Sourcefire Network Sensor Earns OSEC Verification From Neohapsis; Sourcefire Intrusion Management System Certified to Deliver Leading Defense Against Malicious Attacks.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 7, 2003

Sourcefire, Inc., a leader in protecting enterprises and government organizations against the threat of network attacks and misuse, today announced that its Intrusion Management System has been verified against the Open Security Evaluation Criteria (OSEC) NIDS v1 standard. OSEC testing provides end users the basis by which to judge the effectiveness of Intrusion Detection Systems and this verification highlights the capabilities of Sourcefire's highly regarded Intrusion Management System (IMS). Even under the lab's most extreme testing, Neohapsis found that the Sourcefire Network Sensor 3000 provided leading detection of various types of attacks throughout the numerous test scenarios.

"The goal of OSEC testing is to provide end users with a standard testing criteria that helps them identify which solutions will best address their needs. Sourcefire has clearly shown that their solutions excel in a variety of real world scenarios," said Greg Shipley Chief Technology Officer at Neohapsis. "The Sourcefire Network Sensor 3000 continued to perform well even under traffic loads of more than 750Mbps, which is the highest speed used in our testing environment. By undergoing the OSEC Verification effort, Sourcefire has proven that they have addressed the critical product integrity, stability, and performance concerns of today's security professional."

Sourcefire Network Sensor 3000, a key component of Sourcefire's tightly integrated Intrusion Management System (IMS), was tested and verified for device integrity, signature detection, stateful packet inspection, engine flexibility and evasion capabilities. Sourcefire IMS is the security industry's only unified solution that combines state-of-the-art monitoring, perimeter defense, system management and real-time network awareness. Each turnkey appliance includes an integrated ultra-high performance database for advanced event correlation and effective system management.

"OSEC verification is a significant achievement for Sourcefire, because it validates what a lot of our customers already knew - that Sourcefire delivers an industry leading intrusion management system that provides customers with unequaled detection, management and flexibility," said Martin Roesch, Founder and CTO at Sourcefire. "Sourcefire is focused on providing customers with security solutions that reduce risks and provide true return on investment. We are pleased that the OSEC testing has found that Sourcefire is delivering exactly what we promise."

Sourcefire IMS provides users an ideal combination of superior protection from malicious attacks and extremely high value with low total cost of ownership. All products within Sourcefire's Intrusion Management System are delivered as complete appliances, requiring minimal administration and no additional third-party hardware or software.

With the recently announced Real-Time Network Awareness(TM) (RNA) technology, Sourcefire's Intrusion Management System provides users with the industry's best defense against network attacks. Sourcefire RNA constantly monitors network assets for potential vulnerabilities while alerting administrators in real-time to anomalous network behavior. RNA also provides accurate, persistent context allowing for groundbreaking advances in the accuracy, effectiveness and usability of intrusion detection and prevention systems.

About the Neohapsis OSEC effort

OSEC, Open Security Evaluation Criteria, is a framework for the evaluation of security products. OSEC is founded on the notion that security product evaluation criteria should be openly examinable, subject to critique and amendment, vendor and end-user input, and ultimately, become the product of community peer review. Results should be displayed along with the gritty testing details, testing notes and observations, as with any good lab test. OSEC defines a core set of tests for any networked security product, and then adds tests for security and performance to each product space. While OSEC is a trademark of Neohapsis, its criteria are open to view and critique, and were formulated with input from vendors, end-users, and many from the security community actively working in the product spaces for which criteria have been developed.

About Sourcefire, Inc.

Sourcefire, Inc. is a network security company protecting commercial enterprises and government organizations against the threat of network attacks and misuse. The company was founded in 2001 by the original creators of open source Snort, the most widely deployed intrusion detection technology in the industry. Snort forms the foundation for the Sourcefire Intrusion Management System (IMS). The company provides customers with increased manageability, flexibility and protection by combining Snort's leading intrusion detection with sophisticated proprietary technologies, professional data analysis and management tools, along with best practices from respected security industry experts. Sourcefire is a privately held company headquartered in Columbia, MD. For more information about Sourcefire, please visit www.sourcefire.com.