Astaro Announces Version 4 of Its Hybrid Firewall/ VPN/ Anti-Virus/ Spam Filtering Software Appliance; Perhaps the World's Most Affordable Security Combo of its Kind.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

LinuxWorld New York 2003

Booth #673

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2003

Astaro Corporation today announced Astaro Security Linux V4 of its all-in-one Internet security software appliance, which combines a Firewall/ VPN gateway; anti-spam, a URL blocker, content filtering and virus protection for small and midsize businesses as well as enterprises. This complete software appliance bundles a hardened Linux operating system and can run on any Intel server.

Headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, the Astaro Security Linux is one of the world's most popular and certainly most affordable software firewalls with more than 10,000 installations in 60 countries, including such diverse organizations as EDS, Los Alamos National Labs, Stanford University and Wine.com.

Astaro Security Linux V4 contains new features such as VLAN and WLAN (wireless LAN access point) support, extended virus protection now for POP3 email accounts, comprehensive heuristic spam blocking and expanded Radius and LDAP support for local and remote user authentication.

The Firewall's stateful packet inspection guards against denial-of-service attacks such as SYN and UDP floods, Smurf, Trinoo and IP spoofing. The VPN authenticates via IPsec and Pre-shared Key, and its PPTP offers 128-bit encryption. VPN throughput is up to 115 Mbit/s using IPSec encryption, Firewall throughput is up to 735 Mbit/s with a 1266 MHz processor.

Astaro Security Linux also features load balancing, URL blocking and High Availability mode. Other features include an Up2Date service that automatically updates new virus signatures and URL black lists, a WebAdmin tool that allows for remote administration, Quality of Service (QoS) and enhanced support for DSL and cable modem Internet access.

Distribution of Astaro products is done through a network of premier partners and resellers worldwide. More than 180 partners, including organizations such as EDS, Pyramid Computers, and InfoGuard resell the product as a software solution running on commodity Intel hardware or combined as an appliance.

Pricing & Availability

Astaro Security Linux V4 will be available at www.astaro.com on Jan. 31. With an entry license price of $390, the ASL product is an affordable alternative to high-cost, high-maintenance firewalls such as those offered by Cisco (Nasdaq:CSCO), Check Point (Nasdaq:CHKP) and NetScreen (Nasdaq:NSCN). The product is free to home users with special programs for non-profits and educational institutions.

About Astaro

Founded in January 2000 by security specialists in Karlsruhe, Germany, Astaro has had more than 250,000 trial copies of its firewall downloaded worldwide and continues at a rate of 4,000 per week. Astaro can be found on the web at www.astaro.com.

U.S. Address: Astaro Corp. 67 South Bedford St., Suite 400W. Burlington, MA, USA

Tel. [phone]

E-Mail: [e-mail]

Germany Address: Astaro AG . Jahnstr. 1 . 76133 Karlsruhe, Germany

Tel. +49 721 / 490 069 0

E-Mail: [e-mail]