10 Best Firewalls for Small & Medium Business Networks in 2023

BY AMINU ABDULLAHI MAY 16, 2023

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are increasingly becoming targets for cyber attacks. According to Verizon, about 61 percent of SMBs reported at least one cyber attack in 2021. Worse, Joe Galvin, chief research officer at Vistage, reported that about 60 percent of small businesses fold within six months of a cyber attack.

To protect your network from potential threats, you need a reliable and effective firewall solution. This tool will act as the first line of defense against unauthorized access and can help prevent malicious attacks from infiltrating a business’s network.

We reviewed the top SMB firewall solutions to help you determine the best one for your business.

Top SMB firewall software comparison

 Best forIPSContent filteringStarting price
Perimeter 81Best overallYesYes$8 per user per month, billed annually
pfSenseOpen sourceYesYes$0.01 per hour 
Comodo Free FirewallWindows PCsYesYesFree
ManageEngine Firewall AnalyzerLog, policy, and firewall configuration managementYesYes$395 per device
Fortinet FortiGateHybrid workforcesYesYesApprox. $335
SonicWall TZ400 Security FirewallAdvanced threat protectionYesYesApprox. $1,000–$1,500
Cisco Meraki MX68Small branches with up to 50 usersYesYesApprox $640
Sophos XGS SeriesRemote workersYesYesApprox. $520
Protectli Vault – 4 PortBuilding your own OPNsense or pfSense router and firewallYesYes$269 for FW4B – 4x 1G Port Intel J3160
OPNSenseFlexibilityYesYesFree, or $170.46/yr for business ed.

Jump to:

Perimeter81 icon

Perimeter 81

Best overall

Founded in 2018, Perimeter 81 is a cloud and network security company that provides organizations with a secure and unified platform for accessing and managing their applications and data.

It provides many security solutions, including firewall as a service (FWaaS), secure web gateway (SWG), zero trust network access (ZTNA), malware protection, software-defined perimeter, VPN-alternative and secure access service edge (SASE) capabilities, to ensure that data is secure and accessible to authorized personnel. It also provides centralized management and user access monitoring, enabling organizations to monitor and control user activity across the network.

Perimeter 81 provides granular access control policies that enable organizations to define and enforce access rules for their network resources based on the user’s identity, device type, and other contextual factors—making it easy for employees to access the company’s resources without compromising security.

Pricing

Pricing plansMinimum usersCost per month, plus gateway costCost per year, plus gateway costCloud firewallAgentless application accessDevice posture check
Essential10$10 per user, plus $50 per month per gateway$8 per user, plus $40 per month per gatewayNo2 applicationsNo
Premium10$12 per user, plus $50 per month per gateway$15 per user, plus $40 per month per gateway10 policies10 applications3 profiles
Premium Plus20$16 per user, plus $50 per month per gateway$20 per user, plus $40 per month per gateway100 policies100 applications20 profiles
Enterprise50Custom quotesCustom quotesUnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited

Features

  • Identity-based access for devices and users.
  • Network segmentation.
  • OS and application-level security and mutual TLS encryption.
  • Enable traffic encryption enforcement, 2FA, Single Sign-On, DNS filtering, and authentication.

Pros

  • Provides visibility into the company network.
  • Allows employee access from on-premise.
  • Automatic Wi-Fi security.
  • 30-day money-back guarantee.

Cons

  • Low and mid-tiered plans lack phone support.
  • Limited support for Essential, Premium, and Premium Plus.
pfSense icon

pfSense

Best open-source-driven firewall

pfSense is an open-source firewall/router network security solution based on FreeBSD. Featuring firewall, router, VPN, and DHCP servers, pfSense is a highly customizable tool that can be used in various network environments, from small home networks to large enterprise networks.

The tool supports multiple WAN connections, failover and load balancing, and traffic shaping, which can help optimize network performance. pfSense can be used on computers, network appliances, and embedded systems to provide a wide range of networking services.

Pricing

pfSense pricing varies based on your chosen medium—cloud, software, or hardware appliances.

For pfSense cloud:

  • pfSense on AWS: Pricing starts from $0.01 per hour to $0.40 per hour.
  • pfSense on Azure: Pricing starts from $0.08 per hour to $0.24 per hour.

For pfSense software:

  • pfSense CE: Open source version available to download for free.
  • pfSense+ Home or Lab: Available at no cost for evaluation purposes only.
  • pfSense+ W/TAC LITE: Currently available at no charge, but vendor may increase rate to $129 per year in the future. 
  • pfSense+ W/TAC PRO: $399 per year.
  • pfSense+ W/TAC ENT: $799 per year.

For pfSense appliances:

pfSense+ appliancesDevice costBest forFirewall speed (IPERF3 TRAFFIC)Firewall speed
(IMIX TRAFFIC)
Netgate 1100$189Home607 Mbps(10k ACLs)191 Mbps(10k ACLs)
Netgate 2100$349Home
Home Pro
Branch/Small Business
964 Mbps(10k ACLs)249 Mbps(10k ACLs)
Netgate 4100$599Home Pro
Branch/Small Business
Medium Business
4.09 Gbps(10k ACLs)1.40 Gbps(10k ACLs)
Netgate 6100$799Home Pro
Branch/Small Business
Medium Business
9.93 Gbps(10k ACLs)2.73 Gbps(10k ACLs)
Netgate 8200$1,395Branch/Small Business
Medium Business
Large Business
18.55 Gbps5.1 Gbps
Netgate 1537$2,199Medium Business
Large Business
Data Center
18.62 Gbps(10k ACLs)10.24 Gbps(10k ACLs)
Netgate 1541$2,899Medium Business
Large Business
Data Center
18.64 Gbps(10k ACLs)12.30 Gbps(10k ACLs)

Features

  • Stateful packet inspection (SPI).
  • IP/DNS-based filtering.
  • Captive portal guest network.
  • Time-based rules.
  • NAT mapping (inbound/outbound).

Pros

  • Anti-spoofing capability.
  • Connection limits option.
  • Community support.

Cons

  • The tool’s open-source version support is limited to community or forum. It lacks remote login support, private login support, a private support portal, email, telephone, and tickets.
  • Complex initial setup for inexperienced users.
Comodo icon

Comodo Free Firewall

Best for Windows PCs

Comodo Firewall is a free firewall software designed to protect computers from unauthorized access and malicious software by monitoring all incoming and outgoing network traffic. 

The firewall features packet filtering, intrusion detection and prevention, and application control. It also includes a “sandbox” feature that allows users to run potentially risky applications in a protected environment without risking damage to the underlying system. 

The software works seamlessly with other Comodo products, such as Comodo Antivirus and Comodo Internet Security.

Pricing

Comodo is free to download and use. The vendor recommends adding its paid antivirus product (Comodo Internet Security Pro) to its firewall for added security. The antivirus costs $29.99 per year for one PC or $39.99 per year for three PCs. 

Features

  • Auto sandbox technology.
  • Cloud-based behavior analysis. 
  • Cloud-based allowlisting. 
  • Supports all Windows OS versions since Windows XP (Note: Windows 11 support forthcoming).
  • Website filtering.
  • Virtual desktop.

Pros

  • Monitors in/out connections.
  • Learn user behavior to deliver personalized protection.
  • Real-time malware protection.

Cons

  • Lacks modern user interface.
  • Pop-up notifications—some users may find the frequent alerts generated by the software annoying and intrusive.
ManageEngine icon

ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer

Best for log, policy, and firewall configuration management

ManageEngine Firewall Analyzer is a web-based log analytics and configuration management software for firewall devices. 

It provides real-time visibility into network activity and helps organizations identify network threats, malicious traffic, and policy violations. It supports various firewalls, including Cisco ASA, Palo Alto, Juniper SRX, Check Point, SonicWall, and Fortinet. 

Firewall Analyzer helps monitor network security, analyze the security posture of the network, and ensure compliance with security policies. It also provides reports, dashboards, and automated alerting to ensure the network remains secure.

Pricing

The amount you will pay for this tool depends on the edition you choose and the number of devices in your organization. 

You can download the enterprise edition’s 30-day free trial to test-run it and learn more about its capabilities. It’s available in two versions: Windows OS or Linux. You can also download it for mobile devices, including iPhone devices and Android phones or tablets.

  • Standard Edition: Starts at $395 per device, up to 60 devices.
  • Professional Edition: Starts at $595 per device, up to 60 devices.
  • Enterprise Edition: Starts at $8,395 for 20 devices, up to 1,200 devices.

Feature

  • Firewall rules report and firewall device audit report.
  • Regulatory compliance with standards such as ISO, PCI-DSS, NERC-CIP, SANS, and NIST.
  • Network behavioral anomaly alert.
  • Security reports for viruses, attacks, spam, denied hosts, and event summaries.
  • Historical configuration change tracking.
  • Bandwidth report for live bandwidth, traffic analyzer, URL monitor, and employee internet usage.
  • Compatible with over 70 firewall versions.

Pros

  • Excellent technical support.
  • Users praise its reporting capability.
  • In-depth auditing with aggregated database entries capability.
  • VPN and security events analysis.

Cons

  • Complex initial setup.
  • Users reported that the tool is occasionally slow.
Fortinet icon

Fortinet FortiGate

Best for hybrid workforces

Fortinet FortiGate is a network security platform that offers a broad range of security and networking services for enterprises of all sizes. It provides advanced threat protection, secure connectivity, and secure access control. It also provides advanced firewall protection, application control, and web filtering. 

Business owners can use Fortinet’s super-handy small business product selector to determine the best tool for their use cases. 

Small and mid-sized businesses may find the following FortiGate’s model suitable for their needs:

 IPSNGFWThreat ProtectionInterfacesSeries
FortiGate 80F1.4 Gbps1 Gbps900 MbpsMultiple GE RJ45 | Variants with PoE, DSL,3G4G, WiFi and/or storageFG-80F, FG-80F-PO, FG-80F-Bypass, FG-81F, FG-81F-PO, FG-80F-DSL, FWF-81F-2R-POE, FWF-81, F-2R-3G4G-POE, FWF-80F/81F-2R, and FWF-80F/81F-2R-3G4G-DSL
FortiGate 70F 1.4 Gbps1 Gbps800 MbpsMultiple GE RJ45 | Variants with internalstorageFG-70F and FG-71F
FortiGate 60F 1.4 Gbps1 Gbps700 MbpsMultiple GE RJ45 | Variants with internalstorage | WiFi variantsFG-60F, FG-61F, FWF-60F, and FWF-61F
FortiGate 40F 1 Gbps800 Mbps 600 MbpsMultiple GE RJ45 | WiFi variantsFG-40F, FG-40F-3G4G, FWF-40F, FWF-40F-3G4G

Fortinet FortiGate is compatible with several operating systems and can easily be integrated into existing networks. 

Pricing

Unfortunately, Fortinet doesn’t publish their prices. Reseller prices start around $335 for the FortiGate 40F with no support. Contact Fortinet’s sales team for quotes.

Features

  • Offers AI-powered security services, including web, content, and device security, plus advanced tools for SOC/NOC.
  • Continuous risk assessment. 
  • Threat protection capability.

Pros

  • Top-rated firewall by NSS Labs.
  • Intrusion prevention.

Cons

  • According to user reviews, the CLI is somewhat complex.
  • Complex initial setup.
SonicWall icon

SonicWall TZ400 Security Firewall

Best for advanced threat protection

The SonicWall TZ400 is a mid-range, enterprise-grade security firewall designed to protect small to midsize businesses. It supports up to 150,000 maximum connections, 6,000 new connections per second, and 7×1-Gbe. 

The TZ400 features 1.3 Gbps firewall inspection throughput, 1.2 Gbps application inspection throughput, 900 Mbps IPS throughput, 900 Mbps VPN throughput, and 600 Mbps threat prevention throughput. 

Pricing

This product’s pricing is not available on the Sonicwall website. However, resellers such as CDW, Staples, and Office Depot typically sell it in the $1,000–$1,500 range. You can request a quote for your particular use case directly from Sonicwall.

Features

  • Deep memory inspection.
  • Single-pane-of-glass management and reporting.
  • SSL/TLS decryption and inspection.
  • SD-WAN and zero-touch deployment capabilities.

Pros

  • Optional PoE and Wi-Fi options.
  • DDoS attack protection (UDP/ICMP/SYN flood).
  • Fast performance with gigabit and multi-gigabit Ethernet interfaces.
  • Protects against intrusion, malware, and ransomware.
  • High-performance IPS, VPN, and threat prevention throughput.
  • Efficient ​​firewall inspection and application inspection throughput.

Cons

  • Support can be improved.
  • It can be difficult to configure for inexperienced users.
Cisco icon

Cisco Meraki MX68

Best for small branches with up to 50 users

The Cisco Meraki MX68 is a security appliance designed for SMBs. It’s part of the Cisco Meraki MX series of cloud-managed security appliances that provide network security, content filtering, intrusion prevention, and application visibility and control.

The MX68 is equipped with advanced security features such as a stateful firewall, VPN, and intrusion prevention system (IPS) to protect your network from cyber attacks. The MX68 has a variety of ports and interfaces, including LAN and WAN ports and a USB port for 3G/4G failover. It also supports multiple WAN uplinks, providing redundancy and failover options to ensure your network remains online and available.

Pricing

The Cisco Meraki MX68 pricing isn’t listed on the company’s website, but resellers typically list it starting around $640. You can request a demo, free trial, or quotes by contacting the Cisco sales team.

