Security solutions provider Sophos has released Sophos Firewall v22, adding a new Health Check feature and other security updates to help organizations spot risks in their firewall setup.
The Health Check feature reviews dozens of firewall configuration settings and compares them with benchmarks from the Center for Internet Security and other accepted best practices. It then highlights areas that may need attention, giving administrators a clearer view of possible weaknesses.
“Over the last several releases, we have continued to invest in implementing Secure by Design principles into all our products, including Sophos Firewall,” said Ross McKerchar, CISO of Sophos. “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.”
Sophos Firewall v22 also runs on a new hardened kernel that supports improved security, performance, and scalability. The company said this update is designed to better support current hardware and future systems.
Another addition is remote integrity monitoring. The new version integrates the company’s XDR Linux Sensor, which allows real-time monitoring of system activity. This includes checks for unauthorized changes, suspicious file activity, and attempts to run harmful programs.
The update also introduces changes to how firewall services are separated and managed. The company said it has redesigned the control plane of its Xstream Architecture to improve isolation between services and reduce the impact if one part of the system is compromised.
Sophos Firewall v22 includes an updated anti-malware engine as well. The company said the engine improves real-time detection of new and emerging threats by using global reputation data.
Sophos said the new firewall version is a free upgrade for customers with Enhanced or Enhanced Plus Support. The company advised users to apply the update to all supported firewall devices as soon as possible.