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Netgate® is pleased to announce the release of pfSense® Community Edition (CE) software version 2.7.1. Release Notes are available for review.
Overview
pfSense CE software is an open-source project, and Netgate has been providing stewardship and resources for it since 2008. We support the pfSense CE project by contributing releases, snapshots, and updates of pfSense CE software, as well as making other code contributions, FreeBSD-related updates, and more. The pfSense CE project source code is available on GitHub, distributed under the Apache 2.0 open-source license.
Major Changes and Features
OpenSSL upgraded to 3.0.12
This change was essential because OpenSSL 1.1.1 has reached End of Life (EOL) and will no longer receive security patches for vulnerabilities.
The upgrade to OpenSSL 3.0.12 means that a number of older and weaker encryption and hash algorithms have been removed, and security certificates based on these older/weaker hashes have been deprecated. We HIGHLY recommend reviewing the release notes, and our blog on this topic, prior to any upgrade.
Encryption algorithms removed from OpenVPN include ARIA, Blowfish (e.g. BF-CBC, which was formerly an OpenVPN default), CAST5, DES, DESX, IDEA, RC2, RC5, SEED, and SM4. Hash algorithms removed from OpenVPN include MD4, MDC2, SM3, and Whirlpool.
Kea DHCP added as an opt-in feature
The Kea DHCP server is available as an opt-in feature. Basic functionality is present in version 2.7.1, but it is not feature-complete. You can find our blog on the topic here.
Switching to the Kea DHCP server is done by:
- Navigate to System > Advanced
- Choose the Networking tab
- Change the new Server Backend radio button in the DHCP Options section to "Kea DHCP"
- Click on the “Save” button at the bottom of the page
Note: If you have assigned hostnames to devices on your network using static leases, or rely on dynamic lease registration in DNS, switching to Kea DHCP results in those hostnames being ignored. The static lease configuration is kept, so switching back to ISC DHCP will restore the functionality.
Improved support for SCTP
Support for SCTP has been improved in PF for firewall rules, NAT, and logging. Rules can now act on SCTP packets by port number. Previously it was only possible to filter on source or destination address.
IPv6 Router Configuration moved
IPv6 Router Advertisement configuration has been relocated to Services > Router Advertisement as a part of the ongoing Kea DHCP server integration.
Additional Changes
- PHP upgraded to 8.2.11
- The base operating system upgraded to a more recent point of FreeBSD 14-CURRENT
- The release also addresses a number of bugs and other issues.
Installing the Upgrade
Netgate has a detailed Upgrade Guide available in the pfSense documentation to help explain the process. Upgrades from an earlier version of pfSense CE software are usually made through the web interface. It’s always recommended to save a backup of the pfSense CE configuration prior to any major change such as an upgrade. You can find Backup and Recovery instructions in the pfSense documentation.
You launch the upgrade by following these steps:
- Navigate to System > Update
- Set Branch to “Latest Stable Version (2.7.1)”
- Click Confirm to start the upgrade process
Where to Report Issues
This is a fully tested software release. Should any issues arise, please post to our forum.
Summary
Our efforts are made possible by the support of our customers and the community, and for that we express our sincere thanks. This involvement makes the pfSense project a stronger solution for everyone.