Fortinet unveils FortiOS 8.0 with AI & quantum-safe

Fortinet has released FortiOS 8.0, a new version of the operating system used across its Security Fabric. The update adds AI governance features, expands secure access service edge (SASE) options, and introduces post-quantum cryptography capabilities.

The release targets organisations running hybrid networks spanning branch sites, data centres, and multiple cloud services. It also reflects shifting security priorities as businesses adopt generative AI tools and security teams face rising volumes of encrypted traffic.

FortiOS runs across Fortinet products, including firewalls and SD-WAN systems. Fortinet positions it as a common layer for networking and security policy, monitoring, and enforcement across different environments.

Ken Xie, Founder, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Executive Officer at Fortinet, said: "FortiOS 8.0 reflects more than 25 years of continued innovation at the intersection of networking and security. As organisations 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 controls

A central theme in FortiOS 8.0 is visibility and control over AI application use inside organisations. Many enterprises now manage a mix of approved generative AI services and employee-selected tools. Security and compliance teams have raised concerns about data exposure through prompts, file uploads, and agent workflows.

One new feature, FortiView for AI attack surface and shadow AI, is designed to show how AI applications and services are used across the network. It separates sanctioned tools from unsanctioned ones that can appear when staff use consumer services or trial products without formal approval.

FortiOS 8.0 also adds AI-aware application control, intended to allow approved generative AI applications while restricting actions that could expose sensitive information. These controls are increasingly important in regulated industries that must enforce data-handling rules while employees use AI services for everyday work.

The operating system also adds visibility into Model Context Protocol and agent-to-agent interactions. Fortinet says this helps surface AI activity that traditional monitoring tools may miss, including interactions between applications, agents, and external tools.

Data loss prevention has been updated with optical character recognition to scan images and screenshots for sensitive content. Organisations increasingly see screen captures and image attachments as a common route for data leaving corporate environments because they can bypass controls that only inspect text.

Fortinet has also introduced AI agents across the Security Fabric that use conversational workflows for troubleshooting and configuration. Aimed at firewall and SD-WAN operations, these features are designed to reduce operational overhead and configuration errors that can lead to outages and security gaps.

SASE options

FortiOS 8.0 extends Fortinet's SASE design with a focus on deployment flexibility and data sovereignty. Demand for SASE has grown as organisations move security controls closer to users and applications, particularly as remote work and cloud usage remain structural features for many businesses.

A new option called SASE Outpost allows organisations to run a SASE point of presence in customer-controlled locations, including on-premises sites, private data centres, and co-location facilities. Fortinet says the model retains centralised cloud management while enabling local enforcement.

Fortinet has also added sovereign SASE deployment options. It describes a multi-layer model that can govern where logs are retained, where control-plane systems reside, and whether sovereign points of presence are used. It also supports deployments entirely inside customer data centres. Organisations in government, defence, and critical infrastructure often assess these controls during procurement, particularly where national security rules apply.

On the networking side, the release introduces unified SD-WAN bundles that combine overlay and underlay connectivity with centralised management and reporting. Fortinet is also adding multipath IPsec tunnels, which use multiple paths for encrypted connections between sites to improve resiliency.

Post-quantum steps

FortiOS 8.0 includes additions aimed at post-quantum security planning. While practical quantum attacks remain a future concern, many security teams have started mapping where long-lived data and encrypted management channels could be at risk if decryption methods change.

Fortinet says it has expanded quantum-resilient cryptographic controls for management access paths. It says the update covers agentless VPN connectivity and uses post-quantum cryptography certificates, including ML-DSA, for authentication and key establishment.

Encrypted traffic inspection is also included. Fortinet says SSL deep inspection has been strengthened with hybrid key exchange and post-quantum-safe cryptography, with the aim of detecting threats hidden in encrypted traffic while keeping end-to-end encryption in place.

Fortinet also links quantum-safe cryptography to its SASE design, saying quantum-safe SASE combines encrypted traffic inspection with protection for management access and agentless VPN, delivered through Fortinet firewalls.

The release comes as organisations reassess security architectures across branches, cloud deployments, and remote users. Fortinet is betting that a single operating system layer can simplify policy application, connectivity management, and monitoring across these environments.

"FortiOS 8.0 reflects more than 25 years of continued innovation at the intersection of networking and security. As organisations 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 Ken Xie.

Fortinet says FortiOS 8.0 adds features to address AI adoption, SASE deployment models, and post-quantum cryptography across the Security Fabric, and signalled further updates in these areas as customer requirements evolve.