Sophos UTM 9.6 settings - reset

July 2, 2019 Marcel Zimmer
Sophos

With the options on the Reset tab, you can delete the passwords of the shell users. In addition, you can perform the factory reset and reset the system ID of the UTM.

Reset System Passwords

Executing the Reset System Passwords Now function resets the passwords of the following users:

root (shell user)
loginuser (shell user)
admin (predefined user account of the administrator)

To shut down the machine after resetting the passwords, select Shut Down System Now.

Security Note - The next person who connects to the WebAdmin will see the Admin Password Setup dialogue box. Therefore, after a password reset, you should immediately log off, reload the web page and set a new administrator password.

In addition, shell access is not possible again until you specify new shell passwords on the Administration > System Settings > Shell Access tab.

Factory Reset

The function Execute factory reset now resets the system to the delivery state. The following data is deleted: The following data is deleted:

System configuration
Web filter cache
Log and report data
Databases
Up2Date packages
Licences
Passwords
High availability status

However, the Sophos UTM software version number remains unchanged - all installed firmware and pattern updates are retained.

Note: Sophos UTM will be turned off after you have initiated a factory reset.

UTM ID reset

Use the Reset UTM ID now function to reset the system ID of the UTM to a new, random value. This is relevant, for example, if you activate Endpoint Protection. Each UTM with Endpoint Protection enabled identifies itself in Sophos LiveConnect with its unique system ID. For example, if you clone a virtual UTM that uses Endpoint Protection and you want the clone to also use this feature, you need to reset the UTM system ID of the cloned system so that you can then identify it using the new system ID. When you reset, Endpoint Protection is switched off if the function was switched on.

Note: Endpoints are connected to the UTM using the UTM system ID. If you reset the UTM System ID and no other UTM is listening on the old UTM ID, you must reinstall the endpoints. If a UTM is connected to Sophos UTM Manager and you reset the UTM system ID, the UTM is connected as a new device. If necessary, you can merge the two devices.

Author: Marcel Zimmer

Marcel Zimmer is the Technical Managing Director of EnBITCon. During his time in the German Armed Forces, the trained IT developer was able to gain numerous project experiences. His interest in IT security was significantly awakened by his service in command support. Even after his service, he is an active reservist in the Bundeswehr.

His first firewall was a Sophos UTM 120, which he had to set up for a customer project. Since then, his interest in IT security has grown steadily. In the course of time, various security and infrastructure topics have come into his focus. His most interesting projects included, for example, WLAN coverage in an explosion-proof area, as well as a multi-site WLAN solution for a large