Features

  • Centralized management via web-based dashboard or API.
  • Intrusion detection and prevention (IDS/IPS).
  • Next-generation layer 7 firewalls and content filtering.
  • SSL decryption/inspection, data loss prevention (DLP), and cloud access security broker (CASB).
  • Instant wired failover with added 3G/4G failover via a USB modem.

Pros

  • Remote browser isolation, granular app control, and SaaS tenant restrictions.
  • Support for native IPsec or Cisco AnyConnect remote client VPN.
  • Provides unified management for security, SD-WAN, Wi-Fi, switching, mobile device management (MDM), and internet of things (IoT)

Cons

  • The license cost is somewhat high.
  • Support can be improved.
Sophos icon

Sophos XGS Series

Best for remote workers

Sophos XGS Series Desktop is a range of network security appliances designed to provide comprehensive protection for SMBs. These appliances combine several security technologies, including firewall, intrusion prevention, VPN, web filtering, email filtering, and application control, to provide a robust and integrated security solution.

Here’s a comparison table of the Sophos XGS series firewalls:

 FirewallTLS inspectionIPSIPSEC VPNNGFWFirewall IMIXThreat protectionLatency (64 byte UDP)
XGS Desktop Models3,850 Mbps375 Mbps1,200 Mbps3,000 Mbps700 Mbps3,000 Mbps280 Mbps6 µs
XGS 107 / 107w7,000 Mbps420 Mbps1,500 Mbps4,000 Mbps1,050 Mbps3,750 Mbps370 Mbps6 µs
XGS 116 / 116w7,700 Mbps650 Mbps2,500 Mbps4,800 Mbps2,000 Mbps4,500 Mbps720 Mbps8 µs
126/126w10,500 Mbps800 Mbps3,250 Mbps5,500 Mbps2,500 Mbps5,250 Mbps900 Mbps8 µs
136/136w11,500 Mbps950 Mbps4,000 Mbps6,350 Mbps3,000 Mbps6,500 Mbps1,000 Mbps8 µs

The Sophos XGS Series Desktop appliances are available in several models with varying performance capabilities, ranging from entry-level models suitable for small offices to high-performance models suitable for large enterprises. They are designed to be easy to deploy and manage, with a user-friendly web interface and centralized management capabilities.

Pricing

Sophos doesn’t advertise the pricing for their XGS Series Desktop appliances online, but they typically retail starting at about $520 from resellers. 

Potential customers are encouraged to request a free trial and pricing information by filling out a form on the “Get Pricing” page of their website.

Features

  • Centralized management and reporting.
  • Wireless, SD-WAN, application aware routing, and traffic shaping capability.
  • SD-WAN orchestration.
  • Advanced web and zero-day threat protection.

Pros

  • Zero-touch deployment.
  • Lateral movement protection.
  • Users find the tool scalable.

Cons

  • Performance limitations.
  • Support can be improved.
Protectli icon

Protectli Vault – 4 Port

Best for building your own OPNsense or pfSense router and firewall

The Protectli Vault is a small form-factor network appliance designed to act as a firewall, router, or other network gateway. The 4-Port version has four gigabit Intel Ethernet NIC ports, making it ideal for SMB or home networks.

The device is powered by a low-power Intel processor and can run a variety of open-source firewall and router operating systems, such as pfSense, OPNsense, or Untangle. It comes with 8GB DDR3 RAM and up to 32GB DDR4 RAM. 

The Protectli Vault is designed to be fanless, silent, and compact, making it ideal for use in the home or office environments where noise and space may be an issue. It’s also designed to be energy-efficient, consuming only a few watts of power, which can save businesses considerable amounts of money on energy costs over time.

Pricing

The amount you will pay for this tool depends on the model you select and your desired configuration. The rates below are starting prices; your actual rate may vary based on your configuration. Note that all these items ship free to U.S. addresses.

  • VP2410 – 4x 1G Port Intel J4125: Starts at $329.
  • VP2420 – 4x 2.5G Port Intel J6412: Starts at $379.
  • FW4B – 4x 1G Port Intel J3160: Starts at $269.
  • FW4C – 4x 2.5G Port Intel J3710: Starts at $289.

Features

  • Solid-state and fanless tool.
  • Provides 2.5 GB ports unit.
  • AES-NI, VPN, and coreboot options.

Pros

  • A 30-day money-back guarantee.
  • Transparent pricing.
  • Coreboot support.
  • CPU supports AES-NI.

Cons

  • Steep learning curve.
OPNSense icon

OPNSense

Best for flexibility 

OPNsense is a free and open-source firewall and routing platform based on the FreeBSD OS. It was forked from the popular pfSense and m0n0wall project in 2014 and was officially released in January 2015.

OPNsense provides a modular design that allows users to easily add or remove functionality based on their needs. 

OPNsense is popular among IT professionals and network administrators who need a flexible and customizable firewall and routing platform that they can tailor to their specific needs. It’s also a good choice for small businesses and home users who want to improve their networks’ security without spending a lot of money on commercial solutions.

Pricing

OPNSense is a free, open source tool. It is available in two editions: Community edition and business edition. You can download the community version at no cost. For the business version, a one-year subscription costs $170.46 per year.

Features

  • High availability and hardware failover.
  • Intrusion detection and prevention.
  • Captive portal.
  • VPN (site-to-site and road warrior, IPsec, OpenVPN, and legacy PPTP support).
  • Built-in reporting and monitoring tools, including RRD Graphs.

Pros

  • Free, open source.
  • Traffic shaper.
  • Support for plugins.
  • Multi-language support, including English, Czech, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.

Cons

  • Reporting capability can be improved.
  • The interface can be improved.

Key features of SMB firewalls

Firewalls designed for SMBs share many of the same characteristics as their enterprise-grade cousins—such as firewall rule and policy configuration, content filtering, reporting and analytics—while placing additional emphasis on affordability and ease of use.

Firewall rules and policies

Administrators should be able to set up firewall rules and policies that control traffic flow and block or permit traffic based on various criteria, such as source/destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols. 

These rules and policies can be used to control the types of applications, services, and data that are allowed to traverse the network, as well as create restrictions on access. 

Firewall rules and policies are essential to the security of a network, as they provide the first line of defense against malicious attacks.

Content filtering

Content filtering is the process of blocking or restricting certain types of content from entering or leaving a network. It can be used to block websites, applications, or data that may contain malicious or unwanted content, such as malware, viruses, or pornographic material. 

Content filtering is typically implemented using a combination of hardware and software solutions. Hardware solutions, such as routers and switches, can be configured to block certain types of traffic or data or to restrict access to certain websites or applications. Software solutions, such as firewall rules and policies, can also be used to block or restrict certain types of content.

Reporting and analytics 

Reporting and analytics are essential for any business network, as they provide important insights into the health and security of the network. Firewall reporting and analytics features allow network administrators to identify trends, detect potential threats, and analyze the performance of the network over time.

Reporting and analytics can also be used to identify any areas of the network that may be vulnerable to attack, as well as identify any areas where the network may not be performing optimally.

Affordability

For SMBs, affordability is a key factor when it comes to purchasing a firewall. SMB firewalls are typically more affordable than enterprise firewalls and can be purchased for as little as a few hundred dollars, so it is important to consider your budget when selecting a firewall.

Some SMB firewalls offer additional features for a fee, so consider what features are necessary for your network and the ones you can do without, as this will help you decide on the most cost-effective firewall solution. At the same time, be careful not to cut corners—your business’s data is too important to be insufficiently protected.

Ease of use and support

For SMBs, finding a firewall solution that is easy to use and has good support is essential. Firewalls should be easy to configure and manage so the network administrator can quickly and easily make changes as needed.

Additionally, good support should be available for any issues or questions that arise. This support should include an online knowledge base and access to technical support staff that can assist with any questions or problems, ideally 24/7.

How to choose the best SMB firewall software for your business

When shopping for the best SMB firewall software for your business, look for software that offers the features you need, easy installation and management, scalability to grow with your business, minimal impact on network performance, and an affordable price.

It’s also important to choose a vendor with a good reputation in the industry, backed up by positive reviews and customer feedback.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

What is an SMB firewall?

An SMB firewall is a type of network security device that is designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses. It’s used to protect networks from unauthorized access, malicious attacks, and other security threats.

What features should I look for in an SMB firewall?

Above all you need a solution with a strong security profile. Look for specific security measures such as:

  • Intrusion prevention
  • Content filtering
  • Malware protection
  • Application control
  • Traffic shaper 

Other factors to consider include ease of management, scalability, and cost.

Do small businesses need a firewall?

Yes, small businesses need a firewall. It provides an essential layer of network security that helps protect against unauthorized access, malware, and other security threats. Without a firewall, small businesses are vulnerable to attacks that could compromise sensitive data, cause network downtime, and damage their reputation.

How much does a firewall cost for SMBs?

The cost of an SMB firewall can vary widely depending on the features, capabilities, and brand of the firewall. Generally, SMB firewalls can range in price from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

How many firewalls do you need for a small business?

The number of firewalls needed for a small business will depend on the size and complexity of the network. In many cases, a single firewall may be sufficient to protect the entire network. However, in larger networks, it may be necessary to deploy multiple firewalls to provide adequate protection.

Factors such as network segmentation, geographic location, and compliance requirements may also influence the number of firewalls needed. It’s best to consult with a network security expert to determine the appropriate number of firewalls for your small business.

Methodology

We analyzed dozens of SMB firewall software and narrowed down our list to the top ten. We gathered primary data—including pricing details, features, support, and more—from each tool provider’s website, as well as third-party reviews. We selected each software based on five key data points: security, ease of use, affordability, quality of service, and user satisfaction.

Bottom line: Choosing an SMB firewall

The solutions we evaluated are some of the best SMB firewalls currently available on the market. They are designed to provide SMBs with advanced security features, easy management, and scalability at affordable rates.

If your business is growing fast and you need an enterprise-grade network firewall solution, we also reviewed the best firewall software for enterprise networks.

Read our complete guide to designing and configuring a firewall policy for your organization, complete with a free, downloadable template.

Source :
https://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/guides/best-firewalls-for-small-medium-business/

7 Best Firewall Software Solutions: 2023 Firewall Comparison

BY COLLINS AYUYA MAY 23, 2023

In the fast-paced realm of cyberspace where threats continue to multiply, firewall software represents a critical line of defense for businesses of all sizes.

Such programs function as digital gatekeepers, regulating the flow of inbound and outbound network traffic according to a set of rules defined by the user.

With the continued rise of data breaches, investing in the best firewall software isn’t a mere consideration; it’s a necessity.

That’s why we researched, analyzed, and selected the best firewall software solutions for 2023:

Best firewall software comparison

Before delving into each firewall software’s in-depth review, let’s take a quick overview of what each product offers via a comparison chart:

Comprehensive security suiteScalabilityUser-friendly interfaceRobust featuresCloud-based managementOpen-sourceStarting price
Norton$49.99 for 5 devices for the first year
FortiGate$250/year for home office
GlassWireFree, or $2.99/month/license
Cisco Secure Firewall Management CenterContact Cisco
pfSenseFree
Sophos FirewallContact Sophos
ZoneAlarmFree, or $22.95/year for 1 PC

Jump to:

Norton icon

Norton

Best for a comprehensive security suite

Norton is a household name in cybersecurity that has long been delivering top-tier firewall software that signifies its wealth of experience in the sector.

The standout attribute of Norton is its comprehensive security suite, going beyond basic firewall protection to incorporate a smart firewall and intrusion prevention system (IPS), antivirus capabilities, identity theft protection, and even a VPN offering.

All that adds up to a holistic solution for businesses desiring a single-stop security software.

Pricing

Norton’s Smart Firewall is included in Norton 360, whose pricing plans at the time of writing are:

  • Deluxe: $49.99 for the first year for 5 PCs, Macs, tablets, or phones.
  • Select + LifeLock: $99.99 for the first year for 10 PCs, Macs, tablets, or phones.
  • Advantage + LifeLock: $191.88 for the first year for 10 PCs, Macs, tablets, or phones.
  • Ultimate Plus + LifeLock: $299.88 for the first year for unlimited PCs, Macs, tablets, or phones.

Features

  • Advanced smart firewall with customizable rules, allowing businesses to modify access based on their specific needs, thus providing a higher level of personalized security.
  • Integrated VPN for safe browsing ensures users can access the internet securely without worrying about potential threats or privacy breaches.
  • Identity theft protection is another vital feature, which helps safeguard sensitive personal and business data from potential hackers.
  • SafeCam feature prevents unauthorized access to your webcam, thwarting any potential spying or privacy intrusions.
  • Automatic updates ensure that your protection is always up-to-date, reinforcing defenses against new and evolving threats.

Pros

  • Norton offers a comprehensive security suite, providing a broad spectrum of protective measures beyond the typical firewall, creating a fortified line of defense against a myriad of cyber threats.
  • The interface is easy to navigate, making the process of setting up and managing the firewall less complex and more user-friendly, even for those with limited technical knowledge.
  • It provides 24/7 customer support, ensuring that you’ll have access to assistance whenever you need it, regardless of the hour or day.

Cons

  • While perfect for small to mid-sized businesses, Norton might not be as scalable for larger businesses with a vast network of devices, potentially limiting its effectiveness in such an environment.
  • Depending on your requirements, the subscription can become expensive with add-ons, which might be a drawback for businesses on a tight budget.
Fortinet icon

Fortinet

Best for scalability

Fortinet is a well-regarded player in the cybersecurity arena and its firewall software exemplifies its commitment to delivering high-quality solutions. FortiGate, Fortinet’s firewall offering, is recognized for its advanced firewall solutions that are scalable and robust.

