NEXT-GENERATION SSH SECURE SHELL OFFERS SUPPORT FOR PKI, SMART CARDS AND ADVANCED ENCRYPTION STANDARD.

SSH Communications Security has announced SSH Secure Shell 3.0, the next-generation of its leading encryption software product designed to protect end-users, businesses and developers from the most common break-in method used by hackers -- stealing passwords from the Internet.

SSH Secure Shell 3.0's new functionality includes support for PKI (Public Key Infrastructure), smart cards and the Rijndael (proposed AES -- Advanced Encryption Standard) algorithm. The SSH Secure Shell 3.0 product provides transparent, strong security over any IP-based connection for both client and server applications by authenticating and encrypting terminal connections and file transfers over the Internet.

According to Tatu Ylonen, founder, chairman and CTO of SSH, "The integration of PKI and smart card functionality increases the security of Internet communications for both corporate and end users. Today's Web-based applications such as e-commerce and mobile computing require more than simple passwords or personal ID numbers to ensure that Internet transactions remain confidential. SSH Secure Shell 3.0 uses the latest authentication standards to expand the security that users need to secure all remote logins, while still delivering the ease-of-deployment and ease-of-use features that SSH Secure Shell has become known for."

Invented in 1995 by Tatu Ylonen, Secure Shell is a program to log into another computer over the Internet. Secure Shell secures the connection over the Internet by encrypting passwords and other data. Once launched, it transparently provides strong authentication and secure communications over insecure networks. Benefits of the Secure Shell technology include ease-of-use, strong security and flexibility. With several million users in over 80 countries, it is the de-facto standard for remote logins, and increasingly many organizations are completely prohibiting any other form of access to their networks from the public Internet.

Secure Shell protects terminal connections, file transfers, e-mail access, graphical X11 (X Window System) applications, and TCP/IP connections. Its main applications include Unix computers, system administration, Web site administration, and remote access to corporate resources over the Internet by employees or business partners. SSH Secure Shell has been adopted by major telecommunications suppliers (e.g., MCI), government agencies (e.g., NASA), universities (e.g. Harvard), networking vendors (e.g., Cisco), and numerous corporations.

SSH Secure Shell 3.0 will be available in June for Windows, UNIX, Linux, and Sun Solaris platforms. Exact pricing depends on customer deployment.