ROUND ROCK, TX: Dell Security announces the release of SonicOS 6.2.5 firmware for the Dell SonicWALL SuperMassive, NSA and TZ Series firewalls. The new firmware extends security to Dell switches, wireless access points and firewalls by consolidating the management of the converged network infrastructure.

The new firmware advances the capabilities associated with inspecting encrypted traffic, which is a major threat faced in today’s world. The release includes making network management simpler and more efficient.

 SonicOS 6.2.5 firmware simplifies the support for dell security by providing one version of firmware to handle the majority of Dell SonicWALL products. The new SonicOS also increases connection counts on encrypted HTTPS sessions, enabling stronger encryption support and expanding government certification for high security applications.

It also simplifies network management for both distributed enterprises and managed service providers by allowing management of the Dell Networking X-Series switches by SonicWALL TZ series firewalls and SonicWALL Global Management System, enabling central management of distributed converged networks. Key features of SonicOS 6.2.5:

New Dell Networking X-Series Switch Integration

Organizations now can effectively manage Dell X-Series switches as an extension of the Dell SonicWALL TZ series firewall functionality, providing single-pane-of-glass management of all network infrastructure, including SonicWALLTZ firewalls, Dell X-Series switches, SonicWALL SonicPoints and SonicWALL WAN Acceleration devices.

The ability to centrally manage all of the switches, firewalls and wireless access points in an increasingly dispersed network is a significant benefit for organizations in all industries. Dell SonicWALL TZ Series integration with the Dell Networking X-Series switches delivers the necessary security and expandability without the burden of having extra management consoles that increase complexity, overhead costs, and result in the potential for misconfiguration and non-compliance issues.

DPI SSL Enhancements

Dell Security’s commitment to deep packet inspection (DPI) on encrypted traffic, multiple DPI SSL enhancements to SonicOS 6.2.5 provide more efficient inspection of DPI SSL traffic, as well as improved troubleshooting, better scalability and better certificate support. Key enhancements include:

-CFS category-based exclusion/inclusion of encrypted connections for efficient standards compliance (PCI, HIPPA)

-Strengthened Encryption Methods (TLS 1.2, SHA256)

-Increased default Certificate Authority (CA) database

-Improved troubleshooting for encrypted connection failures

-Finer granularity for encrypted connection exclusions based on alternate domain names

-Refreshed GUI for easy-to-use configuration of encrypted connection processing

Dell’s SonicWALL products are also approved for use by the Department of Defense

Based on stringent Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) testing, designated Dell SonicWALL firewall products now are certified for the DoD Unified Capabilities (UC) Approved Products List (APL), and qualified for use by Department of Defense (DoD) agencies in the United States.

"The life of a security officer in any sized organization is not easy, no matter what the industry. With the introduction of SonicOS 6.2.5, Dell Security has made strides to make their lives easier. The new OS has features designed to enable a converged infrastructure across switching, wireless, and security, allowing organizations to do more with less and reduce the complexity of network management," says Patrick Sweeney, vice president, product management and marketing, Dell Security. "This is yet another innovative offering we deliver to help our customers navigate today’s rising threat landscape, keep their network secure and workforce productive."