Cyber Attacks on Commercial Websites on the Rise; Mazu Networks Provides Innovative Technologies for Detecting and Defeating Malicious Attempts to Disrupt E-commerce Network Traffic.

Business/Technology Editors

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 17, 2002

Every day in network operations centers throughout corporate America there are major battles raging. It's the hackers, who maliciously attempt to disrupt the operations of large commercial and government websites, against the network security experts who are responsible for keeping those sites up and running.

It's a vicious battle because there are millions of dollars and people's livelihoods on the line. It's also an escalating battle. According to the CERT(R) Coordination Center, an Internet security center operated by Carnegie Mellon University, there were over 21,000 such attacks in 2000, and more than 52,000 for 2001 - a more than 100% increase. In the first half of 2002, a staggering 43,000 attacks have occurred. On Monday of this week, CERT issued an advisory on the latest major attack, which disrupted the critical online operations of many universities, corporations and other large organizations.

But it is also a quiet battle. Companies and government agencies understandably do all they can to minimize the bad publicity and customer unease that results from these attacks.

Of all the attack types, the `denial of service' (DoS) attack is a hacker's favorite, accounting for about 40% of all reported attacks. In DoS attacks, the hacker takes over computers and uses them to bombard the targeted site with a flood of useless Internet traffic. This flood of traffic overloads the site, effectively shutting out the legitimate e-commerce traffic. For operators of large, mission-critical sites, these number show that it's not a question of if and attack will happen, but when.

Mazu Networks is the leading provider of network traffic security solutions to corporations, governments and other organizations that leverage mission-critical internet or extranet operations. The company's flagship product, Mazu Enforcer (TM) offers a highly effective solution to the business and productivity problems caused by DoS attacks. It gives website operators the tools they need to not only identify these attacks in real-time, but also to eliminate them before they inflict their intended damage.

Note to Editors: Mazu's senior executives and technologists are available for comment on the full range of web-based hacker attacks including the denial of service variety. Please see the media contact information listed below.

About Mazu Networks, Inc.

Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Mazu Networks, Inc., delivers enterprise network traffic security solutions to help commercial and government networks maintain business operations and regain control. Mazu's self-optimizing security solutions lower business risk and avoid lost revenue by using advanced traffic management software to combat internal and external system threats. Mazu is backed by premier venture capital firms, including Greylock, Matrix Partners, Pilot House Ventures Group, and Benchmark Capital. For more information, please visit www.mazunetworks.com or contact the company at [e-mail].