CyberRatings has completed a follow-up independent “Mini-Test” of Google Cloud Platform's (GCP) Next-generation firewall (NGFW). This new test revisits the initial findings published on November 26, 2024, and shows a significant improvement in the security effectiveness score for GCP's cloud firewall, which rose from 50.57% to 86.97%.

Vikram Phatak, CEO of CyberRatings.org, noted, “Last November's cloud native firewall test results from Cloud Service Providers surprised a lot of people, including the product team at Google. They wanted to understand what had caused their low score, and after reviewing use cases with them, one key recommendation was to modify their firewall's default behavior.” The adjustments aimed to enhance the system's ability to block exploits targeting vulnerabilities.

By applying Google's guidance to modify the firewall's behavior, the testing revealed a substantial increase in its security effectiveness. The tests used the KeySight CyPerf 5.0 strikes library and focused on known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) reported over the last ten years, specifically those rated medium severity or higher.

According to Ian Foo, CTO and EVP of Product at CyberRatings, “This improvement underscores the value of fine-tuning security settings based on vendor best practice recommendations to maximize protection. The collaboration exemplifies how open communication and shared goals can drive positive outcomes. At CyberRatings, we're proud to work with organizations like Google to help ensure enterprise users benefit from secure and effective cloud-native solutions.”