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Press Release

VSHELL 2.5 DELIVERS ADVANCED AUTHENTICATION OPTIONS FOR SECURE SHELL SERVERS

New VanDyke Software Server Release Supports X.509 Certificates on UNIX Platforms

Albuquerque, N.M. (November 17, 2005) — VanDyke Software®, the developer of simple Secure Shell solutions that provide strong security, today announced the official release of version 2.5 of its VShell® SSH2 server for Windows and UNIX platforms including Windows 2003, Red Hat Enterprise, Sun Solaris, AIX, HP-UX, and FreeBSD. Strong customer demand for X.509 digital certificate support for enterprise-wide authentication and improved automation of file transfer operations led to the features included in this new version.

VShell 2.5 extends to supported UNIX platforms the ability to deploy and use X.509 digital certificates in a public-key infrastructure (PKI). The use of X.509 certificates allows organizations to move beyond encrypted passwords and enforce security policies that mandate stronger authentication.

"VShell 2.5 was developed to meet the evolving needs of our customers," said Robert Stehwien, VanDyke's Product Director for VShell. "X.509 digital certificate support in VShell makes it easier to standardize on an authentication method that can be used across the enterprise to control access to a wide range of network services and resources, overcome identity theft, and protect against fraud."

VShell 2.5 also includes enhanced file triggers for both Windows and UNIX platforms, an automation feature that performs actions related to secure file transfers after a file has been transferred to or from the server. One beta tester made the following comment about the enhanced file triggers in VShell 2.5.

"We REALLY like the file triggers and extended logging abilities. We use the post transfer triggers to rename and move files to more secure locations, validate content, and trigger internal jobs."

Support for IPv6, an emerging internet standard has also been added to both operating system platforms.

VShell provides a secure alternative to aging, nonsecure protocols like Telnet and FTP. In a recent survey of 360 IT professionals conducted by Amplitude Research for VanDyke Software, nearly 50% still are using these potentially vulnerable communication channels.

Jeff P. Van Dyke, president of VanDyke Software, said: “In the final quarter of 2005, it is somewhat surprising that only slightly more than half of enterprises indicated they have turned off nonsecure protocols like Telnet or FTP. It is an important step to decreasing intrusion vulnerability and yet the number of enterprises that actually do so is far from being an 'overwhelming majority'.”

The survey also revealed that one in four enterprises acknowledged they have been victims of intrusions to their office networks and office servers in the last two years, with more than 40% of companies with 20,000 or more employees indicating a successful intrusion. A detailed report on the survey findings is available from VanDyke Software.

A fully-functional evaluation copy of VShell can be downloaded from the company's web site: www.vandyke.com. Evaluators have full access to VanDyke's expert technical support to assist with installation, configuration, and testing. VShell is available in three editions, Administrator, Workgroup, or Enterprise, and in Starter Kits which include client licenses for SecureCRT® and SecureFX®. All VShell editions offer the same features and vary only in the number of concurrent connections allowed.

About VanDyke Software

VanDyke Software is a worldwide leader in secure, standards-based internet communications software. The company develops quality data access, file transfer, and communications software for internet and intranet use by corporations, government, and education. VanDyke sells and distributes its software over the internet, offering 30-day evaluation of its products prior to purchase, and has more than one million registered users in over 100 countries. For more information about VanDyke Software, visit the company's web site at www.vandyke.com.

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Copyright (c) 2005 VanDyke Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. VanDyke Software, VShell, SecureCRT, and SecureFX are registered trademarks of VanDyke Software, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. All other products and services mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.