Palo Alto Networks launches World’s First machine learning powered next generation firewall

As organizations defend their ever-increasing points of entry against cyberattacks that continue to morph and rise, Palo Alto Networks introduced the world’s first ML-Powered Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW), which embeds machine learning (ML) in the core of the firewall to proactively assist in intelligently stopping threats, securing IoT devices, and recommending security policies — once again redefining the standard for network security.

“Thirteen years ago, we completely changed network security when we created the Next-Generation Firewall,” said Nir Zuk, founder and chief technology officer at Palo Alto Networks. “As enterprise networks are widening — with hybrid clouds, IoT devices and home offices — and attacks rapidly and automatically evolve, we again need a radical new approach to cybersecurity. PAN-OS version 10.0 ushers in the world’s first ML-Powered NGFW, which is continuously learning and proactively improving security across multiple fronts, so security professionals don’t just keep up but get ahead.”

ML-Based In-line Malware and Phishing Prevention
As attackers use machines to automatically morph attacks, signatures become less valuable in preventing these attacks. Previously, network security products only used machine learning models for out-of-band detection, but the Palo Alto Networks ML-Powered NGFW now uses in-line machine learning models to help prevent previously unknown attacks.

Zero-Delay Signature Updates
Already leading the industry in reducing the reaction time for threats from days to minutes, Palo Alto Networks is now introducing zero-delay protection, resulting in a 99.5% reduction in systems infected.

ML-Based Integrated IoT Security
New IoT devices are proliferating rapidly, often joining the network unsecured and without InfoSec’s knowledge. The new Palo Alto Networks IoT Security is powered by ML to deliver complete device visibility, including never-before-seen devices; highlight anomalies and vulnerabilities; and recommend appropriate security policies — all without the need for additional sensors or infrastructure.

ML-Based Security Policy
The ML-Powered NGFW uses machine learning to analyze vast amounts of telemetry data, and then recommend policies. With PAN-OS 10.0 and IoT Security, customers will be able to view and adopt the IoT Security policy recommendations for safe device behavior. This will save time, reduce the chance of human error, and help secure IoT devices.

By bringing these four industry firsts into a single system, Palo Alto Networks ML-Powered NGFW helps organizations protect against up to 95% of unknown file and web-based threats instantly; automate policy recommendations to save time and reduce the chance of human error; adapt and provide instantaneous real-time protection; and extend visibility and security to all devices, including unmanaged IoT devices — without the need to deploy additional sensors.