I'm working at a company that's rolling back the firmware on FortiGate 40F devices by about 3-4 versions before sending them out to clients. I feel like this could expose them to security risks, right? If it were me, I'd be worried about hackers taking advantage of any vulnerabilities. Shouldn't we be keeping them up to date instead?
4 Answers
Downgrading firmware can be tricky. It really depends on the patch level and firmware version. Sometimes, reverting to an older version is actually safer than staying on the latest, especially with FortiGate. They can have some weird bugs with new updates. It's all about making sure everything is tested before rolling it out to clients.
Context matters a lot here. Often, companies downgrade to align with older modules or compatibility needs. For instance, some features might not run well on older hardware with the latest firmware, which can lead to instability. It's common to see downgrades being a strategic decision.
It's definitely not ideal to downgrade, but sometimes it's necessary to prevent issues with compatibility. Fortinet tends to push out updates without proper testing, which can lead to broken rules or features that behave unexpectedly after an upgrade. Maintaining older firmware in some situations might be the best option.
You have to wonder about their motive for downgrading. Are they trying to avoid any security risks that could come with the newer versions? Or are they just unwilling to invest in the necessary updates? It's worth looking into the specific firmware versions involved to understand better.

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