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Netgate Releases pfSense Plus Software Version 23.01

Written by: Esther Cheng

Date: February 15, 2023

February 15, 2023 (AUSTIN, TX) Netgate® is happy to announce that pfSense® Plus software version 23.01-RELEASE is now available.

This is a regularly scheduled release of pfSense Plus software including new features, additional hardware support, and bug fixes.

"This release represents a major advance in performance and usability for customers utilizing pfSense Plus software to secure their networks,” said Jamie Thompson, Netgate CEO.

The release contains significant enhancements, such as:

  • Moving to PHP 8.1: Moving to PHP 8.1 means that pfSense Plus software will be on the latest available release of PHP.
  • Moving to FreeBSD main: Following the FreeBSD main branch gives pfSense Plus software access to the latest features, drivers and fixes.
  • Support for ChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption with IPsec and OpenVPN DCO: This support was added because ChaCha20-Poly1305 is a standard encryption transform for IPsec, the only transform used by Wireguard, and is supported by OpenVPN. It makes sense for FreeBSD and pfSense software, as well as VPP and TNSR software, to have this capability. Some benefits of having support for ChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption include an additional option available to users and the ability to more easily compare the performance of IPsec, Wireguard, and OpenVPN so that users can choose the right solution for their needs.
  • Support for AES-128-GCM encryption with OpenVPN DCO: Previously, only support for AES-256-GCM was available. Now AES-GCM in 256 and 128 bit varieties as well as ChaCha20-Poly135 can be chosen as the encryption algorithm for OpenVPN DCO.
  • Resolving previous issues with Unbound: It is now safe again to enable DHCP registration alongside Unbound Python mode in pfBlockerNG.
  • Continuing to improve Captive Portal: Since the release of pfSense Plus software version 22.05, many improvements have been made to Captive Portal. Read the full list in the release notes.
  • Updating the pfBlockerNG package to match pfBlockerNG-devel: Both packages are now in sync and fully up-to-date. After upgrading, it is safe to uninstall pfBlockerNG-devel (keeping settings) and install pfBlockerNG instead.

In addition to the above highlights, over 100 other updates have been included in this release across many functional areas. The release notes and upgrade guide are available with the full list of improvements and best practices for upgrading.

For cloud platforms where pfSense Plus is available (AWS and Azure), pfSense Plus software version 23.01-RELEASE will be available as soon as the publishing process for each platform completes.

To learn more about pfSense Plus software, go to netgate.com. For additional information or questions, contact Netgate at +1(512) 646-4100 or sales@netgate.com.

About Netgate

Netgate is dedicated to developing and providing secure networking solutions to businesses, government and educational institutions around the world. Netgate is the only provider of pfSense products, which include pfSense Plus and pfSense Community Edition software - the world’s leading open-source firewall, router, and VPN solution. TNSR® extends the company’s open-source leadership and expertise into high-performance secure networking – capable of delivering compelling value at a fraction of the cost of proprietary solutions.