection of emerging threats using global reputation lookups.

“Over the last several releases, we have continued to invest in implementing Secure by Design principles into all our products, including Sophos Firewall”, said Sophos CISO Ross McKerchar. “We introduced numerous updates in the last few years to aggressively harden the product, make it easier to patch vulnerabilities, and to identify when a customer is under attack. Sophos Firewall v22 now takes Secure by Design to a new level.”

As with every firewall release, Sophos Firewall v22 is a free upgrade for Sophos Firewall customers with Enhanced or Enhanced Plus Support and should be applied to all supported firewall devices as soon as possible.

Additional details can also be found in this Sophos blog article. For more information about Sophos products and services go to https://www.sophos.com.