Singlefin Unveils Solution to Spam Harvest Attacks as Well as LDAP Integration.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 22, 2003

Protecting the Internet Waters: Singlefin now offers an antidote to

the rapacious harvest attacks which infest the Net

Singlefin (www.singlefin.net), a provider of enterprise-class e-mail protection services, today unveiled its counter assault on the latest spam scourge -- harvest attacks. This most recent variety of spam works by assaulting a company's server with every possible permutation of an employee's name -- effectively attempting to isolate valid company e-mail addresses through a grossly inefficient process of elimination. The problem with such attacks is that each false hit (and there are often hundreds of thousands of false combinations for every valid one) causes a company's server to generate an e-mail bounce notifying the sender of the invalid e-mail delivery. Until now, even companies that made use of advanced spam and virus filters were vulnerable to this type of attack. Typically E-Mail Gateway services are forced to pass through all e-mail to the client's server for authentication. While these spam messages do not reach the employee level, the server must still cope with the barrage of invalid e-mails thereby seriously affecting server speed and bandwidth availability. To eradicate this problem, Singlefin has implemented a new "Harvest Blocking" feature that eliminates spammer's ability to authenticate users real-time. Invalid user accounts are accepted and ultimately bounced at the Gateway level as opposed to the client's server.

Singlefin also announced integration of its Local Messaging Router (LMR) with the Lightweight Directory Application Protocol (LDAP). Until now, IT managers had to spend hours authenticating users with their gateway service in an attempt to synchronize usernames and passwords; this process is especially cumbersome for large companies where employee changes (and therefore e-mail changes) are almost constant. By integrating closely with a client's LDAP (the database responsible for managing valid e-mail accounts within a company), Singlefin's service can synchronize with the company's data in real-time. This means that the Local Messaging Router will only pass through valid e-mail messages to the client's server and employees will only have to manage one password.

No Charge for Spam

In order to maintain the highest level of integrity, Singlefin does not charge for spam e-mail messages. In other words, only valid, qualified messages are counted towards a company's paid bandwidth allocation. By so doing, Singlefin demonstrates its 100-percent commitment to eliminating spam and creating an e-mail work environment unfettered by time-consuming spam.

Competitive Differences

Singlefin's unique system offers a variety of advanced features and technology not available elsewhere. Singlefin uses two premier anti-virus engines to update its virus profiles every ten minutes. The major competitors use only one virus engine and update their profiles with much less frequency -- increasing the likelihood that fast-moving outbreaks can infiltrate the network before a patch is downloaded. In addition, customers can be assured of the integrity of their data, as Singlefin is the only player in the space to make use of a distributed network with multiple, geographically disperse, redundant data centers, ensuring that company data is safe in any eventuality. Plus, with Singlefin's outsourced solution, companies have full control and customization via Web-based administration without the headache of maintenance. In addition, Singlefin offers a powerful "store & forward" feature. If a client's network ever goes down or their mail server fails, messages will queue until the company's server can accept it -- guaranteeing that their e-mail will never bounce.

Additional unique offerings of the Singlefin solution include: 1) the ability to block Denial of Service attacks, 2) IP masking -- keeping the corporate IP address from being identified on the Net, and 3) secure authentication between networks. These differentiators, combined with the ease and cost effectiveness, make Singlefin a clear winner for companies who rely on network integrity for their business success.

Performance

Singlefin is currently operating with a 100% historic uptime and offers a 99.999% uptime guarantee. In addition, Singlefin offers 24x7 support and service.

Availability

The Singlefin Local Messaging Router is currently available. Contact Singlefin directly for pricing specifics ([e-mail]). Discounts are available for educational institutions.

About Singlefin

Singlefin, a leader in e-mail protection services, provides next-generation spam filtering and virus protection technology that easily and affordably integrates into enterprise systems. By preventing penetration at the Internet gateway, company servers and IT managers are saved the burden of unwanted junk mail. In addition, Singlefin is able to offer a unique range of reporting services allowing e-mail administrators an unparalleled view into the use or abuse of their corporate servers. Singlefin is privately funded and is headquartered in San Diego, Calif.

For more information, please visit our Web site at www.singlefin.net or e-mail at [e-mail].