Particularly useful for growing businesses, FortiGate brings forward top-notch features that can effortlessly adapt to the needs of expanding network infrastructures.

Pricing

Fortinet offers a variety of solutions priced broadly to accommodate all business sizes—from $250 for home office to $300,000 for large enterprises. Contact Fortinet for accurate pricing information.

Features

  • FortiGate offers an advanced firewall with extensive protection against incoming threats, thus maintaining the security of your network.
  • With scalability at its core, FortiGate can adapt and grow along with your business, addressing increasing security demands seamlessly.
  • Smooth integration with other Fortinet security solutions, enabling a comprehensive security ecosystem for your business.
  • FortiGate Cloud-Native Firewall offers high resiliency to ease security delivery across cloud networks and availability zones at scale.
  • Automatic updates keep the firewall current and equipped to deal with the latest threats, ensuring your network’s protection remains robust.

Pros

  • Fortinet’s robust firewall features deliver comprehensive security for your network, providing the necessary defenses to ward off potential threats.
  • With a strong focus on scalability, Fortinet is an ideal choice for rapidly growing businesses that need a security solution to match their expanding network.
  • The software’s high-performance nature means that it delivers robust security without hampering your network’s speed or efficiency.

Cons

  • Despite (or because of) offering a wealth of features, Fortinet’s interface may not be as user-friendly as some other options, potentially causing difficulties for those without substantial technical knowledge.
  • While Fortinet offers a range of pricing options, the cost can quickly escalate for larger networks or when additional features are included, which may not suit budget-conscious businesses.
  • Pricing information is not transparent and requires negotiation. Your mileage may vary.
GlassWire icon

GlassWire

Best for user-friendly interface

GlassWire is an elegant and visually appealing firewall software that provides comprehensive network monitoring capabilities.

It uniquely combines a network monitor and firewall, offering users a clear visual representation of their network activity. This functionality helps users to understand their online behavior and potential threats in a way that’s easy to interpret.

Pricing

GlassWire offers a tiered pricing model:

  • Free: provides limited features, perfect for individual users or small businesses.
  • Premium: Starts at $2.99 per month per license, paid annually. Its premium tier plans suitable for business range between 10 and 200 licenses.

Features

  • Real-time and detailed visualization of your current and past network activity, offering an intuitive and easy-to-understand representation of what’s happening on your network.
  • Built-in firewall that allows users to easily monitor applications using the network and block any suspicious activity, providing a comprehensive network security solution.
  • A unique “Incognito” mode for users who do not want certain network activities to appear on the network graph, ensuring user privacy.
  • Firewall profiles to instantly switch between different environments, such as public and private networks.
  • The network time machine feature allows users to go back in time up to 30 days to see what their computer or server was doing in the past.

Pros

  • GlassWire offers a beautifully designed, user-friendly interface that presents complex network security information in a visually appealing and understandable way.
  • Its comprehensive network monitoring capability allows users to understand their online behavior, identify patterns and detect anomalies.
  • The software’s built-in firewall offers users the flexibility to control which applications can access the network, enhancing the overall security of their systems.

Cons

  • The software requires a moderate amount of system resources to run efficiently, which might be an issue for systems with limited resources.
  • Although GlassWire’s visualizations are beautiful and informative, some users may find them overwhelming and would prefer a more traditional interface.
Cisco icon

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center

Best for centralized management and control

The Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center provides a comprehensive solution for centralized control and management of security policies. It enhances the overall efficiency of network administration by offering a unified platform to manage multiple Cisco security appliances.

Businesses that use a variety of Cisco security tools will find this a valuable addition to streamline operations and enhance control.

Pricing

Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center’s pricing depends on the scale of operations and the specific needs of a business. For detailed and customized pricing information, you can directly contact Cisco or its partners.

Features

  • A unified management console that can control a wide range of Cisco security appliances, reducing the complexity associated with managing multiple devices.
  • Advanced threat detection and analysis capabilities, enabling administrators to swiftly identify and respond to security incidents.
  • Flexible deployment options, including on-premises, virtual and cloud-based solutions, catering to various operational needs and preferences.
  • Comprehensive policy management, allowing administrators to efficiently establish and enforce security policies across their Cisco security infrastructure.
  • Integration with other Cisco security tools, such as Cisco Threat Response, provides a cohesive and powerful security solution.

Pros

  • The ability to manage multiple Cisco security appliances from a single platform is a significant advantage, especially for larger enterprises managing complex security infrastructures.
  • Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center offers advanced threat detection and analysis capabilities, aiding in swift and efficient incident response.
  • Its flexible deployment options cater to diverse operational needs, providing convenience and ease of setup to businesses of all sizes.

Cons

  • Although powerful, the platform may require a steep learning curve, particularly for those who are new to Cisco’s ecosystem.
  • Some users have reported a desire for more customization options within the management interface to meet their specific operational needs.
  • Pricing information is not transparent and requires negotiation. Your mileage may vary.
pfSense icon

pfSense: Best open source solution

pfSense is an open-source firewall software solution that is highly customizable, suitable for tech-savvy businesses that prefer having the flexibility to tailor their firewall to specific needs. It’s built on the FreeBSD operating system, offering a comprehensive range of features for network management and security.

Pricing

As an open-source platform, pfSense is free to download and use. However, Netgate, the company behind pfSense, offers paid support and services, including hardware solutions integrated with pfSense software.

Features

  • A wide array of networking functionalities, including firewall, VPN, and routing services, ensuring comprehensive network protection.
  • Being open-source, it offers extensive customization options, allowing businesses to tailor the software to their specific needs.
  • Supports a large selection of third-party packages for additional features, granting more flexibility in expanding its capabilities.
  • Detailed network monitoring and reporting tools, allowing for granular insight into network traffic and potential security threats.
  • It has a community-backed development model, ensuring continuous improvements and updates to its features.

Pros

  • pfSense’s open-source nature allows for extensive customization, giving businesses control over how they want to configure their firewall.
  • The software provides a comprehensive set of features, ensuring thorough network protection and management.
  • Its support for third-party packages allows for the addition of further functionalities, enhancing its overall capabilities.

Cons

  • The configuration of pfSense can be quite complex, particularly for users without a strong technical background, which could pose a challenge for some businesses.
  • The user interface, while functional, may not be as polished or intuitive as some commercial firewall solutions.
  • As with many open-source projects, while there’s a supportive community, professional customer service might not be as accessible as with commercial solutions.
Sophos icon

Sophos Firewall

Best for cloud-based management

Sophos Firewall brings a fresh approach to the way you manage your firewall and how you can detect and respond to threats on your network.

Offering a user-friendly interface and robust features, this product provides businesses with an effective and efficient solution for their network security needs. It’s a versatile solution that not only offers traditional firewall capabilities but also integrates innovative technologies to ensure all-round security.

Pricing

Sophos does not publicize pricing information, because their solutions are provided by resellers and can vary depending on the business’s size, needs, and location. You can contact them directly for accurate pricing information.

Features

  • All-in-one solution by integrating advanced threat protection, IPS, VPN, and web filtering in a single comprehensive platform, thereby providing robust security for your network.
  • Deep learning technology and threat intelligence, both of which work in synergy to identify and respond to threats before they can cause damage, offering advanced protection against malware, exploits, and ransomware.
  • User-friendly interface that simplifies configuration and management tasks, making it easier for users to set up security policies and monitor network activities.
  • Synchronized Security technology that facilitates communication between your endpoint protection and your firewall, creating a coordinated defense against cyber threats.
  • The Sophos Firewall comes with an effective cloud management platform, allowing administrators to remotely manage the system, configure settings, and monitor network activity.

Pros

  • A user-friendly interface that simplifies the process of setting up and managing network security policies, making it suitable for businesses with limited technical expertise.
  • It integrates advanced protection capabilities, such as threat intelligence and deep learning technology, to provide robust defense against sophisticated cyber threats.
  • This firewall software’s unique Synchronized Security feature offers a coordinated and automated response against threats, enhancing the overall effectiveness of your network security.

Cons

  • Some users have reported that while the user interface is intuitive, it might take some time to navigate due to the depth of features available.
  • The initial setup and configuration might require technical expertise, although Sophos provides comprehensive resources and customer support to guide users.
  • Although Sophos’ site advertises “Simple Pricing,” their costs are not in fact transparent and will require negotiating a quote. Your mileage may vary.
ZoneAlarm icon

ZoneAlarm

Best for personal use

ZoneAlarm is an excellent choice for personal use and small businesses due to its simplicity and effectiveness.

With a robust set of features and an intuitive interface, it provides robust protection without requiring extensive technical knowledge. Its reputation as a reliable firewall solution makes it an attractive choice for users seeking to safeguard their systems from various threats.

Pricing

ZoneAlarm offers both free and premium versions of their firewall software. The free version provides basic protection, while the Pro Firewall version, which comes at a yearly subscription fee starting from $22.95 for 1 PC, offers advanced features such as zero-day attack protection and full technical support.

Features

  • Robust two-way firewall protection, preventing unauthorized access to your network while also stopping malicious applications from sending out your data.
  • Advanced privacy protection feature that protects your personal information from phishing attacks.
  • Unique ID Lock feature that keeps your personal information safe.
  • ZoneAlarm boasts an Anti-Phishing Chrome Extension that detects and blocks phishing sites, protecting your information online.
  • The premium version offers advanced real-time antivirus protection, ensuring that your system is continuously protected from threats.

Pros

  • ZoneAlarm offers a straightforward interface and setup process, making it an ideal choice for users who lack advanced technical skills.
  • The software provides a comprehensive suite of features, including robust firewall protection, advanced privacy tools and real-time antivirus capabilities.
  • ZoneAlarm’s ID Lock feature is a standout, helping to ensure the security of personal data.

Cons

  • While ZoneAlarm offers robust features, its protection level may not be adequate for large enterprises or businesses with complex network architectures.
  • Some users have reported that the software can be resource-intensive, potentially slowing down system performance.

Key features of firewall software

When choosing the best firewall software for your business, there are key features you should consider. These range from the extent of the security suite to scalability and cloud-based management, all of which play a significant role in how effectively the software will serve your needs.

Comprehensive security suite

A comprehensive security suite is more than just a basic firewall. It includes additional layers of security like antivirus capabilities, identity theft protection, and a VPN.

The best firewall software solutions should deliver this kind of comprehensive coverage, protecting against a wide variety of threats and helping you maintain the security of your entire network. Norton, Cisco, and Sophos firewalls excel in this area.

Scalability

Scalability is particularly important for businesses that are growing or plan to grow. As the size of your network increases, your security needs will change and become more complex.

Firewall software like FortiGate and pfSense are designed with scalability in mind, allowing them to adapt to the increasing security demands of your expanding network.

User-friendly interface

A user-friendly interface is crucial, especially for those who may not have a lot of technical expertise. Firewall software should be easy to navigate and manage, making the process of setting up and adjusting the firewall less daunting.

Norton excels in this area, with an intuitive interface that is straightforward to use. GlassWire, while not as intuitive, also offers an attractive and convenient interface.

Robust features

Having robust features in firewall software is key to ensuring comprehensive protection. This includes an advanced firewall with extensive customizable rules, IPS, and threat detection capabilities.

The most robust firewall solutions include Norton, FortiGate, Cisco, and Sophos, as well as pfSense, although you’ll have to do some legwork to program the latter in particular.

Cloud-based management

Cloud-based management is a significant advantage in today’s digital landscape. It allows for the remote configuration and monitoring of your firewall, making it easier to manage and adjust as needed. This feature is particularly beneficial for businesses with remote workers or multiple locations.

Norton, FortiGate, Cisco, Sophos, and ZoneAlarm all provide this capability.

Advanced firewall protection

Advanced firewall protection includes capabilities like deep packet inspection, which examines data packets to detect malware that could otherwise bypass standard firewalls. This kind of advanced protection is vital to secure your network from sophisticated threats. Most of the firewalls in this list offer advanced, next-generation capabilities.

Integration

Integration capabilities are crucial as they allow your firewall software to work in harmony with other security solutions you might have in place. Cisco firewalls, as you might expect, integrate seamlessly with other Cisco solutions, but can falter when trying to integrate with third-party solutions. On the other hand, thanks to its open-source nature, pfSense can be configured to integrate very broadly.

By considering these features when choosing your firewall software, you can ensure that you select a solution that meets the specific needs of your business, provides comprehensive protection and offers room for growth and adaptation as your business evolves.

Benefits of working with firewall software

Employing robust firewall software within your network infrastructure brings along a myriad of benefits that contribute to the overall security and efficiency of your business operations, from enhanced network security and data protection to reduced downtime and regulatory compliance.

Enhanced network security

Perhaps the most fundamental advantage of using firewall software is the enhanced network security it provides. Firewall software acts as the first line of defense against potential threats, including hackers, viruses, and other cyberattacks.

By monitoring and controlling incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules, firewall software ensures that only safe connections are established, thus protecting your network.

Data protection

With the increasing incidence of data breaches and cyber theft, data protection is more crucial than ever. Firewall software plays a pivotal role in safeguarding sensitive data from being accessed or stolen by unauthorized users.

By blocking unauthorized access, it ensures the safety of important information and reduces the risk of data breaches.

Traffic management

Firewall software is not only about protection but also about managing and optimizing the network traffic. Features like bandwidth management can be leveraged to allocate network resources effectively and ensure the smooth functioning of your online operations.

