Fortinet's FortiOS 8.0 adds AI & quantum-safe tools

Fortinet has released FortiOS 8.0, a new version of the operating system used across its Security Fabric. It adds controls for managing generative AI use, updates secure access service edge (SASE) options, and expands support for post-quantum cryptography.

Fortinet positioned the release as a way for security teams to apply consistent policy and inspection across network edge, cloud, and data centre environments. It also highlighted changes intended to cut the time needed to configure and troubleshoot firewall and SD-WAN deployments.

FortiOS is the common software layer underpinning Fortinet's security and networking products. FortiOS 8.0 groups its updates into three areas: AI-driven security, next-generation SASE, and quantum-safe protection.

"FortiOS 8.0 reflects more than 25 years of continued innovation at the intersection of networking and security," said Ken Xie, founder, chairman of the board, and chief executive officer at Fortinet. "As organizations embrace AI, cloud, and increasingly encrypted environments, a unified operating system is essential to reduce complexity, improve visibility, and ensure security can scale without slowing the business."

AI usage controls

A central theme in FortiOS 8.0 is governance for GenAI tools and autonomous agents inside corporate networks. Organisations have struggled to track unsanctioned AI services, particularly when staff use consumer services or browser-based tools outside formal procurement routes. Security teams also face a growing challenge in understanding how data moves between AI tools and other business applications.

Fortinet has added new "AI-aware" visibility and policy features. FortiView for AI is designed to show how AI applications and services are used across an organisation, distinguishing between sanctioned and unsanctioned tools. Fortinet said it is intended to highlight shadow AI usage and map the AI attack surface.

FortiOS 8.0 also adds AI-aware application control, which Fortinet said can allow approved GenAI tools while blocking actions that risk exposing sensitive data. It also introduces Model Context Protocol and application-to-application visibility. Fortinet said these functions reveal interactions between applications, agents, and tools, helping reduce blind spots where data could be mishandled.

Data loss prevention is another area of change. FortiOS 8.0 includes DLP with optical character recognition, designed to detect sensitive information embedded in images, scans, and screenshots that can bypass traditional text inspection.

Fortinet has also introduced AI agents across the Security Fabric. It described these as guided, conversational workflows for troubleshooting and configuration in firewall and SD-WAN environments, intended to reduce operational workload and cut configuration errors.

SASE and SD-WAN

FortiOS 8.0 extends Fortinet's SASE offering with options aimed at regulated and performance-sensitive environments. One addition is SASE Outpost, which places SASE enforcement in customer-controlled locations, including on-premises sites, private data centres, or co-location facilities. Fortinet said this keeps centralised cloud management while enabling local enforcement.

FortiOS 8.0 also adds sovereign SASE deployment options. Fortinet described support for regional log retention, control-plane residency, sovereign points of presence, and fully sovereign deployments inside customer data centres. Data residency and sovereignty requirements have become a more prominent procurement factor in many markets, particularly for public sector bodies and regulated industries.

The release introduces unified SD-WAN bundles that Fortinet said include overlay and underlay connectivity, centralised management, and reporting. It positioned the bundles as a way to simplify procurement and support, with a focus on availability and traffic optimisation.

FortiOS 8.0 adds multipath IPsec tunnels, providing more than one path for encrypted site-to-site connectivity. Fortinet said this improves resilience and availability across distributed environments and can boost application performance for critical sites.

Post-quantum security

Fortinet has expanded its post-quantum cryptography work in FortiOS 8.0. The release adds quantum-resilient cryptographic controls for management access paths, including agentless VPN connectivity, based on post-quantum certificates. Fortinet highlighted ML-DSA for authentication and key establishment.

Encrypted traffic inspection is also a focus. Fortinet said FortiOS 8.0 strengthens SSL deep inspection with hybrid key exchange and post-quantum-safe cryptography, maintaining end-to-end encryption while avoiding silent connection downgrades.

Fortinet said these quantum-safe measures also extend to SASE, where enhanced SSL deep inspection can expose threats hidden in encrypted traffic. It added that management access and agentless VPN paths can also be protected through Fortinet firewalls using what it described as quantum-resilient security.

Fortinet positioned FortiOS 8.0 as part of a broader push to converge networking and security under a single operating system and policy layer as organisations expand hybrid and multi-cloud deployments and adopt AI tools. It expects the release to appeal to teams seeking more consistent control across distributed users, branch sites, and cloud services.

"As organizations embrace AI, cloud, and increasingly encrypted environments, a unified operating system is essential to reduce complexity, improve visibility, and ensure security can scale without slowing the business," said Xie.