Geo-IP Database Update: Kosovo and South Sudan

SonicWall has updated the Geo-IP country database and UI policy support to include Kosovo and South Sudan as individually addressable and selectable country entries. Kosovo was previously classified under Europe at the database level and had no separate UI entry. South Sudan was already recognised as a country at the database level but lacked UI-level policy support. This update introduces UI controls for both countries on supported firmware versions, and applies the Kosovo reclassification across all GEN6, GEN7, and GEN8 firmware versions automatically.

For GEN7 and GEN8 administrators who require explicit UI-level policy control over these countries, a firmware upgrade is required. For GEN6, the database update is applied automatically; however, UI-level policy controls for Kosovo and South Sudan as distinct country entries are not planned for GEN6. This article describes the behaviour change, the impact by firmware version, and the actions administrators should take.

Important — Review Your Geo-IP Policies

• This database update changes how IP addresses from Kosovo are classified across GEN6, GEN7, and GEN8. Kosovo was previously classified under Europe; it is now a distinct country entry. If your organisation has a Europe block rule, Kosovo will no longer be covered by it.
• For South Sudan, the change is additive — South Sudan was already recognised as a country at the database level, but lacked UI support. SonicOS 7.3.3 and 8.2.2 introduce the ability to explicitly block South Sudan through the Geo-IP policy editor for the first time.
• GEN6 administrators should note that UI-level policy controls for Kosovo and South Sudan are not planned for GEN6. The database update will apply automatically, but explicit per-country policy targeting will not be available through the UI.

What Changed in the Database?

• Kosovo
  Prior to this update, IP addresses originating from Kosovo were classified under the broader Europe region in the SonicOS Geo-IP database. Following the update, these IP addresses are reclassified and recognised as Kosovo specifically.
  Impact on existing policies:
  • Administrators with a policy blocking Europe were previously implicitly blocking Kosovo. After this update, Kosovo traffic is no longer covered by an Europe block rule.
  • To continue blocking traffic from Kosovo, administrators must explicitly add Kosovo to their Geo-IP block policy once UI support is available on their firmware version.
  • Administrators who do not have a Europe block policy, or who do not wish to block Kosovo, are not required to take any action.
• South Sudan
  Prior to this update, South Sudan was already recognised as a distinct country in the SonicOS Geo-IP database; however, it did not have UI-level policy support, meaning administrators could not explicitly select it as a policy target. With SonicOS 7.3.3 (GEN7) and SonicOS 8.2.2 (GEN8), South Sudan is now available as an explicit, selectable country entry in the Geo-IP policy editor.
  Impact on existing policies:
  • South Sudan was previously not selectable in the Geo-IP policy UI. Administrators who needed to block South Sudan had no direct mechanism to do so.
  • From SonicOS 7.3.3 (GEN7) and SonicOS 8.2.2 (GEN8) onwards, South Sudan is available as a distinct selectable country in the Geo-IP policy editor. Administrators who wish to block South Sudan can now explicitly add it to their block policy.
  • Administrators who do not wish to block South Sudan are not required to take any action.
• Firmware Version Impact
  The database update is applied automatically across all GEN6, GEN7, and GEN8 firmware versions. UI-level policy controls for Kosovo and South Sudan as distinct country entries are available on GEN7 from 7.3.3 onwards and on GEN8 from 8.2.2 onwards. UI support is not planned for GEN6.
  

  Platform	Firmware Version	Database Update	UI Policy Control	Recommended Action
  GEN6	All versions	Applied automatically	Not planned	No upgrade path for UI support — database update only
  GEN7	Pre-7.3.3	Applied automatically	Not available	Upgrade to SonicOS 7.3.3
  GEN7	7.3.3 and later	Applied automatically	Available ✓	No action required
  GEN8	8.2.1 and previous	Applied automatically	Not available	Upgrade to SonicOS 8.2.2, which will be available by the end of July.

• Required Administrator Actions
  •  Administrators on GEN6 (All Versions)
    The Geo-IP database update is applied automatically to all GEN6 appliances. Kosovo and South Sudan will be recognised as distinct countries at the database level, which means the reclassification behaviours described in Section 2 apply — existing Europe and Unknown country rules will no longer implicitly cover these regions.
    However, UI-level policy controls for Kosovo and South Sudan as individually selectable country entries are not planned for GEN6. Administrators on GEN6 who require explicit policy control over these countries are not able to achieve this through the SonicOS UI on the current platform.
    

    GEN6 — UI Policy Control Not Available Kosovo: Traffic from Kosovo will no longer be covered by an existing Europe block rule following the database update. There is no UI mechanism on GEN6 to explicitly block Kosovo as a distinct country.   South Sudan: South Sudan was already recognised as a country at the database level prior to this update. GEN6 will not receive UI-level policy controls for South Sudan — explicit per-country blocking of South Sudan through the UI is not available and is not planned for GEN6.   Administrators on GEN6 who have a compliance or security requirement to block these countries should consider upgrading to GEN7 or GEN8 hardware to gain full UI-level Geo-IP policy control.

  • Administrators on GEN7 Pre-7.3.3 or GEN8 Pre-8.2.2

    Until a firmware upgrade is completed, UI-level Geo-IP policy controls for Kosovo and South Sudan are not available. The following interim behaviour applies:

    • Kosovo: Traffic from Kosovo will no longer be covered by an existing Europe block rule. There is no UI mechanism to explicitly block Kosovo until the firmware is upgraded.
    • South Sudan: South Sudan was already recognised at the database level prior to this update but had no UI support. Administrators on pre-7.3.3 (GEN7) or pre-8.2.2 (GEN8) firmware cannot explicitly block South Sudan through the UI until they upgrade.
      

      Recommended Action for Pre-Upgrade Firmware GEN7: Plan an upgrade to SonicOS 7.3.3 to gain UI-level policy control over Kosovo and South Sudan. GEN8: Plan an upgrade to SonicOS 8.2.2 (targeted GA: July 21, 2025) to gain UI-level policy control. GEN6: UI-level policy control is not planned. If blocking these countries is a compliance or security requirement, consider upgrading to GEN7 or GEN8 hardware. If blocking traffic from these countries is a compliance or security requirement, prioritise accordingly.

  • Administrators on GEN7 7.3.3 or GEN8 8.2.2 and Later

    Both Kosovo and South Sudan are available as distinct country entries in the Geo-IP policy editor. Take the following steps if your organisation requires continued blocking of these countries:

    Kosovo	Navigate to Security Services > Geo-IP Filter > Countries. Add Kosovo to your block list explicitly. Verify the policy is applied to the correct zones.
    South Sudan	Navigate to Security Services > Geo-IP Filter > Countries. Add South Sudan to your block list explicitly.

Frequently Asked Questions