For Immediate Release

Bluefire Security and Aventail Join Forces to Provide End-to-End Wireless Handheld Security

For Immediate Release

Baltimore, MD October 21, 2003 — Bluefire Security Technologies TM today announced that it has joined forces with Aventail Corporation, the leading provider of SSL VPN appliances and services, to expand its suite of handheld security solutions that protect wireless PDAs and mobile data. Under the alliance, Bluefire joins the new Aventail End Point Control initiative and expands the capabilities of its flagship product, Bluefire Mobile Firewall Plus TM , to include support for AventailÕs SSL VPN secure remote access solution.

The combined solution provides end-to-end wireless handheld security that prevents unauthorized enterprise access using handhelds as a backdoor and minimizes organizational exposure to PDA vulnerabilities. As a result of this alliance, organizations will be able to purchase an integrated Bluefire-Aventail solution, saving themselves the cost of custom integration and capitalizing on cross-technical support from both vendors.

"Protecting the handheld device is a critical component of secure remote access," said Sarah Daniels, vice president of product management and marketing at Aventail. "Through EPC, we can now offer our growing customer base BluefireÕs advanced PDA security solution that protects enterprises from data theft and hack attacks launched through the handheld or the Internet. With Bluefire, we are working to close the gap in enterprisesÕ mobile security strategy and ensure safe communications using wireless handheld devices."

Aventail launched the End Point Control initiative today at DEMOmobile in La Jolla, Calif. to increase the security of remote access from the riskiest end-points on the Internet, including unsecured PDAs. The goal of the initiative is to address the security challenges of mobile computing by increasing the range of end-points from which users can securely access corporate resources.

TodayÕs announcement fuels future collaboration between Bluefire and Aventail in the handheld security space. The companies plan to continue working together to promote the advancement and rapid adoption of secure mobile technologies in enterprise organizations.

"The PDA is the most portable computing platform today, making it more vulnerable to attacks and unauthorized access," said Tom Goodman, vice president of business development and operations for Bluefire Security Technologies. "Bluefire and Aventail share a common vision for protecting remote users and have teamed to help organizations shore up their defenses at the device level. WeÕre proud to work with Aventail on the End-Point Control initiative, offering an effective solution for complete, end-to-end handheld security that combines AventailÕs market-leading SSL VPN with BluefireÕs comprehensive mobile security platform."

For organizations with mobile workers, Bluefire Mobile Firewall Plus is the right solution because it is uniquely designed to secure both handheld devices and the enterprise networks to which they connect. Its rules-based personal firewall engine resides on the device, is easy to configure and customize and protects against multiple attacks. In addition, the solution provides real-time logging and alerting of all device-level activities, which allow administrators and end-users to track device usage, detect intrusions and identify attack methods for quick and effective problem isolation.