Axent's Enterprise Security Manager First and Only Solution to Protect Against Top 10 Internet Security Threats Identified by the Sans Institute, Department of Justice, and FBI.

Business/Technology Editors

ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 12, 2000

Market-leading Security Assessment Solution Ensures

Against the Most Dangerous and Well Known E-Security Exposures

AXENT Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AXNT), one of the world's leading Internet security solutions providers for e-business, today announced that customers worldwide can leverage Enterprise Security Manager(TM) (ESM), AXENT(R)'s market-leading security assessment solution, to ensure that key systems connected to the Internet remain protected against the 10 most critical Internet security threats recently identified by the FBI, Department of Justice and SANS Institute. The full vulnerability list can be found at http://www.sans.org/topten.htm. AXENT's response with ESM can be found at http://www.axent.com.

According to the SANS Institute, the majority of computer systems successfully attacked via the Internet can be attributed to a small number of software vulnerabilities. Hackers are aware of these vulnerabilities and proactively scan the Internet looking for holes in systems, the Institute noted. Busy administrators, maintaining and upgrading systems, may inadvertently leave trap doors that could let hackers and unauthorized users disrupt or hijack vital data relating to e-business transactions. In addition, with so many vulnerabilities, many administrators simply do not know which ones are the most harmful. The influx of e-business and Web-connected systems require that companies check each individual system to ensure that the latest security patches are in place.

"With the fast-pace of e-business, IT staff can easily miss vulnerabilities and the latest security patch for the operating system or virtually any program running on the system. In many cases, a `back door' left for programmers to come in and fine tune compliance or conduct scheduled maintenance can also create an opportunity for unauthorized access," said Ronald Van Geijn, product manager at AXENT. "With software and hardware upgrades, particularly with e-business initiatives, organizations need to continually assess the security of their new infrastructure to identify and close vulnerabilities--particularly with so many systems connected to the Internet."

AXENT customers worldwide utilize the award-winning ESM solution to automatically check, manage and enforce sound security practices across the enterprise, including workstations, file servers, Web servers and other key Internet access points worldwide. Information on how ESM can be used to secure against each of the vulnerabilities is available now and can be found at http://www.axent.com/swat.

Through ESM's sophisticated file monitoring and host-based assessment capabilities, customers can proactively manage and detect the top 10 security threats identified by the SANS Institute, FBI and Department of Justice, as part of a comprehensive security policy. The file watch and file attributes modules of ESM track changes and security settings in critical files that are exploited in the majority of Internet attacks to enable the customer to quickly respond and rectify potential security threats. Only ESM's scalability and automation let organizations easily assess thousands of systems for security compliance, including the most recent security patches and configurations for popular operating systems.

Additionally, updates for NetProwler(TM), Intruder Alert(TM) and NetRecon(R) will be available at the end of the month at http://www.axent.com/swat.

About ESM

According to International Data Corporation (IDC), a leading industry analyst firm, AXENT is the undisputed market leader in intrusion detection and assessment solutions (IDnA), with ESM as the worldwide leader in host-based vulnerability assessment with 68% market share ---more than the combined market share of both its nearest competitors. ESM has won numerous awards and accolades in leading publications including SC Magazine (Academy Award), Windows NT(R) (Superior Suite) and the Crossroads 2000 A-list award.

ESM's groundbreaking technology reaches out to assess the security for every critical enterprise system, including most major operating systems and key enterprise applications.

About AXENT(R)

AXENT Technologies, Inc., a global leader in information security, provides e-security solutions that maximize its customers' business advantage. AXENT delivers integrated products and expert services to assess, protect, enable and manage business processes and information assets, as well as to facilitate trust level management(TM) within its customers' environments. Through its unique Lifecycle Security(TM) Methodology, combined with Smart Security Architecture, AXENT delivers the `right' level of trusted e-security for customers. Award-winning solutions offer assessment and policy compliance, firewall, intrusion detection, authentication and authorization technology, virtual private networking, Web access and single sign-on for enterprises and e-businesses.

Headquartered in Rockville, MD, AXENT's customer-proven information security solutions are used by 45 of the Fortune 50, one-third of the Fortune e-50, and governments worldwide. Contact AXENT via e-mail at [e-mail], or visit AXENT's World Wide Web site at http://www.axent.com.

AXENT, AXENT Technologies, the AXENT logo, Enterprise Security Manager, trust level management, Intruder Alert, NetProwler and Lifecycle Security are trademarks or registered trademarks, in the United States and certain other countries, of AXENT Technologies, Inc. or its subsidiaries. Windows NT is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Other product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.