54-Point Security Gap Across 12 Cloud Firewalls (2026)

ACFW v2.0 CyberRisk Validation Comparative Report - SecureIQ Lab Skip to content Comparative Report ACFW v2.0 CyberRisk Validation Comparative Report 12 Cloud Firewalls. 59 Attack Categories. One Independent Benchmark for Security Efficacy, Evasion Defense, Compliance, and Operational Efficiency. Download Report Independent Cloud Firewall Validation — Built on Science, Not Surveys SecureIQLab’s ACFW CyberRisk Validation 2.0 is a non-commissioned, independently funded evaluation of 12 leading VM-based Advanced Cloud Firewalls deployed on identical AWS c5.xlarge infrastructure. Testing was conducted in accordance with AMTSO Fundamental Principles of Testing (Test ID: AMTSO-LS1-TP158). Every vendor faced the same methodology, the same ~4,500 validated attacks across 59 categories, and the same scoring framework — with no vendor influence on test design, execution, or results. What You'll Find in the Report The CyberRisk Ripple — SecureIQLab’s two-axis quadrant ranking all 12 vendors across security efficacy and operational efficiency, placing each into one of four tiers: Leader, Contender, Visionary, or Upcomer. Vendor-level scores for every evaluation category — see exactly how each product performed, not just the group averages. Individual vendor reports — detailed breakdowns for each tested product will also be available at secureiqlab.com/publications/. Download Report Key Findings at a Glance Key Metric Group Average What the Report Reveals Security Efficacy 64.55% A 54-point spread separates the top and bottom performers. See which vendors lead — and which fell short. Advanced Evasion Techniques 48.73% Most firewalls failed against more than half of sophisticated evasion methods. The report shows who held the line. Compliance 94.3% Strong across the board, with four vendors achieving perfect scores. Operational Efficiency 84.4% Outpaced security efficacy by ~20 points — the report explores what this gap means for your risk posture. Download Report The Evasion Gap: The Finding That Should Concern Every Security Leader Advanced evasion techniques — encrypted payloads, living-off-the-land, evasive C2, polymorphic payloads — exposed the widest gap in the market. According to SecureIQLab’s testing, the group average for advanced evasion defense was just 48.73% across 17 evasion categories comprising 52 validated attack techniques. When more than half of sophisticated evasion attempts succeed against the average cloud firewall, the question isn’t whether your firewall was tested — it’s how it scored . The report has the answer. Every vendor faced the same methodology, the same ~4,500 validated attacks across 59 categories, and the same scoring framework — with no vendor influence on test design, execution, or results. Beyond Threat Defense The validation also assessed operational resilience: 8 of 12 vendors passed SecureIQLab’s security resiliency standard across 8 industry-specific traffic profiles (Enterprise, SMB, Healthcare, Financial, and more). Secure by Design and Secure by Default evaluations are included in the full report. Download Report Download the Full Report See the CyberRisk Ripple rankings, vendor-level scores, and detailed findings across all evaluation categories. Want a Walkthrough? Request an enterprise briefing for a guided review of the findings and what they mean for your security architecture. Request a Private Briefing Frequently Asked Questions How were the cloud firewalls tested? SecureIQLab deployed all 12 VM-based Advanced Cloud Firewalls on standardized AWS c5.xlarge infrastructure and subjected each to approximately 4,500 validated attacks across 59 categories. Testing followed the AMTSO-compliant ACFW CyberRisk Validation Methodology v2.0, covering security efficacy, evasion defense, compliance, operational efficiency, performance, and resiliency. Is this an independent test? Yes. The ACFW CyberRisk Validation 2.0 is a non-commissioned evaluation independently funded by SecureIQLab. No vendor influenced the test design, execution, or scoring. The methodology is AMTSO-compliant (Test ID: AMTSO-LS1-TP158). Which cloud firewall vendors were tested? Twelve vendors enrolled in the evaluation: Arista Edge Threat Management, AXGATE, Barracuda, Check Point, Cisco, Forcepoint, Fortinet, Juniper Networks, Palo Alto Networks, SonicWall, Sophos, and WatchGuard. Eleven completed full testing; individual vendor reports will be available at secureiqlab.com/publications/ soon. SecureIQLab is a US-based independent, third-party cybersecurity solution validation and advisory provider. X-twitter Instagram Linkedin Bluesky Streamline Icon: https://streamlinehq.com Bluesky Quick Links About Us Services Research News Digital Media Contact Us Contact Info 1-512-575-3457 [email protected] 9600 Great Hills Trail, Suite 150W, Austin, Texas 78759 SecureIQLab copyright © 2025. All Rights Reserved. Terms and Conditions apply. Report Security Issues here. View our Privacy Policy.