Real-time security updates

With the constantly evolving threat landscape, maintaining up-to-date security measures is vital. Firewall software frequently receives real-time security updates, which help to protect your network against the latest threats. This ensures that your network remains secure against even the most recent forms of cyberattacks.

Reduced downtime

Downtime can be a significant issue for any business, leading to financial losses and damage to reputation. By proactively identifying and preventing potential threats, firewall software can significantly reduce the risk of system outages, leading to increased uptime and reliability.

Scalability

As your business grows, so does the complexity and the scope of your network. Scalable firewall software grows with your business, adjusting to the increased demands and providing consistent protection despite the expanding network size. This makes it a cost-effective solution that can support your business in the long term.

Regulatory compliance

Many industries have regulations in place requiring businesses to protect sensitive data. Firewall software helps meet these regulatory requirements by providing robust security measures that prevent data breaches and protect client and customer information.

Incorporating firewall software into your network infrastructure is a critical step towards securing your business in an increasingly digital world. The benefits it offers are invaluable, providing not just enhanced protection, but also efficiency and adaptability that can significantly contribute to your business’s success.

How to choose the best firewall software for your business

Choosing the best firewall software for your business involves a careful examination of your specific needs and security requirements. 

  • Size and security level: The size and nature of your business, the sensitivity of your data, and the extent of your network operations are crucial factors that determine what kind of firewall software will be the most beneficial.
  • Comprehensive features: Moreover, you should consider firewall solutions that offer a comprehensive suite of security features, such as VPN services, antivirus protection, and advanced threat detection capabilities.
  • Scalability: The scalability of a firewall software solution is important, particularly for growing businesses. Opt for software that can seamlessly adapt to the expanding needs of your network, providing reliable protection irrespective of your business size.
  • Interface: Unless you have a robust, well-trained IT department, the interface of your chosen software will need to be user-friendly and easily manageable, even for those with minimal technical expertise.
  • Cloud-based management: Features that allow for remote configuration and monitoring are highly beneficial in the current era of remote work. These features offer the flexibility of managing your network’s security from any location, improving overall efficiency.
  • Integration: Your chosen software should integrate smoothly with your existing security infrastructure to create a comprehensive, effective security system.
  • Support: Solid customer support from the vendor is also crucial to navigating any issues that may arise during setup or throughout the software’s lifespan.

Choosing firewall software is an investment in your business’s security, so take the time to evaluate each option thoroughly.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Who should use firewall software?

Any individual, business, or organization that uses a network or the internet should consider using firewall software. Whether you’re a small business owner, a large corporation, or a home user, a firewall can provide essential protection against unauthorized access and various cyber threats.

Where are firewalls located on a network?

Firewalls are typically located at the edge of a network, serving as a barrier between a trusted internal network and an untrusted external network, such as the internet. They can also be positioned between different parts of an organization’s networks to control access.

Are there any downsides to using a firewall?

While firewalls are essential for network security, they can occasionally block legitimate traffic if the security settings are too restrictive. Additionally, managing and maintaining a firewall can require technical expertise. However, the benefits of using a firewall far outweigh these potential challenges.

How often should a firewall be updated?

Firewall software should be updated regularly to ensure it can protect against the latest threats. Many firewall providers release updates regularly and many firewalls are set to update automatically. However, it’s a good idea to check for updates manually periodically to ensure your firewall is up-to-date.

What is firewall software’s role in regulatory compliance?

For many businesses, especially those in regulated industries like healthcare or finance, firewall software plays a critical role in meeting compliance requirements. Regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) require robust data protection measures, which includes network security provided by a firewall.

Can firewall software protect against all cyber threats?

While firewall software provides a strong layer of protection, it’s not a panacea for all cyber threats. Some sophisticated threats, like targeted phishing attacks or insider threats, require additional security measures. It’s essential to have a comprehensive security strategy in place that includes firewall software, antivirus software, strong access controls, and user education about safe online practices.

Methodology

To deliver this list, we based our selection on an examination of firewall software features and overall reputation in addition to their ease of use, quality of customer support, and value for money.

This information is available in user reviews as well as official product pages and documentation. Nonetheless, we encourage you to conduct your own research and consider your unique requirements when choosing a firewall software solution.

Bottom line: Choosing the best firewall software for your business

The evolving threat landscape necessitates a robust and reliable firewall solution for both personal use and businesses of all sizes. Based on the products listed, it’s evident that several excellent options exist in the market, each with its own unique strengths and capabilities.

Choosing the best firewall software ultimately depends on your requirements, the nature of the network environment, and the budget at hand. It’s essential to consider each product’s features, pros, and cons, and align them with your individual or business needs.

The chosen solution should provide comprehensive protection, be user-friendly, and ideally offer scalability for future growth. Whether it’s for personal use or to protect a multilayered enterprise network, there’s a firewall solution out there that fits the bill.

Also see

Firewalls come in all shapes and sizes. Here’s a look at eight different types of firewalls.

We also did a review of the best firewalls for small and medium-sized businesses.

And once you’ve selected your firewall, make sure you define and implement a clear, strong firewall policy to back it up—as well as setting robust firewall rules to govern the software.

Source :
https://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/guides/best-firewall-software/

7 Best Firewall Solutions for Enterprises in 2023

BY AMINU ABDULLAHI MAY 26, 2023

Enterprise firewall software is an essential component of network security infrastructure for organizations. These firewalls are designed to provide high availability and scalability to meet the needs of large and complex networks because they can handle high traffic volumes and accommodate the growth of network infrastructure.

By exploring the following top firewall solutions, enterprises can make an informed decision to fortify their network defenses and safeguard critical assets from ever-evolving cyber threats.

Best firewall solutions for enterprises: Comparison chart

Best for DLP capabilityURL filteringReportingIntegration with third party solutionDNS filteringStarting price
Palo Alto NetworksOverallAvailable on request
Check Point QuantumConnected devicesAvailable on request
Fortinet FortiGateFlexibility and scalabilityAvailable on request
Juniper NetworksLogging and reporting capabilityAvailable on request
Cisco Secure FirewallCentralized managementAvailable on request
ZscalerBusinesses with cloud network infrastructure$72 per user per year
pfSenseOpen source$0.01 per hour

Jump to:

Palo Alto Networks icon

Palo Alto Networks

Best overall enterprise firewall

Palo Alto is a leading network security provider of advanced firewall solutions and a wide range of network security services.

The company offers various firewall solutions for various enterprise use cases, including cloud next generation firewalls, virtual machine series for public and private clouds, container series for Kubernetes and container engines like Docker, and its PA-series appliances designed for data centers, network edge, service providers, remote branches and retail locations, and harsh industrial sites.

These firewalls provide enhanced visibility, control, and threat prevention capabilities to protect networks from various cyber threats, including malware, viruses, intrusions, and advanced persistent threats (APTs).

Pricing

Palo Alto doesn’t advertise its product pricing on its website. Our research found that the Palo Alto PA-series price range from $2,900 to $200,000 (more or less). To get the actual rates for your enterprise, contact the company’s sales team for custom quotes.

Standout features

  • Advanced threat prevention.
  • Advanced URL filtering.
  • Domain name service (DNS) security.
  • Medical IoT security.
  • Enterprise data loss prevention (DLP).
  • Up to 245 million IPv4 OR IPv6 sessions.

Pros

  • Provides visibility across IoT and other connected devices.
  • Provides visibility across ​​physical, virtualized, containerized and cloud environments.
  • Offers a variety of products for different business sizes, from small businesses to large enterprises.
  • Easy-to-navigate dashboard and management console.

Cons

  • Complex initial setup.
  • Some users reported that the Palo Alto license is pricey.
Check Point icon

Check Point Quantum

Best for connected devices

Check Point is an Israeli multinational company that develops and sells software and hardware products related to network, endpoint, cloud, and data security.

Check Point Quantum is designed to protect against advanced cyber threats, targeting Gen V cyber attacks. This solution encompasses various components to safeguard networks, cloud environments, data centers, IoT devices, and remote users.

Check Point’s SandBlast technology employs advanced threat intelligence, sandboxing, and real-time threat emulation to detect and prevent sophisticated attacks, including zero-day exploits, ransomware, and advanced persistent threats.

Pricing

Check Point does not publicly post pricing information on its website. Data from resellers shows that Check Point products can range from around $62 for a basic solution to over $50,000 for an enterprise-level solution. Contact the Check Point sales team for your actual quotes.

Standout features

  • URL filtering.
  • DLP.
  • Full active-active redundancy.
  • Zero-trust protection for IoT devices.
  • Check Point Quantum protects against GenV attacks.
  • Advanced threat protection.

Pros

  • 24/7 customer service and support.
  • Easy to setup and use.
  • Management platform with automation features.
  • Sandblast protection for testing malware.

Cons

  • Users reported that the Check Point firewall is expensive.
  • Documentation can be improved.
Fortinet icon

Fortinet FortiGate

Best for flexibility and scalability

Fortinet offers various firewall products for different organization sizes, from home offices to large enterprises.

The FortiGate 7000 series (FG-7121F, FG-7081F, FG-7081F-2, FIM-7921F, FIM-7941F, and FPM-7620F) is an enterprise firewall product that provides high-performance network security. It is designed for organizations with high network traffic volumes and that have to manage large network infrastructures.

This firewall series is powered by a Security Processing Unit (SPU) of up to 520Gbps and also includes the latest NP7 (Network Processor 7) and CP9 (Content Processor 9).

Pricing

Fortinet’s FortiGate firewall tool pricing is available upon request. Pricing will depend on various factors, including the size of the network, the number of users, and the types of security features needed. Contact a Fortinet representative for pricing and product information.

Standout features

  • Protects IT, IIoT, and OT devices against vulnerability and device-based attack tactics.
  • FortiGate 7000F series provides NGFW, segmentation, secure SD-WAN, and mobile security for 4G, 5G, and IoT.
  • Offers various types of firewalls, including container firewalls, virtual firewalls and hardware firewall appliances.
  • Zero Touch Integration with Fortinet’s Security Fabric Single Pane of Glass Management.

Pros

  • Integrations with over 500 third-party services.
  • AI-powered capabilities.
  • Users reported that the tool is user-friendly.

Cons

  • Support can be improved.
  • Its reporting feature can be improved.
Juniper Networks icon

Juniper Networks

Best for logging and reporting capability

Juniper Networks’ firewall helps enterprises protect their network edge, data center, and cloud applications.

The company is also known for its Junos operating system (OS), a scalable network OS that powers Juniper Networks devices. Junos provides advanced routing, switching, and security capabilities and allows for seamless integration with third-party software and applications.

Juniper Networks vSRX virtual firewall provides enhanced security for Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, and Oracle Cloud environments, while its cSRX Container Firewall offers advanced security services to secure applications running in containers and microservices. The company’s SRX firewalls series is designed for various organization sizes, from small to large enterprises.

Pricing

Juniper Network pricing is available on request. However, they offer different license methods, including Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) and Bring-Your-Own-License (BYOL) options for public clouds. Contact the company’s sales team for custom quotes.

Standout features

  • Juniper Network has various types of firewalls, including container firewalls, virtual firewalls and hardware firewall appliances.
  • Public cloud workload protection, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.
  • Logging and reporting capability.
  • Supports VMware ESXi, NSX, and KVM (Centos, Ubuntu).

Pros

  • Advanced threat prevention capability.
  • Deployable on-premises and cloud environments.

Cons

  • Support can be improved.
  • Users report that some Juniper Networks firewall products are expensive.
Cisco icon

Cisco Secure Firewall

Best for centralized management

Cisco Secure Firewall combines firewall capabilities with advanced security features to protect networks from various threats, including unauthorized access, malware, and data breaches.

Cisco Secure Firewall integrates with Cisco Talos, a threat intelligence research team. This collaboration enables the firewall to receive real-time threat intelligence updates, enhancing its ability to identify and block emerging threats.

Cisco Secure Firewall can be centrally managed through Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC). This management console provides a unified interface for configuration, monitoring, and reporting, simplifying the administration of multiple firewalls across the network.

Pricing

Contact Cisco’s sales team for custom quotes.

Standout features

  • IPS to protect against known threats.
  • Web filtering.
  • Network segmentation.
  • Centralized management.

Pros

  • Provides comprehensive visibility and control.
  • Efficient support team.
  • Highly scalable tool.

Cons

  • Support can be improved.
  • Complex initial setup.
Zscaler icon

Zscaler

Best for businesses with cloud network infrastructure

The Zscaler firewall provides cloud-based security for web and non-web traffic for all users and devices. Zscaler inspects all user traffic, including SSL encrypted traffic, with elastically scaling services to handle high volumes of long-lived connections.

One of the key advantages of Zscaler’s cloud-based approach is that it eliminates the need for on-premises hardware or software installations. Instead, organizations can leverage Zscaler’s infrastructure and services by redirecting their internet traffic to the Zscaler cloud. This makes scaling and managing security easier across distributed networks and remote users.

Pricing

Zscaler doesn’t advertise its rates on its website. However, data from resellers shows that its pricing starts from about $72 per user per year. For your actual rate, contact the Zscaler sales team for quotes.

Standout features

  • Centralized policy management.
  • Fully-integrated security services.
  • Real-time granular control, logging, and visibility.
  • User-aware and app-aware threat protection.
  • Adaptive IPS security and control.
  • File transfer protocol (FTP) control and network address translation (NAT) support.

Pros

  • Easy to use and manage.
  • AI-powered cyberthreat and data protection services.
  • Always-on cloud intrusion prevention system (IPS).
  • AI-powered phishing and C2 detection.

Cons

  • Complex initial setup.
  • Documentation can be improved.
pfSense icon

pfSense

Best open-source firewall

pfSense is an open-source firewall and routing platform based on FreeBSD, an open-source Unix-like OS. It is designed to provide advanced networking and security features for small and large networks.

pfSense can be deployed as a physical appliance or as a virtual machine. pfSense offers many capabilities, including firewalling, VPN connectivity, traffic shaping, load balancing, DNS and DHCP services, and more.

Pricing

For pfSense cloud:

  • pfSense on AWS: Pricing starts from $0.01 per hour to $0.40 per hour.
  • pfSense on Azure: Pricing starts from $0.08 per hour to $0.24 per hour.

For pfSense software:

  • pfSense CE: Open source version available to download for free.
  • pfSense+ Home or Lab: Available at no cost for evaluation purposes only.
  • pfSense+ W/TAC LITE: Currently available at no charge, but the vendor may increase the rate to $129 per year in the future. 
  • pfSense+ W/TAC PRO: $399 per year.
  • pfSense+ W/TAC ENT: $799 per year.

pfSense offers three hardware appliances tailored to the needs of large enterprises.

  • Netgate 8200: Cost $1,395. It has 18.55 Gbps IPERF3 and 5.1 Gbps IMIX traffic speed.
  • Netgate 1537: Cost $2,199. It has 18.62 Gbps(10k ACLs) IPERF3 and 10.24 Gbps (10k ACLs) IMIX traffic speed.
  • Netgate 1541: Cost $2,899. It has 18.64 Gbps(10k ACLs) IPERF3 and 12.30 Gbps(10k ACLs) IMIX traffic speed.

Standout features

  • NAT mapping (inbound/outbound).
  • Captive portal guest network.
  • Stateful packet inspection (SPI).

Pros

  • Free open-source version.
  • Community support.
  • Anti-spoofing capability.

Cons

  • Steep learning curve for administrators with limited experience.
  • GUI is old-fashioned and could be simplified.

Key features of enterprise firewall software

There’s a wide variety of capabilities that enterprise firewall software can provide, but some of the key features to look for include packet filtering, stateful inspection, application awareness, logging and reporting capabilities, and integration with your existing security ecosystem.

Packet filtering

Firewall software examines incoming and outgoing network packets based on predefined rules and policies. It filters packets based on criteria such as source/destination IP addresses, ports, protocols, and packet attributes. This feature enables the firewall to block or allow network traffic based on the configured rules.

Stateful inspection

Enterprise firewalls employ stateful inspection to monitor network connections’ state and analyze traffic flow context. By maintaining information about the state of each connection, the firewall can make more informed decisions about which packets to allow or block.

Application awareness 

Modern firewall software often includes application awareness capabilities. It can identify specific applications or protocols within network traffic, allowing organizations to enforce granular policies based on the application or service used. This feature is handy for managing and securing web applications and controlling the use of specific services or applications.

Logging and reporting

Firewall software logs network events, including connection attempts, rule matches, and other security-related activities. Detailed logging enables organizations to analyze and investigate security incidents, track network usage, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Reporting capabilities help generate comprehensive reports for auditing, security analysis, and compliance purposes.

Integration with the security ecosystem

Firewall software is typically part of a broader security ecosystem within an organization. Integration with other security tools and technologies, such as antivirus software, threat intelligence platforms, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, and network access control (NAC) solutions, allows for a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to network security.

Benefits of working with enterprise firewalls

Key advantages of enterprise firewall solutions include enhanced network security, threat mitigation, and access control, as well as traffic analytics data.

  • Network security: Firewalls act as a protective barrier against external threats such as unauthorized access attempts, malware, and other malicious activity. Enforcing access control policies and modifying network traffic helps prevent unauthorized access and protect critical data.
  • Threat mitigation: By combining intrusion prevention techniques, deep packet monitoring, and threat intelligence, a firewall can detect and block suspicious traffic, reducing the risk there that the network will be corrupted and damaged so
  • Access control: Firewall software allows administrators to restrict or allow access to network resources, applications, and services based on specific user roles, departments, or needs. This ensures that only authorized people or systems can access the screen and its accessories.
  • Traffic data and analytics: In addition to protecting your network, firewalls can also provide granular information about traffic and activity passing through your network, as well as its overall performance.

How do I choose the best enterprise firewall solution for my business?

When choosing the best enterprise firewall software for your business, consider the following factors.

  • Security: Assess your organization’s specific security needs and requirements.
  • Features: Evaluate the features and capabilities of firewall solutions, such as packet filtering, application awareness, intrusion prevention, VPN support, centralized management, and scalability. Consider the vendor’s reputation, expertise, and support services.
  • Compatibility: Ensure compatibility with your existing network infrastructure and other security tools.
  • Hands-on tests: Conduct a thorough evaluation of different firewall solutions through demos, trials, or proofs of concept to assess their performance, ease of use, and effectiveness in meeting your organization’s security goals.
  • Total cost of ownership (TCO): Consider the cost, licensing models, and ongoing support and maintenance requirements.

By considering these factors, you can make an informed decision and select the best enterprise firewall software that aligns with your business needs and provides robust network security.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is an enterprise firewall different from a normal firewall?

Although they share many characteristics, an enterprise firewall is not the same as a consumer-grade firewall. Enterprise firewalls are designed to meet large organizations’ security needs and network infrastructure challenges. They are robust, scalable, and can handle high network traffic volumes and sophisticated threats, compared to generic firewalls for home or small office environments.

What is the strongest type of firewall?

A firewall’s strength depends on various factors, and no universally dependable firewall exists. A firewall’s effectiveness depends on its materials, configuration, and how well it fits into the organization’s security needs. 

That said, next-generation firewalls (NGFWs) provide improved security capabilities and are often considered the ideal firewall solution in today’s enterprise. NGFWs combine traditional firewall features with additional functionality such as application awareness, intrusion prevention, deep packet monitoring, and user-based policies. They provide advanced protection against modern threats with greater visibility and control over network traffic.

How do you set up an enterprise firewall?

Setting up an enterprise firewall involves several steps:

  1. Determine your network topology.
  2. Define security policies.
  3. Plan firewall placement.
  4. Configure firewall rules.
  5. Implement VPN and remote access.
  6. Test and monitor firewall performance.
  7. Perform regular updates and maintenance.

We recommend engaging network security experts or reviewing vendor documentation and support materials for specific guidance in installing and configuring your enterprise firewall.

Methodology

The firewall solutions mentioned in this guide were selected based on extensive research and industry analysis. Factors such as industry reputation, customer reviews, infrastructure, and customer support were considered.

We also assessed the features and capabilities of the firewall solutions, including packet filtering, application awareness, intrusion prevention, DLP, centralized management, scalability, and integration with other security tools.

Also see

If you’re not sure one of the firewalls included here is right for your business, we also determined the best firewalls for SMBs, as well as the best software-based firewalls.

And once your firewall is in place, don’t neglect its maintenance. Here are the best firewall audit tools to keep an eye on its performance.

Source :
https://www.enterprisenetworkingplanet.com/security/enterprise-firewalls/

Is Once-Yearly Pen Testing Enough for Your Organization?

Any organization that handles sensitive data must be diligent in its security efforts, which include regular pen testing. Even a small data breach can result in significant damage to an organization’s reputation and bottom line.

There are two main reasons why regular pen testing is necessary for secure web application development:

  • Security: Web applications are constantly evolving, and new vulnerabilities are being discovered all the time. Pen testing helps identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers and allows you to fix them before they can do any damage.
  • Compliance: Depending on your industry and the type of data you handle, you may be required to comply with certain security standards (e.g., PCI DSS, NIST, HIPAA). Regular pen testing can help you verify that your web applications meet these standards and avoid penalties for non-compliance.

How Often Should You Pentest?#

Many organizations, big and small, have once a year pen testing cycle. But what’s the best frequency for pen testing? Is once a year enough, or do you need to be more frequent?

The answer depends on several factors, including the type of development cycle you have, the criticality of your web applications, and the industry you’re in.

You may need more frequent pen testing if:

You Have an Agile or Continuous Release Cycle#

Agile development cycles are characterized by short release cycles and rapid iterations. This can make it difficult to keep track of changes made to the codebase and makes it more likely that security vulnerabilities will be introduced.

If you’re only testing once a year, there’s a good chance that vulnerabilities will go undetected for long periods of time. This could leave your organization open to attack.

To mitigate this risk, pen testing cycles should align with the organization’s development cycle. For static web applications, testing every 4-6 months should be sufficient. But for web applications that are updated frequently, you may need to test more often, such as monthly or even weekly.

Your Web Applications Are Business-Critical#

Any system that is essential to your organization’s operations should be given extra attention when it comes to security. This is because a breach of these systems could have a devastating impact on your business. If your organization relies heavily on its web applications to do business, any downtime could result in significant financial losses.

For example, imagine that your organization’s e-commerce site went down for an hour due to a DDoS attack. Not only would you lose out on potential sales, but you would also have to deal with the cost of the attack and the negative publicity.

To avoid this scenario, it’s important to ensure that your web applications are always available and secure.

Non-critical web applications can usually get away with being tested once a year, but business-critical web applications should be tested more frequently to ensure they are not at risk of a major outage or data loss.

Your Web Applications Are Customer-Facing#

If all your web applications are internal, you may be able to get away with pen testing less frequently. However, if your web applications are accessible to the public, you must be extra diligent in your security efforts.

Web applications accessible to external traffic are more likely to be targeted by attackers. This is because there is a greater pool of attack vectors and more potential entry points for an attacker to exploit.

Customer-facing web applications also tend to have more users, which means that any security vulnerabilities will be exploited more quickly. For example, a cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in an external web application with millions of users could be exploited within hours of being discovered.

To protect against these threats, it’s important to pen test customer-facing web applications more frequently than internal ones. Depending on the size and complexity of the application, you may need to pen test every month or even every week.

You Are in a High-Risk Industry#

Certain industries are more likely to be targeted by hackers due to the sensitive nature of their data. Healthcare organizations, for example, are often targeted because of the protected health information (PHI) they hold.

If your organization is in a high-risk industry, you should consider conducting pen testing more frequently to ensure that your systems are secure and meet regulatory compliance. This will help protect your data and reduce the chances of a costly security incident.

You Don’t Have Internal Security Operations or a Pen testing Team#

This might sound counterintuitive, but if you don’t have an internal security team, you may need to conduct pen testing more frequently.

Organizations that don’t have dedicated security staff are more likely to be vulnerable to attacks.

Without an internal security team, you will need to rely on external pen testers to assess your organization’s security posture.

Depending on the size and complexity of your organization, you may need to pen test every month or even every week.

You Are Focused on Mergers or Acquisitions#

During a merger or acquisition, there is often a lot of confusion and chaos. This can make it difficult to keep track of all the systems and data that need to be secured. As a result, it’s important to conduct pen testing more frequently during these times to ensure that all systems are secure.

M&A also means that you are adding new web applications to your organization’s infrastructure. These new applications may have unknown security vulnerabilities that could put your entire organization at risk.

In 2016, Marriott acquired Starwood without being aware that hackers had exploited a flaw in Starwood’s reservation system two years earlier. Over 500 million customer records were compromised. This placed Marriott in hot water with the British watchdog ICO, resulting in 18.4 million pounds in fines in the UK. According to Bloomberg, there is more trouble ahead, as the hotel giant could “face up to $1 billion in regulatory fines and litigation costs.”

To protect against these threats, it’s important to conduct pen testing before and after an acquisition. This will help you identify potential security issues so they can be fixed before the transition is complete.

The Importance of Continuous Pen Testing#

While periodic pen testing is important, it is no longer enough in today’s world. As businesses rely more on their web applications, continuous pen testing becomes increasingly important.

There are two main types of pen testing: time-boxed and continuous.

Traditional pen testing is done on a set schedule, such as once a year. This type of pen testing is no longer enough in today’s world, as businesses rely more on their web applications.

Continuous pen testing is the process of continuously scanning your systems for vulnerabilities. This allows you to identify and fix vulnerabilities before they can be exploited by attackers. Continuous pen testing allows you to find and fix security issues as they happen instead of waiting for a periodic assessment.

Continuous pen testing is especially important for organizations that have an agile development cycle. Since new code is deployed frequently, there is a greater chance for security vulnerabilities to be introduced.

Pen testing as a service models is where continuous pen testing shine. Outpost24’s PTaaS (Penetration-Testing-as-a-Service) platform enables businesses to conduct continuous pen testing with ease. The Outpost24 platform is always up-to-date with an organization’s latest security threats and vulnerabilities, so you can be confident that your web applications are secure.

  • Manual and automated pen testing: Outpost24’s PTaaS platform combines manual and automated pen testing to give you the best of both worlds. This means you can find and fix vulnerabilities faster while still getting the benefits of expert analysis.
  • Provides comprehensive coverage: Outpost24’s platform covers all OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities and more. This means that you can be confident that your web applications are secure against the latest threats.
  • Is cost-effective: With Outpost24, you only pay for the services you need. This makes it more affordable to conduct continuous pen testing, even for small businesses.

The Bottom Line#

Regular pen testing is essential for secure web application development. Depending on your organization’s size, industry, and development cycle, you may need to revise your pen testing schedule.

Once-a-year pen testing cycle may be enough for some organizations, but for most, it is not. For business-critical, customer-facing, or high-traffic web applications, you should consider continuous pen testing.

Outpost24’s PTaaS platform makes it easy and cost-effective to conduct continuous pen testing. Contact us today to learn more about our platform and how we can help you secure your web applications.

Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post.

