Tumbleweed to Resell AEP Systems' Security Hardware Module.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 24, 2003

AEP Systems, the high-speed security company, today announces that Tumbleweed(R) Communications Corp. (NASDAQ:TMWD), a leading provider of mission-critical Internet communications software for enterprises, financial services organizations, healthcare and government, will resell AEP SureWare Keyper, a hardware cryptographic module for secure key management. Earlier this year SureWare Keyper integrated with the Tumbleweed Valicert Enterprise Validation Authority(TM) (EVA) product. As a partner, Tumbleweed will now promote and resell the tested Tumbleweed EVA and SureWare Keyper solution.

"Tumbleweed is one of the largest providers of secure communication systems for government and Fortune 500 companies. Partnering with Tumbleweed aligns AEP Systems with a trusted and respected communication systems provider with a strong customer base," said Pat Donnellan, CEO at AEP Systems. "We anticipate high demand for our FIPS 140-1 Level 4 hardware module integrated with Tumbleweed's quality EVA product, particularly in government."

AEP SureWare Keyper is a hardware security module offering the highest level of security and performance for protected key storage, high-speed signature and hardware key generation. Certified to FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) 140-1, Level 4, SureWare Keyper offers PKI administrators the highest levels of assurance and performance with high-availability and load balancing. AEP SureWare Keyper is installed in over a thousand government and commercial sites around the world.

"We see AEP Systems as unique because of its FIPS 140-1 Level 4 support, which is the only device that has this distinction," said John Hines, Director of Software Engineering for Tumbleweed Communications. "By matching our EVA with the AEP Systems' hardware signing module we can offer customers the highest available level of security certification on the market with key features including fault tolerance and load balancing. This is a real advantage given the growing concern for security in enterprise and government organizations."

For more information about AEP Systems' product offerings, visit www.aepsystems.com or email [e-mail]. To find out more about the Tumbleweed Valicert Enterprise Validation Authority visit www.tumbleweed.com.

About AEP Systems

AEP Systems (www.aepsystems.com), the high-speed security company, delivers hardware security and acceleration solutions that are fast and cost-effective to deploy. Customers include financial institutions, government bodies, healthcare organizations, and OEMs. Founded in 1998, AEP Systems is privately held with its US headquarters in Boston, MA and offices in Palo Alto, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

About Tumbleweed

Tumbleweed is a leading provider of mission-critical Internet communications software products for enterprises, financial services, healthcare and government. By making Internet communications secure, reliable and automated, Tumbleweed's anti-spam email firewall, secure file transfer, secure email, and identity validation solutions help customers significantly reduce the cost of doing business. Tumbleweed products are used to communicate with millions of end-users and tens of thousands of corporations. Tumbleweed has more than 600 enterprise customers, including ABN Amro, Bank of America Securities, Catholic Healthcare West, JP Morgan Chase & Co., The Regence Group (Blue Cross/Blue Shield), Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), St. Luke's Episcopal Healthcare System, the US Food and Drug Administration, and the US Navy and Marine Corps. Tumbleweed Communications was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Redwood City, California. For additional information about Tumbleweed go to www.tumbleweed.com or call 650-216-2000.

TUMBLEWEED SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, particularly with respect to the features, advantages, and performance characteristics of the Tumbleweed Valicert Enterprise Validation Authority(TM) (EVA) product. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "should," "potential," "continue," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar expressions. For further cautions about the risks of investing in Tumbleweed, we refer you to the documents Tumbleweed files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly Tumbleweed's Form 10-K filed June 4, 2003 and Form 10-Q filed November 14, 2003.

Tumbleweed assumes no obligation to update information contained in this press release, including for example its guidance regarding its future performance, which represents the Company's expectations only as of the date of this release and should not be viewed as a statement about the Company's expectations after such date. Although this release may remain available on the Company's website or elsewhere, its continued availability does not indicate that the Company is reaffirming or confirming any of the information contained herein.