Teros Gateway Protects Any Form of Personal Data from Being Stolen on the Internet.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

RSA Conference 2004

Booth 322

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 23, 2004

SAFE Object Module Identifies and Blocks Leakage of Private

Information; Prevents Identity Theft and Ensures Compliance with

Privacy Legislation

Teros, the company that secures web infrastructures from application-level attacks, today announced SAFE Object, a new module for its award-winning Teros Secure Application Gateway that prevents sensitive data from leaving a web application. SAFE Object enables companies and government agencies to protect virtually any type of confidential data used by web applications from theft, including bank account numbers, patient record numbers, student ID numbers, and more. The Teros Gateway and SAFE Object module will be demonstrated at RSA Conference booth 322.

SAFE Object complements Teros' existing SAFE Identity and SAFE Commerce modules, which prevent social security numbers and credit card numbers from unauthorized disclosure. By allowing users to block the transmission of designated information, SAFE Object minimizes the risk of Internet-based identity theft and ensures compliance with privacy legislation including California's SB 1386 Law, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA).

"Preventing the extraction of private data from web applications is a huge concern for companies and government agencies from both a regulatory compliance standpoint and the business impact it can have on customer loyalty," said Pete Lindstrom, Research Director for Spire Security, an industry analyst firm focused on information security issues and market research. "For web sites that process private customer information, the ability of the Teros Gateway to identify and block specific types of data before it can leave a web application may justify the cost of the appliance on this one feature alone."

Absolute Web Security for Private Data

With SAFE Object security managers can define any type of data object they want to protect, including information that is generated by complex and proprietary algorithms. To ensure these data objects are never compromised by an application attack, SAFE Object detects their presence in web server responses and blocks their transmission before they can be disclosed. In addition, SAFE Object enables multiple types of sensitive data to be protected within a single web application. This capability is key for complying with legislation like California SB 1386 which requires that companies notify customers if certain combinations of private information, such as name and social security number, are compromised. A partial list of the data objects that can be protected by SAFE Object includes:

-- Bank account numbers

-- Driver's license numbers

-- Email addresses 

-- Employee ID numbers

-- License plate numbers

-- Patient record numbers

-- Securities account numbers

-- Student ID numbers

-- Tax ID numbers

"The increasing use of the Internet to process business and personal transactions has exposed a flood of very sensitive information to web applications. Protecting this data from unauthorized access and malicious use is both a legal and legislative requirement for web site operators," said Bob Walters, president and CEO of Teros. "SAFE Object provides companies and government agencies with a last line of defense that prevents protected data from leaving an application - regardless of the circumstances."

Protect Any Data Type

SAFE Object can take four different actions when it detects protected data in a web server response: remove the object, mask the object, block the entire page or simply log and report the activity. Most common types of data objects can be defined and protected via the SAFE Object user interface. In addition, SAFE Object incorporates a powerful application programming interface (API) that supports the custom development of highly complex or algorithmic-based objects. This unique capability provides customers in any industry with unlimited flexibility to protect all forms of private data regardless of the type or number of applications in which the information resides.

Pricing and Availability

The SAFE Object module is included at no additional charge with Teros Secure Application Gateways. SAFE Object will be available in March from Teros and its business partners worldwide.

Teros Secure Application Gateways

Teros Gateways are hardened security appliances that are deployed directly in the data path of web traffic and block attacks that are not detected by network-based firewalls and intrusion detection systems. Teros Gateways enforce a positive security model that only permits correct application behavior, without relying on attack signatures. Using unique Deep Stream Inspection(TM) technology Teros Gateways analyze all bi-directional traffic, including SSL-encrypted communications, to secure application environments. Teros Gateways provide complete protection against all 16 classes of application vulnerabilities without any modification to web applications. In addition, Teros Gateways protect personal data and prevent identity theft by blocking private information such as credit card, social security, and account numbers before they can leak out of a web application.

About Teros

Teros develops quick-to-deploy, self-configuring secure application gateways that protect web applications, web servers and back-end databases from known and undocumented security vulnerabilities and attacks without relying on signatures. Teros customers are Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies, and large web site operators that need to protect sensitive web-based applications and data from unauthorized access or malicious use. Teros Gateways enable companies to comply with regulatory requirements such as HIPAA, GLBA, the California SSN Privacy Law, and SB 1386. Teros is privately held and headquartered in Santa Clara, California. To contact Teros call 408-850-0800, visit us on the web at www.teros.com, or write to [e-mail].