As New Windows MetaFile (WMF) Attacks Occur, Secure Computing Provides Zero-Hour Protection.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Secure Computing Corporation (NASDAQ:SCUR), the experts in securing connections between people, applications, and networks(TM), today announced that customers using the Sidewinder G2(R) Security Appliance and SmartFilter(R) Web filter are protected from the new forms of the Windows MetaFile (WMF) vulnerability because of Secure Computing's multilayered, defense-in-depth security architecture.

US-CERT advisory TA05-362A (http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA05-362A.html) describes a Microsoft Windows MetaFile (WMF) handling buffer overflow vulnerability that exploits a feature of Windows used to process image files. This vulnerability is particularly worrisome because it could allow a hacker to take complete control of an unpatched Windows computer after a user has unwittingly visited a rogue Web site that contains a maliciously crafted WMF image. Microsoft has issued a patch for the vulnerability, but within days of the release of the patch, the security forum Bugtraq issued advisory 16167 (http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/16167/), which documents two new variants of the vulnerability not covered by the latest security patches.

Fortunately, Secure Computing offers many strong protections from the WMF vulnerabilities. Customers who deploy a defense-in-depth strategy by using the Sidewinder G2 Security Appliance with both the Sophos anti-virus and SmartFilter UTM components can achieve the highest level of protection. Sidewinder G2 customers can block most of the attack vectors of the WMF vulnerability by configuring their systems using customized Application Defenses(TM), filtering for WMF virus signatures using the on-box Sophos anti-virus engine, and filtering all outbound URL requests with SmartFilter.

Secure Computing's SmartFilter URL filtering solution is also available on a variety of third-party platforms, including appliances, firewalls, caching devices, and proxy servers.

Secure Computing's team of security experts are utilizing Secure Computing's proprietary analysis tools to aggressively identify and catalogue numerous URLs known to be distribution points for this exploit and are adding more every hour. The database updates, adding to the SmartFilter 'malicious sites' category, are then automatically downloaded to SmartFilter customers, providing updated, real-time protection. Secure Computing's comprehensive database of millions of URLs is organized into over 70 categories. Secure Computing uses a combination of advanced technologies and a team of highly skilled analysts to quickly categorize and add URLs to its database and provide protections against such threats as the WMF.

"IT managers are scrambling more than ever to keep up with the latest worms, Trojans, spyware, viruses, phishing attacks and other vulnerabilities," said Steve Miller, vice president of worldwide marketing for Secure Computing. "More and more customers now understand the benefits of a UTM security appliance using a defense-in-depth strategy that includes web filtering like SmartFilter to stop the latest threats at the gateway -- before they get inside networks."

About Secure Computing

Secure Computing (NASDAQ:SCUR) has been securing the connections between people and information for over 20 years. Specializing in delivering solutions that secure these connections, Secure Computing is uniquely qualified to be the global security solutions provider to organizations of all sizes. Our more than 14,000 global customers, supported by a worldwide network of partners, include the majority of the Dow Jones Global 50 Titans and the most prominent organizations in banking, financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, manufacturing, public utilities, and federal and local governments. The company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and has sales offices worldwide. For more information, see http://www.securecomputing.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to Secure Computing's ability to deliver security solutions to enterprise customers, and the expected benefits of such, and such statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are delays in product development, undetected software errors or bugs, competitive pressures, technical difficulties, changes in customer requirements, general economic conditions and the risk factors detailed from time to time in Secure Computing's periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.