nCircle Network Security Ships Block on Exposure for Check Point Software

IP360 Network Exposure Management System Achieves OPSEC Certification to Proactively Eliminate Network Risk at the Firewall

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - August 13, 2002 - Spearheading proactive network exposure management for the enterprise, nCircleT Network Security, Inc. today announced the availability of Block on Exposure for customers of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP). A new feature of the company's comprehensive IP360TM Network Exposure Management system, Block on Exposure proactively eliminates network risk by automatically blocking traffic to network devices with newly-discovered security flaws.

"When critical security problems are discovered on the network, our first thought is to prevent attack," said Monica Hardy, senior network administrator at Pharsight Corporation, a technology provider to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. "nCircle's new Block on Exposure feature will give us the ability to immediately and automatically protect vulnerable systems, buying us time to implement patches and other long-term preventive measures."

In conjunction with this announcement, nCircle has been awarded OPSEC® (Open Platform for Security) certification from Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. OPSEC certification verifies that IP360 seamlessly integrates with Check Point's Next Generation VPN-1®/FireWall-1® software.

"Block on Exposure enlists Check Point's FireWall-1 in IP360's proactive approach to network security, and we are honored to achieve Check Point's OPSEC certification," said Ridgely Evers, chairman and CEO of nCircle Network Security. "Firewalls are proactive by design. With Block on Exposure, firewalls are now dynamically tuned to the state of the network, relative to enterprise policies, to eliminate unacceptable exposures before attackers can exploit them."

nCircle will initially offer Block on Exposure to work with Check Point's VPN-1/FireWall-1 solution, and by extension, "Secured by Check Point" appliances, such as those offered by Nokia. Future iterations of Block on Exposure will work in conjunction with other leading firewalls.

"We are pleased that nCircle's IP360 has achieved OPSEC certification," said Upesh Patel, OPSEC alliance manager of Check Point Software. "With the integration of Check Point's VPN-1/FireWall-1 and nCircle's IP360, customers are empowered with intelligence to proactively eliminate network exposures."

Extending Network Exposure Management
Block on Exposure relies on the business-oriented security policies defined within IP360 to automate firewall permissions and prohibitions. When IP360 Device Profiler appliances find a vulnerability that is unacceptable according to enterprise security policies, the IP360 Block on Exposure feature instructs the firewall to immediately block access to the offending hardware or software.

Extending the unique Network Exposure Management methodology of IP360, Block on Exposure utilizes continuous, real-time knowledge from multiple perspectives to protect the network. In conjunction with the customer's security policy, Block on Exposure will only execute the blocking instruction if the newly exposed vulnerability is defined as an unacceptable or unnecessary network and business risk. By proactively eliminating the risk of attack, network operators gain the benefit of time between detection and remediation.

Availability
Block on Exposure has been released as a free feature update to all IP360 customers and is available immediately to new customers directly from nCircle Network Security.

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About Check Point's OPSEC
OPSEC (Open Platform for Security) is the industry's open, multi-vendor security framework. With over 300 partners, OPSEC guarantees customers the broadest choice of best-of-breed integrated applications and deployment platforms that support Check Point's Secure Virtual Network Architecture. Products that carry the OPSEC Certified seal have been tested to guarantee integration and interoperability. For complete OPSEC Alliance program information, including partner and product listings, the freely available OPSEC SDK (software development kit) and evaluation versions of OPSEC Certified products, visit http://www.opsec.com. For more information on OPSEC integration and IP360, please visit http://www.opsec.com/solutions/partners/ncircle.html.

About nCircle
nCircle™ Network Security is spearheading a proactive approach to network security - Network Exposure Management, the process of continuously measuring and proactively managing the level of business risk posed by a network. The company delivers continuous confidence in the security of enterprise-wide networks through its patent-pending IP360™ system, the first and only Network Exposure Management system available on the market today. Serving Global 2000 enterprises, nCircle has proven deployments among the top five leaders in the financial services, retail, legal services, and engineering industries. Founded in 1998 and privately held, nCircle is headquartered in San Francisco, California. For more information, please visit www.ncircle.com.

nCircle and IP360 are trademarks of nCircle Network Security, Inc. All other names, brands or products may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.