| PAN-OS 9.0 Adds Over 60 New Features
| Cortex, AI-based automated detection and response
Palo Alto Networks announced on the 13th that it has launched its latest security operating system, 'PAN-OS 9.0,' which includes machine learning-based DNS security services, and an AI-based continuous security platform, 'Cortex.'


'PAN OS 9.0' with 60 added features, including machine learning-based DNS security service
The latest version of PAN OS 9.0, which includes over 60 new features such as malicious attack prediction and automatic cessation of attacks already in progress, enhances comprehensive security for hybrid cloud environments and simplifies security operations.

According to Palo Alto Networks' threat intelligence lab, Unit 42, it was found that approximately 80% of malware uses DNS for command and control, making detection and disruption difficult. The newly added DNS security service uses machine learning to proactively block malicious domains and stop attacks that are already in progress.

As the number of customers using large-scale data centers and high volumes of encrypted traffic increases, and with the growth of IoT device environments, there is a rising demand for establishing security systems that do not impact performance. The next-generation firewall PA-7000 series, equipped with a new network processing card, provides preemptive defense capabilities that are more than twice as fast as existing competitor products, and decryption speeds that are three times faster than the company's existing products.

Legacy firewall policies create dangerous security gaps. The new Policy Optimizer helps security teams replace existing rules with intuitive policies that strengthen security and are easy to manage. By reducing management complexity, it can decrease human error, which is a major cause of data breaches.

For environments requiring continuous security across multiple public clouds and virtualized data centers, the VM-Series has added support for Oracle Cloud, Alibaba Cloud, Cisco Enterprise Network Compute System, and Nutanix. Additionally, the combination of autoscaling and a transitive architecture enhances firewall processing performance for AWS and Azure, enabling the automation of security for large-scale public cloud deployments in dynamic environments.

Palo Alto Networks also launched the 5G-ready next-generation firewall K2-Series. Designed to support the 5G and IoT businesses of service providers, this product ensures optimal visibility into network traffic and is optimized for intelligent attack defense targeting 4G and 5G mobile networks, IoT devices, and mobile users.


AI-based continuous security platform 'Cortex'
Through Cortex, security teams can leverage more data sources to detect and block threats, even in increasingly complex enterprise environments.

Cortex is a platform that represents an evolved form of the Application Framework, designed for operational simplification and security innovation. Built on a globally scalable public cloud platform, Cortex enables security operations teams to rapidly analyze massive datasets. Through the Cortex Data Lake, users can store and analyze large volumes of data in a secure private space, and utilize AI technology and machine learning to identify threats and rapidly orchestrate response processes.

Cortex XDR is an integrated product for detection, investigation, and response across network, endpoint, and cloud data. It blocks threats using behavioral analytics, accelerates investigations through automation, and stops attacks before damage occurs through tight integration with existing enforcement points.

The intelligent endpoint protection and response solution 'Traps' is equipped with a behavior-based threat blocking engine that stitches together a series of events to identify malicious activity and stops the latest threats in real time. The latest Traps 6.0 acts as a data collection sensor for the 'Cortex Data Lake,' which gathers the most comprehensive endpoint security data. By using Cortex XDR and Traps together, protection capabilities can be extended to apply detection and response to the entire digital infrastructure from a single agent.

“PAN OS 9.0, equipped with machine learning-based DNS security services, can stop even attacks aimed at stealing information from legitimate companies,” said Chief Product Officer Lee Klarich. “In addition, the new product Cortex, which applies preemptive defense techniques that normalize and analyze data from as many sources as possible, is a product that overcomes the limitations of endpoint security.”