Fortinet releases FortiOS 8.0 with AI-aware controls and SASE options

Fortinet released FortiOS 8.0, the Operating System (OS) that supports the Fortinet Security Fabric, with new capabilities designed to help organizations secure Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption, simplify operations, and provide protection across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

The company presented FortiOS 8.0 as part of its Secure Networking work at Fortinet Accelerate 2026 and described the update as addressing challenges tied to Generative AI (GenAI) adoption, hybrid work, and cloud-first strategies by offering a unified OS for visibility and control.

The release introduced enhancements across three areas identified in the announcement: AI-driven security, next-generation Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), and quantum-safe protection. AI-driven features included FortiView for AI attack surface and shadow AI, AI-aware application control, Model Context Protocol (MCP) and agent-to-agent visibility, enhanced Data Loss Prevention (DLP) with OCR, and AI agents across the Fortinet Security Fabric. SASE changes included SASE Outpost, sovereign deployment options, unified Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) bundles, and multipath IPsec tunnels. Quantum-safe items covered quantum-resilient cryptographic controls, enhanced Secure Socket Layer (SSL) deep inspection with hybrid key exchange, and quantum-safe SASE capabilities.

FortiOS 8.0 was described as delivering these capabilities across the Fortinet Security Fabric and as embedding Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) in management access paths, agentless VPNs, and firewall-delivered protections while maintaining centralized cloud management and options for customer-controlled locations.

“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.”

Fortinet said the release provided a unified platform intended to reduce complexity, improve operational efficiency, and embed future-ready security into the network.