Argus Systems Group Locks Down Another E-Business Environment With PitBull LX For AIX.

Business/Technology Editors

SAVOY, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 7, 2001

Award-winning PitBull LX Provides IBM Customers with Quick

Implementation, Ease-of-Use and Proactive, Application Security

Argus Systems Group, Inc., an international leader in application security for the extended enterprise, today announced the availability of PitBull(R) LX for AIX. PitBull LX allows AIX administrators to quickly and easily protect Web-facing servers from malicious attack to alter data and Web pages, steal information or monetary assets, launch denial of service attacks and otherwise tamper with system and data resources. PitBull LX's unique patent-pending security implementation turns security inside-out, locks down the operating system--the foundation that controls every application action across the entire computing infrastructure to create a secure application environment.

AIX is an open operating system from IBM that is based on a version of UNIX and is used widely used in the financial services and healthcare industries. With PitBull LX, software bugs and security flaws that could once grant an attacker system-wide access when successfully exploited are now harmlessly contained within a single security compartment. PitBull LX is a more cost-effective, simpler solution, boasting the broadest platform support in the industry.

"The 2001 CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey indicates that most companies using firewalls and IDS systems continue to experience a high amount of external system penetration--exactly what these technologies are supposed to prevent," said Randy Sandone, president and CEO of Argus Systems Group. "The recent Code Red Worm is the perfect example of why proactive, application security is necessary. PitBull protects one of the world's most popular operating systems, IBM's AIX, enabling administrators to prevent hackers, viruses and worms, or other rogue programs from penetrating and disabling their networks."

Product Benefits

PitBull offers benefits not available in other security technologies, including:

-- Secure Application Environment (SAE)--These secure, isolated compartments cannot be penetrated by unauthorized users or by illegitimate means. Any number of compartments can reside on a single machine, which allows each application to be totally isolated from all others. If an attacker attempts to exploit a security flaw in one application, he and that exploit are contained inside a single security compartment, unable to access other applications, data or other systems in the network.

-- Domain-Based Access Control (DBAC)--This powerful tool supports four distinct types of access control: user, file, process and network. The combination of these four elements gives administrators a more powerful flexibility in protecting data and mission-critical applications. Additionally, administrators can grant proper, authorized access with a high degree of confidence that PitBull LX's DBAC will restrict users to only their authorized areas. DBAC even eliminates superuser vulnerabilities, one of the biggest security threats on a UNIX system.

-- Improved Economics--The combination of PitBull LX's SAE and DBAC can improve a company's economic model by greatly simplifying the security architecture and significantly increasing efficiency of server utilization. PitBull LX obviates the need for numerous security `point products' and reduces security administration overhead. Multiple applications or customers can be securely hosted on a single machine, reducing hardware and administration overhead costs.

Pricing and Availability

PitBull LX for AIX is available immediately. It can be installed as an add-on to IBM's pSeries servers and maintains complete compatibility with all commercial, off-the-shelf applications for AIX. Pricing starts at $5,000 for single processor servers.

About Argus Systems Group, Inc.

Argus Systems Group, Inc. protects vital applications by locking down the invaluable intellectual property stored on Web servers, e-mail servers and corporate databases. Argus' PitBull software is the only independently-certified, trusted e-business platform available for applications running on the world's most popular operating systems, including Sun Solaris (SPARC and Intel), IBM AIX and Linux. PitBull was the focus of eWeek Magazine's recent Open Hack III contest where it withstood more than 5.4 million hack attempts without a single penetration. PitBull LX was chosen Best Security Solution by the German ASP Konsortium and was awarded the eWeek eXcellence Award as Best Intrusion Defense and Response product of 2001.

Headquartered in Savoy, Ill., Argus has more than 100 customers and is privately held with offices around the United States and worldwide. For more information, visit the Company's Web site at www.argus-systems.com.

PitBull and PitBull LX are trademarks or registered trademarks of Argus Systems Group, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.