Citadel Security Software Selected as a 2003 Information Security Magazine Excellence Awards Finalist.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 5, 2003

Hercules Recognized as One of the Industry's Best by Leading

Security Publication

Citadel Security Software Inc. (OTCBB:CDSS), a leader in automated vulnerability remediation (AVR) and policy compliance solutions, today announced that its patent-pending Hercules technology has been selected as a finalist in the Horizon Award category for the 2003 Information Security Magazine Excellence Awards. The magazine asked its subscribers to indicate the products they use and then rate them on a scale of one to five. The Horizon Award is intended to honor newer products that are highly regarded by the users that are currently deploying the product. The top three rated products in each category were selected as finalists. Winners will be announced at the gala awards during MIS Training Institute's InfoSec World Conference and Expo 2003 in Orlando, Florida on March 10, 2003.

Citadel helps enterprises mitigate the risk of security vulnerabilities by providing users with the technology to automatically remediate vulnerabilities quickly and effectively while under the complete control of a professional security administrator. Citadel's patent-pending Hercules solution provides users with full control over the automated remediation process by integrating with the industry-standard network and application scanners to enable efficient aggregation, prioritization and trusted resolution of vulnerabilities, including insecure accounts, unnecessary services, misconfigurations, back doors and software defects.

"Citadel's recognition as a Horizon Award finalist demonstrates that our customer base relies on Hercules as a critical component of their companies' overall security posture," said Steven Solomon, CEO of Citadel. "As we work closely with our existing and prospective customers, we see the increased need for automated solutions that help security professionals keep up with the never-ending stream of vulnerabilities, patches and policy breaches, and we are committed to providing proven AVR products to enterprise users."

Held annually by Information Security, a leading publication covering the IT and computer security industry, and an independent division of TruSecure Corp., the Excellence Awards recognize those companies, products and services that the information security community have determined to be leaders in the field. The Excellence Awards have been cited as one of the most prestigious awards competitions for the information security industry. Citadel will be recognized with the other finalists in the category of Horizon Award for the 2003 Information Security Excellence Awards.

"The information security industry is playing an increasingly critical role in the overall IT strategy of all organizations and is producing some of the most cutting edge and important tools used today," said Tim Garon, Publisher of Information Security. "We are proud of all the finalists for their excellent work. They are examples of why infosecurity is the leading concern of corporations and businesses worldwide."

The 2003 Information Security Excellence Awards are sponsored by Information Security Magazine, TruSecure Corp., and MIS Training Institute.

About Information Security

Information Security is the industry's leading trade publication, providing news, analysis, insight and commentary on today's infosecurity marketplace. Published monthly by TruSecure Corp., the magazine includes in-depth features, "how-to" primers, timely news coverage, authoritative commentary, an unbiased product testing center and more, all authored by recognized experts in the infosecurity field. The publication is free to qualified readers. For more information and to subscribe, please visit http://www.infosecuritymag.com.

About Citadel

Citadel Security Software, Inc. (OTCBB:CDSS) develops, markets and licenses computer security and privacy software for one of the fastest growing software industry segments today -- security inside the firewall. Citadel's WinShield(R), SecurePC(TM) and NetOFF(TM) products enable companies to enforce security policies from a single point of control. Citadel's Hercules(R) remediates vulnerabilities from the five classes of security vulnerabilities: insecure accounts, unnecessary services, misconfigurations, back doors and software defects. The open architecture design of Hercules(R) allows the import and aggregation of assessment data from many sources. Hercules(R) is interoperable with industry leading vulnerability assessment tools, allowing customers to address the real world issues of vulnerability assessment and remediation. Citadel's products also address the initiatives of the President's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace and the mandates of HIPAA and Gramm-Leach-Bliley legislation for the healthcare and financial industries. For further information about Citadel Security Software and its products, visit www.citadel.com.

Safe Harbor/Forward-looking Statements:

Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including lack of Citadel operating history, uncertainty of product acceptance, uncertainty to compete effectively in a new market and the uncertainty of profitability and cash flow of Citadel. These risks and uncertainties may cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from expectations in this press release. These and other risks are detailed from time to time in CT Holdings' and Citadel's SEC reports, including CT's report on Form 1O-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2001 and most recent Form 10-QSBs, as well as Citadel's Registration Statement on Form 10-SB and amendments and most recent Form 10-QSBs.