Netgate
| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
| Type | Private |
| Industry | Computer Hardware, Computer Software, Networking Equipment, Firewalls |
| Official website | https://www.netgate.com |
Netgate, officially Rubicon Communications (LLC), is an American technology company based in Austin, Texas. It is the owner and developer of the pfSense firewall project and other networking products.
Consumer impact summary
Relationship with the Open-Source Community
While Netgate has contributed to BSD, the operating system on which its firewall pfSense is based on, the company has been criticized in recent years for its stance toward the open-source community.
Consumer and Licensing Changes
In a controversial decision, Netgate discontinued free access to pfSense Home+ Lab[1], a version previously available at no cost, requiring users to migrate to CE or a paid model. This change was made without prior notice, leading to criticism from the community.
Security Concerns with WireGuard Implementation
In 2021, Jason Donenfeld, the creator of WireGuard, reviewed pfSense’s WireGuard implementation and identified multiple security flaws[2]. His review was highly critical, highlighting serious vulnerabilities that raised concerns about the security of Netgate's implementation.
Targeting other projects
Netgate's co-founder has publicly criticized competing projects, including OPNsense, a fork of pfSense. OPNsense, which is endorsed by the developers of m0n0wall (the project from which pfSense originated), was also the target of a parody website[3] allegedly created by Netgate. OPNsense had to file a complaint with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to gain control of the disputed domain[4].
Incidents
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This is a list of all consumer protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the Netgate category.
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Products
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See also
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Link to relevant theme articles or companies with similar incidents.
References
- ↑ "Addressing Changes to pfSense Plus Home+Lab". Netgate. 26 Oct 2023. Retrieved 22 Mar 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Thompson, Jim (18 Mar 2021). "WireGuard Removed from pfSense® CE and pfSense® Plus Software". Netgate. Retrieved 22 Mar 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "OPNSense". Archived from the original on 14 Mar 2016. Retrieved 22 Mar 2025.
- ↑ "Netgate / pfSense acts in bad faith". OPNSense. 24 Nov 2017. Retrieved 22 Mar 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)