Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall Release Notes

PLEASE READ BEFORE UPGRADING

Before upgrading to newer versions, be sure to make a backup of your configuration and read all release notes that apply to versions more recent than the one currently running on your system.
Before upgrading, BE SURE TO TAKE THE BARRACUDA SPAM & VIRUS FIREWALL OFFLINE. This will ensure that the inbound queue is emptied and all messages are scanned before the upgrade process begins. See the BASIC > Administration page for the Offline button.
DO NOT MANUALLY REBOOT YOUR SYSTEM at any time during an upgrade, unless otherwise instructed by Technical Support. The update process typically takes only a few minutes after the update is applied. However the process can take up to 30 minutes for systems that have thousands of user accounts. If the process takes longer, please contact Technical Support to investigate.

Upgrading to Version 3.5

Due to numerous internal changes, once you have installed a version of 3.5 on your system it is NOT recommended for you to revert to or otherwise re-apply any 3.4 (or earlier) firmware version. Doing so can cause you to lose Message Log data, message content and some historical information. Please contact Technical Support prior to any attempt to return to the 3.4 firmware series.
Clustering between a 3.5 system and a non-3.5 system is not possible. If one of the machines in a cluster does not see the firmware as available, please contact Technical Support. All members of a cluster should be running the same build version to obtain best results.
Before upgrading from a non-3.5 release, please take note of the following internal changes:
- The contents of any message that was in the Message Log of a 3.4 system at the time of upgrade will be visible on a 3.5 system. However, the data for any message that was already purged from the Message Log, as well as all Message Log data from 3.3 (and earlier) systems, will not be preserved upon the upgrade to 3.5.
- If upgrading from a release prior to 3.3, your Bayesian databases (both admin and user-specific) will not be preserved. Resetting the databases from time to time makes Bayesian filtering more effective and up-to-date with the latest spam patterns. To use Bayesian, you must start with a new dataset of at least 200 received messages marked as "spam'' and at least 200 marked as ''not spam''. As with previous versions, Bayesian filtering will NOT take effect until 200 or more of each spam and not-spam messages are marked as such on the BASIC > Message Log page.
As of version 3.5.10.016, all DNS queries are now done directly. This can cause delivery failures and lost mail if hostnames are used in the configuration that are only resolvable through internal DNS. If using such a configuration, after upgrading to 3.5.10.016 or higher, please go to the BASIC > IP Configuration page and set the Use Only These Servers setting to "Yes''. This will force the Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall to use the internal DNS servers.
As of version 3.5.12, the following configuration changes will be made on ALL SYSTEMS upgrading from a pre-3.5.12 release. Because of this, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you create a new backup of your configuration after you upgrade to firmware version 3.5.12. Otherwise, restoring a backup made from a previous firmware version could inadvertently reverse these setting changes:
1. Any spamhaus.org listing for sbl, xbl, or sbl-xbl that may currently be in your Custom External RBLs section will be REMOVED. If you wish to continue using any of these, you can manually re-enter them on the BLOCK/ACCEPT > IP Reputation page. Any other spamhaus.org entry that you may have added (such as zen or pbl) will remain in your settings and will not be affected.
2. The Send Bounce option will be SET TO NO on all systems, regardless of your previous setting. If you wish notifications to go out to any sender whose email was blocked, you can re-enable this option from the BASIC > Spam Scoring page, in the Spam Bounce (NDR) Configuration section.

NEW TO VERSION 3.5

3.5.12:

Invalid Bounce Suppression. The Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall can be configured to reject all Non-Delivery Receipts (NDRs) except those for messages verified to have been sent or relayed out from that particular Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall or from a partnered Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall.
Character Set Blocking. Administrators can determine the action to take on a message based on the language and character set detected in the message itself.
Reverse DNS Blocking. Administrators can determine the action to take on a message based on the originating country, as determined by a Reverse DNS query of the sender's IP address.
Enhanced Intent Analysis. New improvements to the Intent Analysis engine includes the ability to specify additional URL patterns that should undergo Intent Analysis and the ability to exclude specific URLs.
The Syslog, which includes data related to mail flow, gives the month, day and time of each event for all models except for the model 1000, which also includes the year in the date.

3.5.11:

Attachment filtering enhancements. All attachments which start with a leading 'dot' (e.g. ".exe'') are only checked against filenames. Entries without the leading dot are checked against the file type as determined by content inspection. At this time, files within archives are still blocked only on content identification.
DomainKeys. Support for DomainKeys including the ability to take action on incoming messages based on verification of DomainKeys.
Native recipient validation. In addition to using standard recipient verification methods such as LDAP, recipient verification can now also be done by specifying a list valid email addresses directly on the Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall.
Remote POP account support. The Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall can now scan email retrieved via POP3 or IMAP.
Advanced Email Server handling. A failover email server can be designated on the Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall, and individual domains can be assigned multiple email servers for load balancing.
Manual Alias Linking. Specific domains on the Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall can be treated as aliases of one domain, without needing to link all domains to the same one.
Trusted forwarder exemptions. Allows internal mail relays located in front of the Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall to be exempted from rate control, SPF sender authentication tests, and IP reputation checks (including the Barracuda Reputation Services and other external blacklists). If used in conjunction with Full Header Scanning, IP checks will be performed on only the last non-trusted relay that handled the incoming message.

3.5.10 and earlier:

Improved DNS lookups. Enable DNS caching by default for improved lookup times. Fall back to specified nameservers if unable to reach root nameservers. See warning above regarding this change in behavior.
Barracuda Real-Time Protection. Also known as Zero-Hour protection, this real-time interaction with Barracuda Central for information on new virus signatures and spam fingerprints allows for the fastest possible response time to new virus and spam outbreaks.
Improved Cluster Management. Enhancements include increased performance, encrypted connections, and sturdier synchronization of quarantine content.
Longer Message Log history. The Message Log is now stored as a circular buffer constrained by disk storage rather than a fixed number of records, usually resulting in a significantly longer Message Log buffer.
Journaling. The Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall now has the ability to send a copy of all legitimate email to an archive such as the Barracuda Message Archiver.
API updates. Enhancements to the API in the latest 3.5.10 releases include support for multiple simultaneous API calls, such as those for domain setting modifications.
Multiple administrative conveniences. Based on user feedback, many small changes have been made to the Administrative interface, including the addition of the "Bulk Edit'' button for certain fields; the ability to specify multiple syslog servers; and the ability to submit spam messages to Barracuda Central without affecting the global Bayesian database.

Version 3.5.12

Note: All systems upgrading to this release will be subjected to the configuration changes noted in the "Upgrading to Version 3.5'' section above. If you do not wish to keep these changes, they can be reversed by going to the appropriate page and re-entering your desired values. After the new firmware has been applied, make sure to create a new backup of your configuration so that you will have a backup file with the setting modifications made by this firmware upgrade.

Known Issues:

When mail is relayed through a Trusted Forwarder configured on the Barracuda Spam & Virus Firewall, Reverse DNS and Blocked IP/Range are not applied to connecting IP addresses (both configured on the BLOCK/ACCEPT tab).

Build 024: