Authentium Identifies and Blocks Over 300,000 Viruses To Date; Company Predicts 500,000 Viruses Will Exist by 2008.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Massive Library of Virus Definitions Casts Industry's Widest Safety Net Against Daily Deluge of IT Security Threats

Authentium, the leading provider of extensible security software technologies and service platforms, today announced it has successfully identified and blocked over 300,000 viruses and other forms of malware to date. This milestone demonstrates Authentium's continued commitment to providing developers, partners and users the most comprehensive anti-virus protection available.

"The number of unique malware threats is growing at a staggering rate," said Robert Sandilands of Authentium's Virus Research Lab. "It is hard to believe that a little over a decade ago, viruses worldwide were calculated in the hundreds. Now, that number exceeds 300,000. Based on the current rate of growth, there will be half a million viruses in the wild by early 2008, and three-fourths of a million by 2010. This recent spike in malware code is related to the fact that cyber crime has become a lucrative business with greed as its greatest motivator. In addition, new devices, including Windows-embedded appliances, handhelds and smart phones are expanding the number of targets for cyber criminals."

Every virus has a specific "signature," which differentiates it from other code and permits its identification. At Authentium's Virus Research Lab, analysts record these signatures and update an expansive collection of virus definitions as each new threat appears.

"The massive number of viruses proves how determined cyber criminals are. It also reveals Authentium's determination to remain one step ahead of them," said John Sharp, chairman & CEO of Authentium. "We take pride in the confidence our end-users gain knowing their PCs are protected by the industry's most extensive security safeguards, and by the success our partners enjoy when using our tools. With over 300,000 virus signatures in our database, Authentium continues to cast the widest safety net in the industry."

Currently, Authentium's virus definitions are used by leading developers, Internet service providers and managed security service providers to protect over 7,750,000 users worldwide from the onslaught of malicious threats, including viruses, Trojans and worms.

"As cyber criminals utilize new techniques in the war on our security, such as converging threats which attack simultaneously via email, IM and the Web, Authentium will be there to identify the threats and shut them down before they put the public at risk," said Sandilands. "We intend to keep this promise to our customers."

About Authentium

Based in West Palm Beach, Florida, Authentium develops core operating system encapsulation, file and application defense, data interception and data analysis technologies for inclusion in its flagship Extensible Security Platform (ESP). Authentium is the leading licensor of security software development toolkits to independent software vendors, software publishers, and security appliance manufacturers, and one of the fastest-growing privately-held companies in the security software industry, providing services to millions of end users in enterprise and government organizations, ISPs, and education institutions worldwide. For more information about Authentium, visit www.authentium.com.