Source :
https://thehackernews.com/2023/01/is-once-yearly-pen-testing-enough-for.html

Ubiquiti UniFi – Backups and Migration

Migration is the act of moving your UniFi devices from one host device to another. This is useful when:

  • You are replacing your UniFi OS Console with a new one of the same model.
  • You are upgrading your UniFi OS Console to a different model (e.g., a UDM to a UDM Pro).
  • You are offloading devices to a dedicated UniFi OS Console (e.g., moving cameras from a Cloud Key or UDM to a UNVR).
  • You are moving from a self-hosted Network application to a UniFi OS Console.

Note: This is not meant to be used as a staging file for setting up multiple applications on different hosts.

Types of Backups

UniFi OS Backups

UniFi OS backup files contain your entire system configuration, including your UniFi OS Console, user, application, and device settings. Assuming Remote Access is enabled, UniFi OS Cloud backups are created weekly by default. You can also generate additional Cloud backups or download localized backups at any time. 

UniFi OS backups are useful when:

  • Restoring a prior system configuration after making network changes.
  • Migrating all applications to a new UniFi OS Console that is the same model as the original.

Note: Backups do not include data stored on an HDD, such as recorded Protect camera footage.

Application Backups

Each UniFi application allows you to back up and export its configuration. Application backups contain settings and device configurations specific to the respective application.

Application backups are useful when:

  • You want to restore a prior application configuration without affecting your other applications.
  • You want to migrate a self-hosted Network application to a UniFi OS Console.
  • You want to migrate your devices between two different UniFi OS Console models.
  • You need to back up a self-hosted Network application.

Note: Backups do not include data stored on an HDD, such as recorded Protect camera footage.

UniFi OS Console Migration

UniFi OS backups also allow you to restore your system configuration should you ever need to replace your console with one of the same model.

To do so:

  1. First, ensure that you have already generated a Cloud backup, or downloaded a local backup. If not, please do so in your UniFi OS Settings.
  2. Replace your old UniFi OS Console with the new one. All other network connections should remain unchanged.
  3. Restore your system configuration on the new UniFi OS Console using the backup file. This can be done either during the initial setup or afterwards  in your UniFi OS settings.

Note: Currently, UniFi OS backups cannot be used to perform cross-console migrations, but this capability will be added in a future update.

If you are migrating between two different console models, you will need to restore each application’s configuration with their respective backups. Please note, though, that these file(s) will not include UniFi OS users or settings. 

See below for more information on using the configuration backups during migrations.

Migrating UniFi Network

Before migrating, we recommend reviewing your Device Authentication Credentials found in your Network application’s System Settings. These can be used to recover adopted device(s) if the migration is unsuccessful.

Standard Migration

This is used when all devices are on the same Layer 2 network (i.e., all devices are on the same network/VLAN as the management application’s host device). 

Note: If you are a home user managing devices in a single location and have not used the set-inform command or other advanced Layer 3 adoption methods, this is most likely the method for you.

  1. Download the desired backup file (*.unf) from your original Network application’s System Settings
  2. Ensure that your new Network application is up to date. Backups cannot be used to restore older application versions.
  3. Replace your old UniFi OS Console with the new one. All other network connections should remain unchanged.
  4. Restore the backup file in the Network application’s System Settings.
  5. Ensure that all devices appear as online in the new application. If they do not, you can try Layer 3 adoption, or factory-reset and readopt your device(s) to the new Network application.

    If a  device continues to appear as Managed by Other, click on it to open its properties panel, then use its Device Authentication Credentials (from the original Network application’s host device) to perform an Advanced Adoption.

Migrating Applications That Manage Layer 3 Devices

This method is for users that have performed Layer 3 device adoption (i.e., devices are on a different network/VLAN than the application’s host device). This may also be useful when migrating to a Network application host that is NOT also a gateway.

  1. Download the desired backup file (*.unf) from your original Network application’s System Settings
  2. Enable the Override Inform Host field on the original Network application’s host device, then enter the IP address of the new host device. This will tell your devices where they should establish a connection in order to be managed. Once entered, all devices in the old application should appear as Managed by Other.

    Note: When migrating to a Cloud Console, you can copy the Inform URL from the Cloud Console’s dashboard. Be aware that you will need to remove the initial http:// and the ending :8080/inform
  3. Ensure that your new Network application is up to date. Backups cannot be used to restore older application versions.
  4. Restore the backup file in the Network application’s System Settings.
  5. Ensure that all devices appear as online in the new application. If they do not, you can try Layer 3 adoption, or factory-reset and readopt your device(s) to the new application.

    If a device continues to appear as Managed by Other, click on it to open its properties panel, then use its Device Authentication Credentials (from the original Network application’s host) to perform an Advanced Adoption.

Exporting Individual Sites from a Multi-Site Host

Certain Network application hosts (e.g., Cloud Key, Cloud Console, self-hosted Network applications) can manage multiple sites. Site exportation allows you to migrate specific sites from one multi-site host to another. To do so:

  1. Click Export Site in your Network application’s System Settings to begin the guided walkthrough.
  2. Select the device(s) you wish to migrate to your new Network application.
  3. Enter the Inform URL of your new host. This will tell your devices where they should establish a connection in order to be managed. Once entered, all devices in the old application should appear as Managed by Other in the new one.

    Note: When migrating to a Cloud Console, you can copy the Inform URL from the Cloud Console’s dashboard. Be aware that you will need to remove the initial http:// and the ending :8080/inform.
  4. Go to your new Network application and select Import Site from the Site switcher located in the upper-left corner of your dashboard.

    Note: You may need to enable Multi-Site Management in your System Settings.
  5. Ensure that all devices appear as online in the new application. If they do not, you try Layer 3 adoption, or factory-reset and readopt your device(s) to the new application.

    If a device continues to appear as Managed by Other, click on it to open its properties panel, then use its Device Authentication Credentials (from the original Network application’s host) to perform an Advanced Adoption.

Migrating UniFi Protect

We recommend saving your footage with the Export Clips function before migrating. Although we provide HDD migration instructions, it is not an officially supported procedure due to nuances in the RAID array architecture. 

Standard Migration

  1. Download the desired backup file (*.zip) from the original Protect application’s settings. 
  2. Ensure that your new Protect application is up to date. Backups cannot be used to restore older application firmware.
  3. Replace your old UniFi OS Console with the new one. All other camera connections should remain unchanged.
  4. Restore the backup file in the Protect application’s settings.

HDD Migration

Full HDD migration is not officially supported; however, some users have been able to perform successful migrations by ensuring consistent ordering when ejecting and reinstalling drives  into their new console to preserve RAID arrays.

Note: This is only possible if both UniFi OS Consoles are the same model.

  1. Remove the HDDs from the old console. Record which bay each one was installed in, but do not install them in the new console yet.
  2. Turn on the new console and complete the initial setup wizard. Do not restore a Protect application or Cloud backup during initial setup!
  3. Upgrade the new console and its Protect application to a version that is either the same or newer than the original console.
  4. Shut down the new console, and then install the HDDs in the same bays as the original console.
  5. Turn on the new console again. The Protect application should start with its current configuration intact, and all exported footage should be accessible.

Source :
https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/360008976393-UniFi-Backups-and-Migration

SSA-482757: Missing Immutable Root of Trust in S7-1500 CPU devices

Siemens Security Advisory by Siemens ProductCERT

Publication Date:2023-01-10
Last Update:2023-01-10
Current Version:V1.0
CVSS v3.1 Base Score:4.6

SUMMARY

Affected models of the S7-1500 CPU product family do not contain an Immutable Root of Trust in Hardware. With this the integrity of the code executed on the device can not be validated during load-time. An attacker with physical access to the device could use this to replace the boot image of the device and execute arbitrary code.

As exploiting this vulnerability requires physical tampering with the product, Siemens recommends to assess the risk of physical access to the device in the target deployment and to implement measures to make sure that only trusted personnel have access to the physical hardware.

The vulnerability is related to the hardware of the product. Siemens has released new hardware versions for several CPU types of the S7-1500 product family in which this vulnerability is fixed and is working on new hardware versions for remaining PLC types to address this vulnerability completely. See the chapter “Additional Information” below for more details.AFFECTED PRODUCTS AND SOLUTION

Affected Product and VersionsRemediation
SIMATIC Drive Controller CPU 1504D TF (6ES7615-4DF10-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC Drive Controller CPU 1507D TF (6ES7615-7DF10-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1510SP F-1 PN (6ES7510-1SJ00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1510SP F-1 PN (6ES7510-1SJ01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1510SP-1 PN (6ES7510-1DJ00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1510SP-1 PN (6ES7510-1DJ01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1511-1 PN (6ES7511-1AK00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1511-1 PN (6ES7511-1AK01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1511-1 PN (6ES7511-1AK02-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1511C-1 PN (6ES7511-1CK00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1511C-1 PN (6ES7511-1CK01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1511F-1 PN (6ES7511-1FK00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1511F-1 PN (6ES7511-1FK01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1511F-1 PN (6ES7511-1FK02-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1511T-1 PN (6ES7511-1TK01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1511TF-1 PN (6ES7511-1UK01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1512C-1 PN (6ES7512-1CK00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1512C-1 PN (6ES7512-1CK01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1512SP F-1 PN (6ES7512-1SK00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1512SP F-1 PN (6ES7512-1SK01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1512SP-1 PN (6ES7512-1DK00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1512SP-1 PN (6ES7512-1DK01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1513-1 PN (6ES7513-1AL00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1513-1 PN (6ES7513-1AL01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1513-1 PN (6ES7513-1AL02-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1513F-1 PN (6ES7513-1FL00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1513F-1 PN (6ES7513-1FL01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1513F-1 PN (6ES7513-1FL02-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1513R-1 PN (6ES7513-1RL00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1515-2 PN (6ES7515-2AM00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1515-2 PN (6ES7515-2AM01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1515-2 PN (6ES7515-2AM02-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1515F-2 PN (6ES7515-2FM00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1515F-2 PN (6ES7515-2FM01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1515F-2 PN (6ES7515-2FM02-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1515R-2 PN (6ES7515-2RM00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1515T-2 PN (6ES7515-2TM01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1515TF-2 PN (6ES7515-2UM01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1516-3 PN/DP (6ES7516-3AN00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1516-3 PN/DP (6ES7516-3AN01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1516-3 PN/DP (6ES7516-3AN02-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1516F-3 PN/DP (6ES7516-3FN00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1516F-3 PN/DP (6ES7516-3FN01-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1516F-3 PN/DP (6ES7516-3FN02-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1516T-3 PN/DP (6ES7516-3TN00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1516TF-3 PN/DP (6ES7516-3UN00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1517-3 PN/DP (6ES7517-3AP00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1517F-3 PN/DP (6ES7517-3FP00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1517H-3 PN (6ES7517-3HP00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1517T-3 PN/DP (6ES7517-3TP00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1517TF-3 PN/DP (6ES7517-3UP00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518-4 PN/DP (6ES7518-4AP00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518-4 PN/DP MFP (6ES7518-4AX00-1AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518-4F PN/DP (6ES7518-4FP00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518F-4 PN/DP MFP (6ES7518-4FX00-1AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518HF-4 PN (6ES7518-4JP00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518T-4 PN/DP (6ES7518-4TP00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518TF-4 PN/DP (6ES7518-4UP00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU S7-1518-4 PN/DP ODK (6ES7518-4AP00-3AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU S7-1518F-4 PN/DP ODK (6ES7518-4FP00-3AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 ET 200pro: CPU 1513PRO F-2 PN (6ES7513-2GL00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 ET 200pro: CPU 1513PRO-2 PN (6ES7513-2PL00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 ET 200pro: CPU 1516PRO F-2 PN (6ES7516-2GN00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIMATIC S7-1500 ET 200pro: CPU 1516PRO-2 PN (6ES7516-2PN00-0AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1510SP F-1 PN (6AG1510-1SJ01-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1510SP F-1 PN RAIL (6AG2510-1SJ01-1AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1510SP-1 PN (6AG1510-1DJ01-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1510SP-1 PN (6AG1510-1DJ01-7AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1510SP-1 PN RAIL (6AG2510-1DJ01-1AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1510SP-1 PN RAIL (6AG2510-1DJ01-4AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1512SP F-1 PN (6AG1512-1SK00-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1512SP F-1 PN (6AG1512-1SK01-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1512SP F-1 PN (6AG1512-1SK01-7AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1512SP F-1 PN RAIL (6AG2512-1SK01-1AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1512SP F-1 PN RAIL (6AG2512-1SK01-4AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1512SP-1 PN (6AG1512-1DK01-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1512SP-1 PN (6AG1512-1DK01-7AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1512SP-1 PN RAIL (6AG2512-1DK01-1AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS ET 200SP CPU 1512SP-1 PN RAIL (6AG2512-1DK01-4AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1511-1 PN (6AG1511-1AK00-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1511-1 PN (6AG1511-1AK01-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1511-1 PN (6AG1511-1AK01-7AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1511-1 PN (6AG1511-1AK02-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1511-1 PN (6AG1511-1AK02-7AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1511-1 PN T1 RAIL (6AG2511-1AK01-1AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1511-1 PN T1 RAIL (6AG2511-1AK02-1AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1511-1 PN TX RAIL (6AG2511-1AK01-4AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1511-1 PN TX RAIL (6AG2511-1AK02-4AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1511F-1 PN (6AG1511-1FK00-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1511F-1 PN (6AG1511-1FK01-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1511F-1 PN (6AG1511-1FK02-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1513-1 PN (6AG1513-1AL00-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1513-1 PN (6AG1513-1AL01-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1513-1 PN (6AG1513-1AL01-7AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1513-1 PN (6AG1513-1AL02-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1513-1 PN (6AG1513-1AL02-7AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1513F-1 PN (6AG1513-1FL00-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1513F-1 PN (6AG1513-1FL01-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1513F-1 PN (6AG1513-1FL02-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1515F-2 PN (6AG1515-2FM01-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1515F-2 PN (6AG1515-2FM02-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1515F-2 PN RAIL (6AG2515-2FM02-4AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1515F-2 PN T2 RAIL (6AG2515-2FM01-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1515R-2 PN (6AG1515-2RM00-7AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1515R-2 PN TX RAIL (6AG2515-2RM00-4AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1516-3 PN/DP (6AG1516-3AN00-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1516-3 PN/DP (6AG1516-3AN00-7AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1516-3 PN/DP (6AG1516-3AN01-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1516-3 PN/DP (6AG1516-3AN01-7AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1516-3 PN/DP (6AG1516-3AN02-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1516-3 PN/DP (6AG1516-3AN02-7AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1516-3 PN/DP RAIL (6AG2516-3AN02-4AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1516-3 PN/DP TX RAIL (6AG2516-3AN01-4AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1516F-3 PN/DP (6AG1516-3FN00-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1516F-3 PN/DP (6AG1516-3FN01-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1516F-3 PN/DP (6AG1516-3FN02-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1516F-3 PN/DP RAIL (6AG2516-3FN02-2AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1516F-3 PN/DP RAIL (6AG2516-3FN02-4AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1517H-3 PN (6AG1517-3HP00-4AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1518-4 PN/DP (6AG1518-4AP00-4AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1518-4 PN/DP MFP (6AG1518-4AX00-4AC0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1518F-4 PN/DP (6AG1518-4FP00-4AB0)
All versions
Currently no fix is planned
See further recommendations from section Workarounds and Mitigations

