Nearly 800 Plagiarism Web Sites Make School Cheating Easier Than Ever, Secure Computing Reports; 58 Percent of High School Students Admit to Internet Plagiarism

Business Wire, Sept 7, 2005

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- As millions of schoolchildren log back on to school computers this week, some will be using the Internet for something other than learning -- online plagiarism. Secure Computing Corporation (NASDAQ:SCUR), the experts in securing connections between people, applications, and networks(TM), today reported the number of Web sites that facilitate online plagiarism has risen to 780, a ten percent increase over 12 months ago. Secure Computing enables schools to manage access to these Web sites as part of the company's education market-leading SmartFilter(R), Bess(R) edition Web filtering solution used by thousands of schools worldwide.

Most of the 780 Web sites describe themselves as "essay banks" and offer digital copies of term papers and essays, some for free and others for a price. The larger plagiarism sites offer tens of thousands of essays on a wide variety of topics. Some of the Web sites even offer to write custom term papers on almost any topic. One site charges $19.95 per page for seven-day delivery, and will cater to the worst student procrastinators by providing "same day service" at $44.95 per page.

According to independent research, the online cheating problem among high school students is serious. A 2003 survey by the Rutgers' Center for Academic Integrity of 11,000 high school students found that 58 percent of students admitted to copying uncredited material from the Internet for school assignments. The popularity of online plagiarism appears to be driving the growth of the sites, leaving educators looking for solutions.

Web content management and filtering software can work as part of a program of deterrence to help educators thwart online cheating. SmartFilter, Bess edition not only allows administrators to block online plagiarism sites, but Bess can also be configured to display a school's policy on plagiarism when a student attempts to visit an online plagiarism site.

In addition to deploying filtering software, educators can take a number of administrative steps to fight online cheating, including: requiring students to document the entire writing process; requiring students to incorporate material used in the course in their writing and discussing online plagiarism in advance with students.

"Our Bess brand has a long association with education, and that's a tradition we are proud to continue at Secure Computing," said Steve Miller, vice president of worldwide marketing for Secure Computing. "We are committed to identifying and managing the global Web content that schools expect from Bess, which assists in the education of millions of students around the world."

About Secure Computing

Secure Computing (NASDAQ:SCUR) has been securing the connections between people and information for over 20 years. Specializing in delivering solutions that secure these connections, Secure Computing is uniquely qualified to be the global security solutions provider to organizations of all sizes. Our more than 14,000 global customers, supported by a worldwide network of partners, include the majority of the Dow Jones Global 50 Titans and the most prominent organizations in banking, financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, manufacturing, public utilities, and federal and local governments. The company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and has sales offices worldwide. For more information, see http://www.securecomputing.com.

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This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to the release of new features to SmartFilter 4.1, and such statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are delays in product development, undetected software errors or bugs, competitive pressures, technical difficulties, changes in customer requirements, general economic conditions and the risk factors detailed from time to time in Secure Computing's periodic reports and registration statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.