Livermore Software Announces Internet-Capable Firewall Protection; New Security Weapon Detects All Known Methods of Hacking.

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 9, 1996--Livermore Software Labs today announced PORTUS v2.2, a sophisticated new software release, certified by the National Computer Security Association, that provides safe and secure hacker-proof firewall protection for large network servers, as well as Internet and World Wide Web (WWW) servers.

PORTUS is designed to provide organizations' networks with safe and reliable user access controls to prevent any form of intrusion or misuse of that organization's sensitive data. PORTUS is centered around a series of highly advanced security protocols, including out-of-band user authentication. When a user attempts to gain access to a network they must pass a rigorous set of security "challenges" or checkpoints in order to gain access.

The program's flexibility allows network administrators to fully customize PORTUS to meet their specific requirements. What is particularly unique about PORTUS is that these preferences can be set up to permit or deny access after the user has been identified.

Demand for a system like PORTUS is spawned by the rapid growth of the Internet, in terms of organizations needing to implement effective firewalls to accommodate web servers, browsers, and Internet applications like digital audio and credit card transactions.

"There is a constant demand for new services and we need to figure out how to put such services on the firewall without compromising the integrity of the firewalls," said Jim Livermore, President at Livermore Software. "You don't want to poke holes in a very sound product by letting someone or something in insecurely."

The program also provides a never-before-seen generalized proxy server, a new feature for firewall products that makes it easy to add firewall support for applications being added to the network. For example, secure access for Lotus Notes users can be integrated without having to modify the Lotus Notes client or server. In addition, special encryption features allow safe file transfers off the Internet.

PORTUS is also the first product of its kind to provide a "virtual firewall" system. Users can protect their web servers by putting them behind the firewall but isolating them from the rest of the network. The result is as if the user has a single firewall functioning as multiple firewalls. This strategy guards against Internet hackers and network corruption.

Extensive logging features enable users to get detailed network auditing reports, monitoring how system resources are being used, by whom, how often, and for how long.

Livermore believes the explosive growth of the Internet has forced companies outside of the Fortune 1000 to begin using firewall protection. Hospitals, banks, and utilities are among the prime candidates, he says.

"There are plenty of organizations which have a lot of users on the Internet and at the same time need to protect their data," he said. "That makes the market quite broad. We didn't realize how rapidly the Internet was going to catch on like it has. I don't think anyone in their wildest dreams thought it would grow so quickly."

Livermore also cautioned that not everyone on the Internet is a security threat, but he says it only takes a handful of people to cause trouble and put millions of people at serious risk.

"Not everybody on the Internet is bad," he said. "But it only takes a very small percentage of people to wreck havoc. And that translates to a very large number of people we need to be concerned about."

PORTUS is available immediately through standard computer distribution channels and from Livermore Software Labs directly. It carries a suggested retail price ranging from $3,000 to $10,000.

PORTUS supports HP-UX 10 and AIX 4.1.4 platforms running on HP 9000 series workstations and PowerPCs from Motorola, Apple, IBM, Dickens and others.

CONTACT: Livermore Software Labs, Houston

Jill Schmidt, 847/291-1616 Ext. 227