WORKAROUNDS AND MITIGATIONS

Siemens has identified the following specific workarounds and mitigations that customers can apply to reduce the risk:

  • Restrict physical access to affected devices to trusted personnel to avoid hardware tampering (e.g., place the devices in locked control cabinets)

Please follow the General Security Recommendations.GENERAL SECURITY RECOMMENDATIONS

As a general security measure, Siemens strongly recommends to protect network access to devices with appropriate mechanisms. In order to operate the devices in a protected IT environment, Siemens recommends to configure the environment according to Siemens’ operational guidelines for Industrial Security (Download: https://www.siemens.com/cert/operational-guidelines-industrial-security), and to follow the recommendations in the product manuals. Additional information on Industrial Security by Siemens can be found at: https://www.siemens.com/industrialsecurityPRODUCT DESCRIPTION

SIMATIC Drive Controllers have been designed for the automation of production machines, combining the functionality of a SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU and a SINAMICS S120 drive control.

SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU products have been designed for discrete and continuous control in industrial environments such as manufacturing, food and beverages, and chemical industries worldwide.

The SIMATIC S7-1500 MFP CPUs provide functionality of standard S7-1500 CPUs with the possibility to run C/C++ Code within the CPU-Runtime for execution of own functions / algorithms implemented in C/C++ and an additional second independent runtime environment to execute C/C++ applications parallel to the STEP 7 program if required.

The SIMATIC S7-1500 ODK CPUs provide functionality of standard S7-1500 CPUs but additionally provide the possibility to run C/C++ Code within the CPU-Runtime for execution of own functions / algorithms implemented in C/C++. They have been designed for discrete and continuous control in industrial environments such as manufacturing, food and beverages, and chemical industries worldwide.

SIPLUS extreme products are designed for reliable operation under extreme conditions and are based on SIMATIC, LOGO!, SITOP, SINAMICS, SIMOTION, SCALANCE or other devices. SIPLUS devices use the same firmware as the product they are based on.VULNERABILITY CLASSIFICATION

The vulnerability classification has been performed by using the CVSS scoring system in version 3.1 (CVSS v3.1) (https://www.first.org/cvss/). The CVSS environmental score is specific to the customer’s environment and will impact the overall CVSS score. The environmental score should therefore be individually defined by the customer to accomplish final scoring.

An additional classification has been performed using the CWE classification, a community-developed list of common software security weaknesses. This serves as a common language and as a baseline for weakness identification, mitigation, and prevention efforts. A detailed list of CWE classes can be found at: https://cwe.mitre.org/.Vulnerability CVE-2022-38773Affected devices do not contain an Immutable Root of Trust in Hardware. With this the integrity of the code executed on the device can not be validated during load-time. An attacker with physical access to the device could use this to replace the boot image of the device and execute arbitrary code.

CVSS v3.1 Base Score4.6
CVSS VectorCVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N/E:P/RL:T/RC:C
CWECWE-1326: Missing Immutable Root of Trust in Hardware

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Siemens thanks the following party for its efforts:

  • Yuanzhe Wu and Ang Cui from Red Balloon Security for coordinated disclosure

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Siemens has released the following new hardware versions of the S7-1500 product family. They contain a new secure boot mechanism that resolves the vulnerability:

  • SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1511-1 PN (6ES7511-1AL03-0AB0)
  • SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1513-1 PN (6ES7513-1AM03-0AB0)
  • SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1511F-1 PN (6ES7511-1FL03-0AB0)
  • SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1513F-1 PN (6ES7513-1FM03-0AB0)
  • SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1513R-1 PN (6ES7513-1RM03-0AB0)
  • SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1515R-2 PN (6ES7515-2RN03-0AB0)

Siemens is working on new hardware versions for additional PLC types to address this vulnerability further.For further inquiries on security vulnerabilities in Siemens products and solutions, please contact the Siemens ProductCERT:

https://www.siemens.com/cert/advisoriesHISTORY DATA

V1.0 (2023-01-10):Publication Date

TERMS OF USE

Siemens Security Advisories are subject to the terms and conditions contained in Siemens’ underlying license terms or other applicable agreements previously agreed to with Siemens (hereinafter “License Terms”). To the extent applicable to information, software or documentation made available in or through a Siemens Security Advisory, the Terms of Use of Siemens’ Global Website (https://www.siemens.com/ terms_of_use, hereinafter “Terms of Use”), in particular Sections 8-10 of the Terms of Use, shall apply additionally. In case of conflicts, the License Terms shall prevail over the Terms of Use. SSA-482757© Siemens 2023

Source :
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-482757.html

How To Install Kimai Time Tracking App in Docker

In this guide, I’ll show you how to deploy the open source time tracking app Kimai in a Docker container. Kimai is free, browser-based (so it’ll work on mobile devices), and is extremely flexible for just about every use case.

It has a stopwatch feature where you can start/stop/pause a worklog timer. Then, it accumulates the total into daily, weekly, monthly or yearly reports, which can be exported or printed as invoices.

It supports single or multi users, so you can even track time for your entire department. All statistics are visible on a beautiful dashboard, which makes historical time-tracking a breeze.


Why use Kimai Time Tracker?

For my scenario, I am salaried at work. However, since I’m an IT Manager, I often find myself working after hours or on weekends to patch servers, reboot systems, or perform system and infrastructure upgrades. Normally, I use a pen and paper or a notetaking app to track overtime, although this is pretty inefficent. Sometimes I forget when I started or stopped, or if I’ve written down the time on a notepade at home, I can’t view that time at work.

And when it comes to managing a team of others who also perform after hours maintenance, it becomes even harder to track their total overtime hours.

Over the past few weeks, I stumbled across Kimai and really love all the features. Especially when I can spin it up in a docker or docker compose container!

If you don’t have Docker installed, follow this guide: https://smarthomepursuits.com/how-to-install-docker-ubuntu/

If you don’t have Docker-Compose installed, follow this guide: https://smarthomepursuits.com/how-to-install-portainer-with-docker-in-ubuntu-20-04/

In this tutorial, we will be installing Kimai for 1 user using standard Docker run commands. Other users can be added from the webui after initial setup.


Step 1: SSH into your Docker Host

Open Putty and SSH into your server that is running docker and docker compose.


Step 2: Create Kimai Database container

Enter the command below to create a new database to use with Kimai. You can copy and paste into Putty by right-clicking after copy, or CTRL+SHIFT+V into other ssh clients.

sudo docker run --rm --name kimai-mysql \
    -e MYSQL_DATABASE=kimai \
    -e MYSQL_USER=kimai \
    -e MYSQL_PASSWORD=kimai \
    -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=kimai \
    -p 3399:3306 -d mysql

Step 3: Start Kimai

Next, start the Kimai container using the already created database. If you look at the Kimai github page, you’ll notice that this isn’t the same command as what shows there.

Here’s the original command (which I’m not using):

docker run --rm --name kimai-test -ti -p 8001:8001 -e DATABASE_URL=mysql://kimai:kimai@${HOSTNAME}:3399/kimai kimai/kimai2:apache

And here’s my command. I had to explicitly add TRUSTED_HOSTS, the ADMINMAIL and ADMINPASS, and change the ${HOSTNAME} to the IP address of your docker host. Otherwise, I wasn’t able to access Kimai from other computers on my local network.

  • Green = change port here if already in use
  • Red = Add the IP address of your docker host
  • Orange = Manually specifying the admin email and password. This is what you’ll use to log in with.
  • Blue = Change to docker host IP address
sudo docker run --rm --name kimai -ti -p 8001:8001 -e TRUSTED_HOSTS=192.168.68.141,localhost,127.0.0.1 -e ADMINMAIL=example@gmail.com -e ADMINPASS=8charpassword -e DATABASE_URL=mysql://kimai:kimai@192.168.68.141:3399/kimai kimai/kimai2:apache

Note that 8 characters is the minimum for the password.


Step 4: Log In via Web Browser

Next, Kimai should now be running!

To check, you can go to your http://dockerIP:8001 in a web browser (192.168.68.141:8001)

Then simply log in with the credentials you created.


Step 5: Basic Setup

This app is extremely powerful and customizeable, so I won’t be going over all the available options since everyone has different needs.

Like I mentioned earlier, I’m using Kimai for overtime tracking only, so the first step for me is to create a new “customer”.

Create a Customer

This is sort of unintuitive, but you need to create a customer before you can start tracking time to a project. I’m creating a generic “Employee” customer.

Click Customers on the left sidebar, then click the + button in the top right corner.

Create A Project

Click Projects on the left sidebar:

Then click the + button in the top right corner.

Add a name, choose the customer you just created, and then choose a date range.

Create An Activity

Click Activity on the left, then create an activity. I’m calling mine Overtime Worked and assigning it to the Project “Overtime 2021” I just created.


Step 6: Change “Timetracking Mode” to Time-clock

Click Settings. Under Timetracking mode, change it to Time-Clock. This will let you click the Play button to start/stop time worked vs having to manually enter start and stop times.


Step 7: Start Tracking Time!

To start tracking time, simply click the timer widget in the top right corner.

A screen will pop up asking you what project and activity you want to apply the time to.

The selfhosted stopwatch will start tracking time right after. You can then view the timesheets for yourself under the My Times section or for all users under the Timesheets or Reporting tabs.


Wrapping Up

Hopefully this guide helped you get Kimai installed and setup! If you have any questions, feel free to let me know in the comments below and I’ll do my best to help you out.


My Homelab Equipment

Here is some of the gear I use in my Homelab. I highly recommend each of them.

The full list of server components I use can be found on my Equipment List page.

Source :
https://smarthomepursuits.com/how-to-install-kimai-time-tracking-app-in-docker/

LockBit 3.0 ‘Black’ attacks and leaks reveal wormable capabilities and tooling

Reverse-engineering reveals close similarities to BlackMatter ransomware, with some improvements

A postmortem analysis of multiple incidents in which attackers eventually launched the latest version of LockBit ransomware (known variously as LockBit 3.0 or ‘LockBit Black’), revealed the tooling used by at least one affiliate. Sophos’ Managed Detection and Response (MDR) team has observed both ransomware affiliates and legitimate penetration testers use the same collection of tooling over the past 3 months.

Leaked data about LockBit that showed the backend controls for the ransomware also seems to indicate that the creators have begun experimenting with the use of scripting that would allow the malware to “self-spread” using Windows Group Policy Objects (GPO) or the tool PSExec, potentially making it easier for the malware to laterally move and infect computers without the need for affiliates to know how to take advantage of these features for themselves, potentially speeding up the time it takes them to deploy the ransomware and encrypt targets.

A reverse-engineering analysis of the LockBit functionality shows that the ransomware has carried over most of its functionality from LockBit 2.0 and adopted new behaviors that make it more difficult to analyze by researchers. For instance, in some cases it now requires the affiliate to use a 32-character ‘password’ in the command line of the ransomware binary when launched, or else it won’t run, though not all the samples we looked at required the password.

We also observed that the ransomware runs with LocalServiceNetworkRestricted permissions, so it does not need full Administrator-level access to do its damage (supporting observations of the malware made by other researchers).

Most notably, we’ve observed (along with other researchers) that many LockBit 3.0 features and subroutines appear to have been lifted directly from BlackMatter ransomware.

Is LockBit 3.0 just ‘improved’ BlackMatter?

Other researchers previously noted that LockBit 3.0 appears to have adopted (or heavily borrowed) several concepts and techniques from the BlackMatter ransomware family.

We dug into this ourselves, and found a number of similarities which strongly suggest that LockBit 3.0 reuses code from BlackMatter.

