Firewalla has released App 1.69, adding AI-assisted security analysis, advanced phishing protections and new network management capabilities designed to simplify enterprise-grade cybersecurity.

The update is available across Firewalla's family of security appliances and introduces Advanced Threat Filtering, protection against lookalike (Punycode) phishing domains, automatic blocking of newly registered domains associated with cybercrime and AI-powered explanations for supported security alarms. It also includes redesigned management tools intended to improve network visibility and simplify security administration.

"Every year, cyber threats become more sophisticated and more difficult to identify," said Jerry Chen, co-founder of Firewalla. "With App 1.69, we're making it easier for users to stay ahead of those threats by combining proactive protection, AI-assisted analysis and simplified management into a single experience. Our goal is to help people spend less time configuring security and more time staying protected."

A key addition in App 1.69 is Advanced Threat Filtering, a centralized feature that combines multiple layers of network protection into a unified management experience. The redesigned Controls interface enables administrators to configure advanced threat filtering, region blocking, content filtering and bypass prevention while allowing policies to be applied to individual devices, users, groups or entire networks.

The release also introduces protection against lookalike, or Punycode, phishing domains, which use visually similar international characters to imitate legitimate websites. Firewalla said these domains are commonly used to steal login credentials and personal information.

The update also adds protection against newly registered domains. Because recently created domains are frequently used in the early stages of phishing campaigns, malware distribution and other cyberattacks, Firewalla can automatically block access to domains registered within the previous 14 days to reduce exposure to emerging threats.

App 1.69 expands the company's AI capabilities with Firewalla AI for Security Alarms. Rather than only notifying users of suspicious activity, the optional feature can analyze supported security alarms, explain why an event was flagged, identify the destination involved and provide additional context. Firewalla said the AI is activated only when a user requests an explanation for a specific alarm and does not operate continuously in the background.

"Security alerts shouldn't require users to become cybersecurity experts," Chen said. "By using AI to explain what happened and why it matters, we're helping customers make better decisions while remaining in complete control of how AI is used."

In addition to new security features, the update introduces a Unified Network Manager that combines Networks, Wi-Fi and Topology management into a single location. Other enhancements include Network Health monitoring, improved Rules visibility with usage statistics, combined live throughput for dual-WAN deployments, enhanced device discovery and filtering, improved Device Active Protect statistics and quicker access to recently used devices and features.

For secure remote connectivity, App 1.69 also adds support for AmneziaWG 2.0 to improve VPN capabilities in environments where conventional VPN traffic may be restricted.

According to Firewalla, the update builds on its broader cybersecurity and networking platform, which includes Zero Trust networking, Device Active Protect, VqLAN segmentation, Firewalla AP7 wireless networking and the Firewalla Switch family.

"Security isn't a feature you add once," Chen said. "It's a platform that has to evolve continuously as attackers evolve. App 1.69 represents another major step in helping our customers stay ahead of modern threats while making advanced cybersecurity more accessible than ever."

Firewalla App 1.69 is available immediately. Some features require Firewalla Box version 1.983 or later and are supported on Firewalla Purple, Purple SE, Gold, Gold SE, Gold Plus, Gold Pro and Orange appliances. The iOS version will be released through a phased rollout in the coming days.