As of January 1, 2014, all web browsers and Certification Authorities (CAs) will no longer sell or support 1024-bit RSA certificates to comply with NIST Special Publication 800-131A. That means if you’re still using the 1024-bit version you’ll need to upgrade w/i the next 2 weeks.
It’s important to note that this change is not driven by Dell SoniWall but rather Certificate Authorities to enforce the use of higher security. Dell SonicWall had been using industry standard 1024-bit certificates in past releases but all current Dell SonicWALL firewalls use versions of SonicOS firmware with the 2048-bit security standard.
What does this mean to you?
If you own a Dell SonicWALL firewall with an older firmware version that does not use 2048-bit certificates you must upgrade the firmware to the latest version or the minimum General Release version which includes the 2048-bit certificate as listed in the Firmware Upgrade Table by December 31, 2013.
If you don’t upgrade, as of January 1st your firewall:
- will NOT be able to activate and renew services from the SonicOS management interface,
- will NOT be able to get real-time license information,
- will NOT be able the latest security services updates from Dell Sonic Wall’s back-end systems,
- will NOT be protected from new threats and exploits,*
- and you will NOT be able to renew and activate your existing security services.
*Existing security services on Dell SonicWALL appliances will continue to block previously-known threats, but the lack of updates might expose the protected network to new threats and exploits.
“Dell SonicWALL strongly recommends upgrading appliances running older firmware to the minimum General Release version indicated in Firmware upgrade table. The table lists the affected Dell SonicWALL products and the associated minimum required firmware versions. All General release versions of the required minimum SonicOS version for your appliance(s) are available on www.mysonicwall.com. Active support is not required to download the firmware.”
If you have any questions on the upgrade or your overall security plan, the team at Teltek can help. Please give us a call to discuss your needs and put together a comprehensive security plan for your business.
Teltek is a Certified Avaya Business Partner, NEC Dealer, and Microsoft Partner with two locations in the Baltimore Metropolitan area. We specialize in providing one call technology support for small to mid-sized businesses and nonprofits in Maryland, Washington, DC, Virginia