RSA licenses Certificate Issuing System(TM) to NEL; deal allows for implementation of Internet privacy enhanced mail (PEM) and other applications; NTT group joins RSA's commercial hierarchy.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 27, 1995--RSA Data Security, Inc. (RSA) and NTT Electronics Technology Corporation (NEL) jointly announced today a relationship in which RSA is licensing its Certificate Issuing System, or CIS, to NEL on behalf of NTT Group.

NEL will now be able to create and service PEM (Privacy Enhanced Mail) to E-mail users, and provide X.509 "digital certificates" to E-mail users within the vast NTT Group.

CCITT X.509 digital certificates are the internationally recognized standard form of "I.D." on the Internet. Digital certificates, which are impossible to forge, positively identify Internet users and organizations, and form a critical part of the security of Internet applications like PEM.

NEL will be creating and servicing PEM for users in NTT offices throughout Japan and Asia using RSA's RC4(TM) and RC5(TM) ciphers, and NTT's FEAL (Fast data Encipherment Algorithm) encryption technologies. "The need for authentication and encryption services is increasing dramatically in Japan and other Asian countries as well as USA," said Dr. Toshimasa Suzuki, president of NEL.

"We believe our relationship with NTT will lay the groundwork for RSA digital signature technology, including certificates, and PEM, to become standards in Japan and Asia," said Jim Bidzos, president of RSA. "This announcement also demonstrates that the information infrastructure is truly global."

Both parties agreed to work together to establish and implement the next generation encryption technology and products in the areas of secure communications and electronic commerce, both very high-growth markets.

About RSA Data Security, Inc. -- RSA Data Security is the world's "brand name" for cryptography, with over 10 million copies of its software encryption and authentication technologies installed and in use worldwide. RSA technologies are part of existing and proposed standards for the Internet and World Wide Web, CCITT, ISO, ANSI, IEEE, and business, financial and electronic commerce networks around the globe. The Company develops and markets platform-independent developer's kits, end-user products, and provides comprehensive cryptographic consulting services. Founded in 1982 by the inventors of the RSA Public Key Cryptosystem, the company is headquartered in Redwood City, California.

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Note to Editors: CIS, Certificate Issuing System, RC4, RC5 and RSA Public Key Cryptosystem are trademarks of RSA Data Security, Inc. All other product or company names are trademarks of their respective corporations.

CONTACT: RSA Data Security, Inc., Redwood City

Kurt Stammberger, 415/595-8782

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail] or http://www.rsa.com

or

NTT Electronics Technology Corporation

Shin-ichiro Yamada, 81 422 20 1081

Fax: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]