IP Fabric unveils upgrade to boost firewall visibility & compliance

IP Fabric has launched a new release designed to enhance firewall discovery and simulation for enterprise security and compliance.

The upgrade introduces features that support IT and security teams in achieving complete visibility into network traffic, focusing on encrypted data transfers, misconfiguration identification, and policy enforcement across both local and cloud-based systems.

The company has pointed to research suggesting that up to 20% of enterprise networks have misconfigurations, including critical firewalls that help stop malicious activity. These faults contribute to security vulnerabilities that organisations need to tackle to comply with global regulatory frameworks such as NIST, CIS, ISO 27001 and SOC 2.

The new version, named IP Fabric 7.2, provides firewall filtering simulation, transparent firewall discovery and visualisation, enhanced compliance checks, and more granular access control mechanisms. These tools work across various vendors and are intended to help organisations streamline their security operations and respond more effectively to network risks.

The platform allows users to visualise firewall devices, Layer 2 transparent firewalls, encrypted IPSec tunnels, and to model various network elements, including misconfigurations and traffic paths, providing what the company describes as comprehensive insight into an organisation's infrastructure.

Pavel Bykov, CEO and co-founder of IP Fabric, commented on the release: "Infrastructure defence shouldn't live in silos, but too often our tools and teams do. We're giving IT and security teams a shared, end-to-end understanding of how traffic flows, including how it's encrypted, filtered and enforced across transparent firewalls and IPSec tunnels. When you can visualise devices, end-to-end paths, misconfigurations and gaps in your defence in context, you can take informed action to strengthen your security posture, prove continuous compliance and avoid unbudgeted costs."

The update offers several specific enhancements. The firewall filtering simulation feature enables teams to see how traffic is permitted or blocked on the basis of URLs, threat intelligence feeds and domain names. Transparent firewall discovery and visualisation now include support for hardware from Palo Alto Networks, FortiGate, and Firepower, providing broader monitoring capabilities and aiding the detection of network defence gaps.

Compliance and intent checks have also received attention. The new tools allow users to identify all devices involved in a traffic path, correlate vulnerabilities using mapped CVEs, and conduct tailored assessments to flag misconfigurations that may lead to regulatory non-compliance. These checks are intended to speed up audit preparations in line with the requirements of international industry frameworks.

Access control improvements allow organisations to enforce stricter user permissions on who can deploy or alter automation scripts. This measure is aimed at reducing the likelihood of unauthorised network changes and supporting compliance needs.

The company describes its firewall management approach as next-generation, with the capability to ensure consistent security policy enforcement across on-premises installations and public cloud infrastructures, regardless of the firewall vendor. This is expected to help enterprises react rapidly to any compliance or behavioural changes detected within their network.

The company said in its release that, "By delivering unparalleled visibility and control into security policies, firewall enforcement and compliance posture, IP Fabric's latest release empowers enterprises to close security gaps before attackers exploit them."

The new release is aimed at helping customers meet fiduciary and regulatory demands for secure and cost-effective infrastructure management, providing audit-ready insights and actionable intelligence to reduce risk. The feature set is intended to fit into existing operational environments by supporting integration with commonly used firewall management systems.