New for v8.5.7 Forcepoint Appliances

Operating System Upgrade

The appliance has transitioned to Oracle Linux 8 as its foundational operating system, replacing CentOS 7 used in previous versions. This upgrade was necessitated by the End of Life (EOL) status of CentOS 7.

Oracle Linux 8 was selected due to its binary compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 (RHEL 8), ensuring continued stability, security, and enterprise-grade support. This change positions the appliance for long-term maintainability and alignment with modern Linux standards.

Python Version Upgrade

The appliance codebase has been upgraded from Python 2 to Python 3. This transition was driven by several key factors:

• Improved Performance: Python 3 introduces significant enhancements in speed and memory efficiency.
• Enhanced Security & Stability: Modern libraries and frameworks are optimized for Python 3, offering better protection and reliability.
• Active Support: Python 3 is actively maintained and widely adopted across the industry, ensuring long-term viability.

This upgrade ensures that the appliance remains secure, performant, and compatible with modern Python tooling and best practices.

Enhanced security with TLS 1.3 support

TLS 1.3 support is now fully integrated into the codebase, enhancing secure communications across the product. The product exclusively uses strong cipher suites, aligning with industry cryptographic best practices to improve security posture. This update helps to protect against vulnerabilities found in older ciphers while ensuring compatibility with modern security standards.

Latest Enhancements to NTP

As part of the operating system upgrade, the Network Time Protocol (NTP) service has been transitioned to Chrony. Chrony offers improved accuracy and performance, especially in virtualized environments and systems with intermittent network connectivity.