Deming Software Releases Online Beta Version of Secure Messenger S/MIME Product; Secure e-mail solution incorporates RSA Data Security's public key encryption technology and support for VeriSign's digital authentication services

Business Wire, Sept 16, 1996

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 1996--Deming Software today announced it has released a free online beta version of its Secure Messenger(TM) e-mail security product.

Secure Messenger provides support for strong encryption and digital signatures and works with any existing e-mail product or service. Secure Messenger is available for Windows 95 and Windows NT and includes enhanced security plug-ins for Microsoft Exchange and QUALCOMM's Eudora Pro 3.0.

Incorporating the industry standard S/MIME (Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) protocol, Deming's Secure Messenger product ensures that e-mail messages are read only by the designated recipients, regardless of the e-mail platform they are using. Secure Messenger incorporates public key encryption technology from RSA Data Security, Inc., as well as support for VeriSign(TM) Digital IDs that authenticate the identity of the message sender. VeriSign Class 1 Digital IDs, a $6 value, are initially free for Secure Messenger customers.

"E-mail has opened up entire new ways of communicating and doing business, but many people are still reluctant to exchange sensitive information due to security concerns," said Bob Dickinson, president of Deming Software. "Deming is changing that by offering a secure e-mail solution that is interoperable, inexpensive and easy to use."

The S/MIME protocol, developed by a consortium of leading e-mail vendors and RSA, is based on the popular Internet MIME standard, as well as on the intervendor PKCS (Public Key Cryptography Standards), the most widely implemented commercial standards for public-key cryptography in North America. The protocol allows a customer's S/MIME message to be composed and encrypted on one vendor's system and successfully received and decrypted on a different one.

In the past, the lack of industry agreement over standards for secure messaging over the Internet has limited adoption of messaging security technology. With the adoption of the S/MIME specification, vendors can now incorporate interoperable RSA-based security for their various e-mail platforms. Networking and messaging vendors who have endorsed the S/MIME specification include Microsoft, Netscape, Lotus, IBM, FTP Software, Banyan, QUALCOMM and VeriSign.

"Today's release of Secure Messenger represents a major milestone in creating a secure environment for electronic commerce over the Internet," said Jim Bidzos, president of RSA. "As the first widespread deployment of this secure e-mail protocol, this will go a long way toward popularizing S/MIME, which is supported by the industry's leading networking and messaging vendors."

VeriSign Class 1 Digital IDs will provide Secure Messenger customers with additional security for e-mail transactions by authenticating the identity of users at either end. With a Digital ID, the recipient of a message can verify that it was sent from the appropriate e-mail account and was not tampered with along the way. Digital IDs are used in much the same way as conventional forms of identification, such as a driver's license or passport, to provide evidence of the owner's identity, and, in some cases, authority in a given transaction.

"The availability of interoperable e-mail, such as Deming's Secure Messenger, is a significant step forward in making the Internet a secure medium for all types of communication," said Stratton Sclavos, president and CEO of VeriSign. "With the addition of VeriSign Digital IDs, users can trust that the actual message is not only secure, but it is coming from the intended person or business entity."

Secure Messenger Pricing and Availability

A free evaluation version of Secure Messenger can be downloaded over the Internet from the Deming web site at http://www.deming.com. Secure Messenger will be commercially available in October and will include a free 90-day trial period. Secure Messenger is priced at $49 and will be available for purchase directly from the Deming Software web page.

Deming has also developed the Secure Messenger(TM) Toolkit, which allows other application developers to add S/MIME support to their own products. While the Secure Messenger Toolkit is available free of charge, end users will need to purchase Secure Messenger in order to use applications developed with the toolkit. For service providers and software publishers wishing to bundle Secure Messenger technology with their own applications, Deming has developed the Secure Messenger(TM) Engine, which is licensed on an OEM basis.

About RSA Data Security, Inc.

RSA Data Security, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Security Dynamics Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SDTI), is the world's brand name for cryptography, with more than 75 million copies of RSA encryption and authentication technologies installed and in use worldwide. RSA technologies are part of existing and proposed standards for the Internet and World Wide Web, ITU, ISO, ANSI, IEEE, and business, financial and electronic commerce networks around the globe. The company develops and markets platform-independent developer's kits and end-user products and provides comprehensive cryptographic consulting services. For more information on RSA, S/MIME or cryptography, visit RSA's Web site at http://www.rsa.com/.>