Anti-debugging trick

Blackmatter and Lockbit 3.0 use a specific trick to conceal their internal functions calls from researchers. In both cases, the ransomware loads/resolves a Windows DLL from its hash tables, which are based on ROT13.

It will try to get pointers from the functions it needs by searching the PEB (Process Environment Block) of the module. It will then look for a specific binary data marker in the code (0xABABABAB) at the end of the heap; if it finds this marker, it means someone is debugging the code, and it doesn’t save the pointer, so the ransomware quits.

After these checks, it will create a special stub for each API it requires. There are five different types of stubs that can be created (randomly). Each stub is a small piece of shellcode that performs API hash resolution on the fly and jumps to the API address in memory. This adds some difficulties while reversing using a debugger.

Screenshot of disassembler code
LockBit’s 0xABABABAB marker

SophosLabs has put together a CyberChef recipe for decoding these stub shellcode snippets.

Output of a CyberChef recipe
The first stub, as an example (decoded with CyberChef)

Obfuscation of strings

Many strings in both LockBit 3.0 and BlackMatter are obfuscated, resolved during runtime by pushing the obfuscated strings on to the stack and decrypting with an XOR function. In both LockBit and BlackMatter, the code to achieve this is very similar.

Screenshot of disassembler code
BlackMatter’s string obfuscation (image credit: Chuong Dong)

Georgia Tech student Chuong Dong analyzed BlackMatter and showed this feature on his blog, with the screenshot above.

Screenshot of disassembler code
LockBit’s string obfuscation, in comparison

By comparison, LockBit 3.0 has adopted a string obfuscation method that looks and works in a very similar fashion to BlackMatter’s function.

API resolution

LockBit uses exactly the same implementation as BlackMatter to resolve API calls, with one exception: LockBit adds an extra step in an attempt to conceal the function from debuggers.

Screenshot of disassembler code
BlackMatter’s dynamic API resolution (image credit: Chuong Dong)

The array of calls performs precisely the same function in LockBit 3.0.

Screenshot of disassembler code
LockBit’s dynamic API resolution

Hiding threads

Both LockBit and BlackMatter hide threads using the NtSetInformationThread function, with the parameter ThreadHideFromDebugger. As you probably can guess, this means that the debugger doesn’t receive events related to this thread.

Screenshot of disassembler code
LockBit employs the same ThreadHideFromDebugger feature as an evasion technique

Printing

LockBit, like BlackMatter, sends ransom notes to available printers.

Screenshot of disassembler code
LockBit can send its ransom notes directly to printers, as BlackMatter can do

Deletion of shadow copies

Both ransomware will sabotage the infected computer’s ability to recover from file encryption by deleting the Volume Shadow Copy files.

LockBit calls the IWbemLocator::ConnectServer method to connect with the local ROOT\CIMV2 namespace and obtain the pointer to an IWbemServices object that eventually calls IWbemServices::ExecQuery to execute the WQL query.

Screenshot of disassembler code
BlackMatter code for deleting shadow copies (image credit: Chuong Dong)

LockBit’s method of doing this is identical to BlackMatter’s implementation, except that it adds a bit of string obfuscation to the subroutine.

Screenshot of disassembler code
LockBit’s deletion of shadow copies

Enumerating DNS hostnames

Both LockBit and BlackMatter enumerate hostnames on the network by calling NetShareEnum.

Screenshot of disassembler code
BlackMatter calls NetShareEnum() to enumerate hostnames… (image credit: Chuong Dong)

In the source code for LockBit, the function looks like it has been copied, verbatim, from BlackMatter.

Screenshot of disassembler code
…as does LockBit

Determining the operating system version

Both ransomware strains use identical code to check the OS version – even using the same return codes (although this is a natural choice, since the return codes are hexadecimal representations of the version number).

Screenshot of disassembler code
BlackMatter’s code for checking the OS version (image credit: Chuong Dong)
Screenshot of disassembler code
LockBit’s OS enumeration routine

Configuration

Both ransomware contain embedded configuration data inside their binary executables. We noted that LockBit decodes its config in a similar way to BlackMatter, albeit with some small differences.

For instance, BlackMatter saves its configuration in the .rsrc section, whereas LockBit stores it in .pdata

Screenshot of disassembler code
BlackMatter’s config decryption routine (image credit: Chuong Dong)

And LockBit uses a different linear congruential generator (LCG) algorithm for decoding.

Screenshot of disassembler code
LockBit’s config decryption routine

Some researchers have speculated that the close relationship between the LockBit and BlackMatter code indicates that one or more of BlackMatter’s coders were recruited by LockBit; that LockBit bought the BlackMatter codebase; or a collaboration between developers. As we noted in our white paper on multiple attackers earlier this year, it’s not uncommon for ransomware groups to interact, either inadvertently or deliberately.

Either way, these findings are further evidence that the ransomware ecosystem is complex, and fluid. Groups reuse, borrow, or steal each other’s ideas, code, and tactics as it suits them. And, as the LockBit 3.0 leak site (containing, among other things, a bug bounty and a reward for “brilliant ideas”) suggests, that gang in particular is not averse to paying for innovation.

LockBit tooling mimics what legitimate pentesters would use

Another aspect of the way LockBit 3.0’s affiliates are deploying the ransomware shows that they’re becoming very difficult to distinguish from the work of a legitimate penetration tester – aside from the fact that legitimate penetration testers, of course, have been contracted by the targeted company beforehand, and are legally allowed to perform the pentest.

The tooling we observed the attackers using included a package from GitHub called Backstab. The primary function of Backstab is, as the name implies, to sabotage the tooling that analysts in security operations centers use to monitor for suspicious activity in real time. The utility uses Microsoft’s own Process Explorer driver (signed by Microsoft) to terminate protected anti-malware processes and disable EDR utilities. Both Sophos and other researchers have observed LockBit attackers using Cobalt Strike, which has become a nearly ubiquitous attack tool among ransomware threat actors, and directly manipulating Windows Defender to evade detection.

Further complicating the parentage of LockBit 3.0 is the fact that we also encountered attackers using a password-locked variant of the ransomware, called lbb_pass.exe , which has also been used by attackers that deploy REvil ransomware. This may suggest that there are threat actors affiliated with both groups, or that threat actors not affiliated with LockBit have taken advantage of the leaked LockBit 3.0 builder. At least one group, BlooDy, has reportedly used the builder, and if history is anything to go by, more may follow suit.

LockBit 3.0 attackers also used a number of publicly-available tools and utilities that are now commonplace among ransomware threat actors, including the anti-hooking utility GMER, a tool called AV Remover published by antimalware company ESET, and a number of PowerShell scripts designed to remove Sophos products from computers where Tamper Protection has either never been enabled, or has been disabled by the attackers after they obtained the credentials to the organization’s management console.

We also saw evidence the attackers used a tool called Netscan to probe the target’s network, and of course, the ubiquitous password-sniffer Mimikatz.

Incident response makes no distinction

Because these utilities are in widespread use, MDR and Rapid Response treats them all equally – as though an attack is underway – and immediately alerts the targets when they’re detected.

We found the attackers took advantage of less-than-ideal security measures in place on the targeted networks. As we mentioned in our Active Adversaries Report on multiple ransomware attackers, the lack of multifactor authentication (MFA) on critical internal logins (such as management consoles) permits an intruder to use tooling that can sniff or keystroke-capture administrators’ passwords and then gain access to that management console.

It’s safe to assume that experienced threat actors are at least as familiar with Sophos Central and other console tools as the legitimate users of those consoles, and they know exactly where to go to weaken or disable the endpoint protection software. In fact, in at least one incident involving a LockBit threat actor, we observed them downloading files which, from their names, appeared to be intended to remove Sophos protection: sophoscentralremoval-master.zip and sophos-removal-tool-master.zip. So protecting those admin logins is among the most critically important steps admins can take to defend their networks.

For a list of IOCs associated with LockBit 3.0, please see our GitHub.

Acknowledgments

Sophos X-Ops acknowledges the collaboration of Colin Cowie, Gabor Szappanos, Alex Vermaning, and Steeve Gaudreault in producing this report.

Source :
https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2022/11/30/lockbit-3-0-black-attacks-and-leaks-reveal-wormable-capabilities-and-tooling/

Industry 4.0: CNC Machine Security Risks Part 3

In this final installation of our three-part blog series, we lay out countermeasures that enterprises can do to protect their machines. We’ll also discuss our responsible disclosure as well as the feedback we got from the vendors we evaluated.

Countermeasures

We found that only two of the four vendors analyzed support authentication. Neither of them has authentication enabled by default, which leaves the machines vulnerable to attacks by malicious users. Enabling authentication is essential for protecting Industry 4.0 features from abuse.

Resource access control systems are important for reducing the impact of attacks. Many technologies allow access to all a controller’s resources, which can be dangerous. A correct approach is to adopt resource access control systems that grant limited access. This will help to ensure that only authorized users have access to the controller’s resources and that these resources are protected from unauthorized access.

When it comes to integrators and end users, we suggest these countermeasures:

  • Context-aware industrial intrusion prevention and detection systems (IPS/IDSs): These devices, which have recently seen a surge in popularity in the catalogues of security vendors, are equipped with network engines that can capture real-time traffic associated with industrial protocols to detect attacks.
  • Network segmentation: Correct network architecting is of great importance. As our research has revealed, all the tested machines expose interfaces that could be abused by miscreants.
  • Correct patching: Modern CNC machines are equipped with full-fledged operating systems and complex software, which might inevitably contain security vulnerabilities. This was indeed the case with the machines that we tested.

Responsible Disclosure

We contacted the affected vendors while tackling controllers sequentially, with our first contact in November 2021 and the last one in March 2022. The Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS CERT) at Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency extended invaluable help during the discussion which we are grateful for.

disclosure-process
Table 1. A summary of our responsible disclosure process

As of this writing, all four vendors have replied to our concerns and most of them have addressed, to varying degrees, our findings in a reasonable time frame. More importantly, all of them have expressed interest in our research and have decided to improve either their documentation or their communication efforts with their machine manufacturers, with the final effort of offering end users more secure solutions.

To learn more about the security risks faced by CNC machines, download our comprehensive report here.

Source :
https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/22/l/cnc-machine-security-risks-part-3.html

Industry 4.0: CNC Machine Security Risks Part 2

In part one, we discussed what numerical control machines do and their basic concepts. These concepts are important to understand the machines better, offering a wider view of their operations. We also laid out how we evaluated the chosen vendors for our research.

For this blog, we will continue discussing our evaluated vendors and highlighting findings that we discovered during our research.

Haas

haas-simulator
Figure 1. The Haas simulator we used for preliminary testing (left) and the Haas CNC machine (Super Mini Mill 2) by Celada we used for verification (right)

Haas was the first vendor we focused on because of the fast availability of its controller. We began our analysis by conducting port scanning on the controller simulator and identifying the protocols exposed by the controller. After that, we evaluated the options with which an attacker could abuse the protocols to perform attacks aimed at the security of the machine and verified these attacks in practice on a real-world machine installation.

Okuma

okuma-simulator
Figure 2. The Okuma simulator we used for the development of the malicious application and during the initial testing

Okuma stands out in the market of CNC controllers for one interesting feature: the modularity of its controller. While the vendor offers in the device’s simplest form a tiny controller, it also provides a mechanism, called THINC API, to highly customize the functionalities of the controller. With this technology, any developer can implement a program that, once installed, runs in the context of the controller, in the form of an extension. This approach is very similar to how a mobile application, once installed, can extend a smartphone’s functionalities.

Heidenhain

the-hardford-5a-65e-machine
Figure 3. The Hartford 5A-65E machine, running on a Heidenhain TNC 640 controller, that we used in our experiments at Celada

In the spirit of the Industry 4.0 paradigm, Heidenhain offers the Heidenhain DNC interface to integrate machines on modern, digital shop floors. Among the many scenarios, Heidenhain DNC enables the automatic exchange of data with machine and production data acquisition (MDA/PDA) systems, higher level enterprise resource planning (ERP) and manufacturing execution systems (MESs), inventory management systems, computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems, production activity control systems, simulation tools, and tool management systems

In our evaluation, we had access to the library provided by Heidenhain to the integrators to develop interfaces for the controller. The manufacturer provides this library, called RemoTools SDK,35 to selected partners only.

Fanuc

the-yasuda-ymc
Figure 4. The Yasuda YMC 430 + RT10 machine, running on a Fanuc controller, that we used in our experiments at the Polytechnic University of Milan

Like Heidenhain, Fanuc offers an interface, called FOCAS,36 for the integration of CNC machines in smart network environments. Even though this technology offers a restricted set of remote-call possibilities compared with the other vendors’ (that is, a limited number of management features), our experiments showed that a miscreant could potentially conduct attacks like damage, DoS, and hijacking.

What we found

As our evaluation identified 18 different attacks (or variations), we grouped them into five classes: compromise, damage, and denial of service (DoS):

summary-of-the-attack
Table 1. A summary of the attacks we identified in our research

Controller manufacturers like Haas, Okuma, and Heidenhain have been found to have a similar number of issues, around 15. Fanuc had 10 confirmed attacks. Unfortunately, our research shows that this domain lacks awareness concerning security and privacy. This creates serious and compelling problems.

The need for automation-facing features like remote configuration of tool geometry or parametric programming with values determined by networked resources is becoming more common in manufacturing.

With these findings, we determined countermeasures that enterprises can do to mitigate such risks, which we’ll discuss in our final installation. In the last part, we’ll also discuss our responsible disclosure process.

Source :
https://www.trendmicro.com/en_us/research/22/l/cnc-machine-security-risks-part-2.html