Press Releases

Press Release

VSHELL 2.6 FOR WINDOWS NOW COMPLIES WITH FIPS 140-2 REGULATIONS

New VanDyke Software Server Release Also Protects Against Common Hacker Attacks

Albuquerque, N.M. (March 30, 2006) VanDyke Software®, the developer of Secure Shell solutions that balance strong security with ease of use, today announced the official release of version 2.6 of its VShell® SSH2 server for Windows and UNIX platforms. The Windows version of VShell 2.6 now complies with the NIST FIPS 140-2 regulations required by federal and state government agencies, critical infrastructure suppliers like public utilities, and companies doing business with these agencies. All supported platforms provide improved protection against unauthorized attempts to access a protected network.

VanDyke Software has partnered with RSA Security, Inc. to use the BSAFE Crypto-C Micro Edition cryptography module which has been tested by Atlan Laboratories, an accredited testing laboratory for FIPS compliance. This module has met all Level 1 requirements for FIPS 140-2 compliance when operated in FIPS Mode, which permits only FIPS-certified encryption algorithms to be used.

"VShell 2.6 delivers even more fine-tuned control, advanced authentication options, and additional protection against hacker attacks to our customers," said Jeff P. Van Dyke, president of VanDyke Software. "Compliance with the FIPS 140-2 regulations allows us to better meet the needs of our customers in federal and state government and private sector companies who work with them."

VShell 2.6 provides a new Deny Hosts feature that tracks repeated failed attempts to access the network from a specific IP address and prohibits connections from that address in the future. This monitoring guards against dictionary attacks, a method commonly used to attempt unauthorized access to a network.

Support for authentication to a RADIUS server using RSA SecurID is also new in VShell 2.6, adding to an extensive range of authentication methods including public keys, X.509 digital certificates, and Kerberos. These advanced authentication methods are far more secure than easily compromised passwords and can be used to provide single sign-on access to a range of network services.

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

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. VShell is available for Windows 2000, XP, and 2003, Red Hat Enterprise, Sun Solaris, AIX, HP-UX, Mac OS X, and FreeBSD.

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) 2006 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.