Development of the new version of the Gibraltar security software took more than a year. The release of Gibraltar 2.5 sees enhanced functionality and simplified use.

The security solution comprises seven components: firewall, Web filter, email filter, anonymization gateway, VPN server, bandwidth management and captive portal.

Version 2.5, which is now available, supports both LDAP and Active Directory, and thus feels at home in both Linux/Unix and Windows environments, as well as heterogeneous IT landscapes. The Web filter has also been improved, with dynamic content filtering added to supplement blacklisting of blocked content. The filter relies on technology by Puresight.

Spamassassin, which is used as the email filter, has been modified to reflect current requirements. For example, it now detects PDF spam and uses the FuzzyOCR3 module to detect spam images. The virus scanner is the Kaspersky Labs antivirus engine. It checks data traffic on the basis of known signatures and of typical malware patterns. The software can check all relevant archive and compression formats.

Bandwidth management has also been overhauled. It now supports mixes of different types of data traffic, allowing VPN traffic (IPSec) to share a line with "normal" traffic. Predefined priority classes are available for prioritization and integrated monitoring allows for constant analysis of data streams.

Development work on Gibraltar as an Open Source Debian-based product started in 1999. According to statements by Austrian vendor Esys Informationssysteme GmbH the solution is currently deployed by 5000 businesses and institutions. The software mainly uses Open Source components with various proprietary components added. The free components are GPLd and available for downloading.

The software is available for private non-commercial use free of charge. Free license keys are available from the vendor on request. Prices for corporate licenses depend on the number of devices on the network. The smallest professional license costs 280 euros plus a support contract of one to five years.

Development of the new version of the Gibraltar security software took more than a year. The release of Gibraltar 2.5 sees enhanced functionality and simplified use.