Fireware XTM To Extend UTM Appliance Security

##AUTHORSPLIT###- -->

WatchGuard Technologies has introduced Fireware XTM, its new operating system for unified threat management (UTM) firewall appliances. The latest release includes a variety of security enhancements and improvements to networking and management and is expected to be available in early June.

The new Fireware XTM is designed for WatchGuard e-Series Edge, Core, and Peak appliances. It offers full HTTPS inspection using proxy technology that "intercepts, scans, and rebuilds HTTPS data streams" to allow administrators to audit files received. It also adds application-level security for SIP and H.323 protocols to combat VoIP threats and botnet protection through the inspection of applications and port and protocol identification.

On the management side, Fireware XTM will offer three management interfaces: command line, a Web-based GUI, and the WatchGuard System Manager console. (The WatchGuard System Manager offers centralized management of multiple appliances for configuring policies, publishing changes, software updates, and other management functions.) It will also include support for role-based access control.

Other new features, according to WatchGuard, will include:

  • Support for appliance clustering;
  • HTTP redirection for caching proxy servers;
  • Multicast support over VPN tunnels;
  • HTTP redirection;
  • Support for assigning multiple VLANs on external interfaces;
  • Support for keeping VPN tunnels alive when users roam and move between APs and 3G;
  • Support for role-based access control; and
  • New audit reports, customized reports, and additional filtering options.

Fireware XTM is expected to be available June 5 and will support WatchGuard e-Series Edge, Core, and Peak appliances. It will be free for current WatchGuard LiveSecurity customers. Further information can be found here.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • a cloud, an AI chip, and a padlock interconnected by circuit-like lines

    CrowdStrike Report: Attackers Increasingly Targeting Cloud, AI Systems

    According to the 2025 Threat Hunting Report from CrowdStrike, adversaries are not just using AI to supercharge attacks — they are actively targeting the AI systems organizations deploy in production. Combined with a surge in cloud exploitation, this shift marks a significant change in the threat landscape for enterprises.

  • student reading a book with a brain, a protective hand, a computer monitor showing education icons, gears, and leaves

    4 Steps to Responsible AI Implementation in Education

    Researchers at the University of Kansas Center for Innovation, Design & Digital Learning (CIDDL) have published a new framework for the responsible implementation of artificial intelligence at all levels of education, from preschool through higher education.

  • figures sitting around a round table, discussing over an open book, papers, and glasses

    Alliance for Learning Innovation, Digital Promise Form National Education R&D Advisory Committee

    The Alliance for Learning Innovation (ALI) and Digital Promise are bringing together a coalition of education leaders to help develop a national education research and development agenda and foster innovation in schools and districts across the country.

  • red brick school building with a large yellow "AI" sign above its main entrance

    New National Academy for AI Instruction to Provide Free AI Training for Educators

    In an effort to "transform how artificial intelligence is taught and integrated into classrooms across the United States," the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the United Federation of Teachers, is launching the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million initiative that will provide access to free AI training and curriculum for all AFT members, beginning with K-12 educators.