AXENT’s Omniguard® /Esm 4.4 Identifies More Than 90 Security Weaknesses In Windows NT

AXENTä Pinpoints Notorious NT Holes So Enterprises Can Protect Their Data

Rockville, MD—June 9, 1997—AXENT Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AXNT), announced today the release of
OmniGuard/Enterprise Security Manager® (ESM) 4.4, a significant upgrade to the leading software for enterprise-wide
security management. OmniGuard/ESM 4.4 addresses the most notorious Windows NT security gaps, including the
NTCrack, Insecure Registry and the Anonymous Logon loophole.

In addition, more than 40 new Windows NT security checks make OmniGuard/Enterprise Security Manager the most
comprehensive and safest solution for Windows NT security. With a total of more than 90 security checks—twice the number
offered by other solutions—OmniGuard/ESM 4.4 helps network managers identify and eliminate weaknesses on every
Windows NT system throughout the enterprise. The new checks cover everything from network integrity and remote access
configurations to password strength and login parameters. The software also includes new features for Novell NetWare and
UNIX security.

"Recently-discovered holes in Windows NT security demonstrate how vulnerable networks are to the knowledgeable hacker,"
said Robert Clyde, vice president and general manager of AXENT’S Security Management Strategic Business Unit. "With
OmniGuard/ESM 4.4, network managers can identify and correct their vulnerabilities. An innovative security solution such an
as ESM demonstrates how AXENT simplifies the management and control of solution as ESM demonstrates how AXENT
simplifies the management and control of enterprise-wide security by addressing more aspects of security than any other
vendor."

OmniGuard/Enterprise Security Manager provides enterprise-wide, multi-platform management that simplifies and centralizes
the administration of security. In addition to the new Windows NT security features, the release of ESM 4.4 offers significantly
enhanced security coverage for Novell NetWare and UNIX.

"Our mission is to protect the critical information that is stored on our network of heterogeneous computer environments such
as Windows NT, UNIX, NetWare, and VMS," said Mary Walker, network security manager at Motorola.
"OmniGuard/Enterprise Security Manager (ESM) assists us by automatically checking the security levels of our systems that
are pre-set by our security policy. The latest release of ESM, version 4.4, will enable us to extend this functionality to
Windows NT, thus protecting it against known security threats. ESM also assists us in communicating with management about
the security levels of our networks, and helps measure progress and status over time."

AXENT’s Info Security SWAT Team--a group of security experts dedicated to researching and identifying constantly evolving
threats to information security--quickly identified the NT security threats and worked with the ESM project team to
incorporate solutions into release 4.4. AXENT’s SWAT Team works closely with other leading information security experts
and associations, and monitors hacker and Web sites on the Internet to stay on top of the latest security threats. The team also
reproduces potential threats in real-world situations to quickly deliver preventive solutions.

How ESM 4.4 Defeats the NT Hacks

Anonymous logon and registry access—Using OmniGuard/ESM 4.4, system administrators can proactively manage and
control their Windows NT systems, limiting their exposure to the threat of "ANONYMOUS logon" hacks. Practically all
computer systems today require authentication and both a valid user name and password before the user can gain access to
system resources. However, a recently discovered hole in Windows NT security lets hackers gain access to Windows NT
systems by using "ANONYMOUS logon" without the required user name and password. 

ANONYMOUS logon provides hackers with an open door to Windows NT systems that are not properly protected once
they gain entry via a remote access connection. If the NT registry is not protected, hackers can alter important registry
information once they gain access via a remote access connection and potentially plant Trojan horses that gather additional,
sensitive data. Microsoft has published methods for protecting the registry from remote access intrusion. ESM 4.4 reports on
all Windows NT systems with registries that aren’t properly protected. 

If a hacker successfully plants a Trojan horse in a system, ESM 4.4 quickly detects it during its automatic startup check of
services that are both approved and prohibited on the machine. Even if the hacker replaces approved files, ESM will detect
the action based on related dates, sizes, or CRC and report the file to the security administrator.

Windows NT Password Cracking—A number of programs have recently been disseminated on the Internet that allow
people to "crack" NT user passwords. Notorious examples include NTCrack, PWDump, Crack 5.0 and L0phtcrack. These
crack programs require hackers to get a listing of the Windows NT password file and then use either a brute-force attack or a
dictionary attack to crack the passwords.

OmniGuard/ESM 4.4 protects systems by reporting users who have easily-guessed passwords. OmniGuard/ESM 4.4 comes
with a dictionary of easily-guessed passwords, which incorporates those included with widely used hacker tools. The customer
can edit this list 

to add company-specific passwords in order to create a more robust dictionary based on 

individual requirements. When OmniGuard/ESM 4.4 identifies users with easily-guessed passwords, the security administrator
can work with the network administrator to require those users to assign passwords that are mores secure. 

Additional OmniGuard/ESM 4.4 Features

     OmniGuard/ESM 4.4 also includes the following new features:

          With OmniGuard/ESM 4.4’s new remote capability, security administrators can manage Windows NT
          security more efficiently by remotely installing and upgrading the OmniGuard/ESM Windows NT agent
          software. 

          Support for Novell NetWare has been expanded to include Novell Directory Services (NDS) in NetWare
          4.1x, giving customers the ability to actively manage security throughout their NDS tree. Customers can
          choose centralized security management on the entire NDS tree from one location, or distribute security
          management for sections of the NDS tree. OmniGuard/ESM 4.4 also includes two new security query
          modules for identifying users, groups and security equivalencies. 

          The new version checks UNIX operating system patches throughout the enterprise to make sure they
          match the latest CERT advisories. Administrators can scan the entire enterprise, making operating system
          version management on UNIX faster and more secure. ESM 4.4 will provide initial support for
          Hewlett-Packard’s HP-UX 10.x, IBM’s AIX and Sun’s Solaris operating systems. With this ESM
          feature, customers no longer need to wonder if they are protected from vulnerabilities reported by CERT
          and other response teams. 

About AXENT Technologies

AXENT Technologies, Inc., is a leading provider of enterprise-wide information security solutions for distributed computing
environments. The OmniGuard suite of products enables organizations to centrally manage information security. In addition,
OmniGuard provides enhanced data confidentiality, access control, user administration and intrusion detection across the
Internet and intranets, for UNIX, Windows 3.x, Windows NT, Windows 95, NetWare and mid-range systems. AXENT
simplifies the security equation by helping companies address more aspects of enterprise-wide security than any other vendor.
Only AXENT turns corporate security policy into reality, making the enterprise network truly secure. Headquartered in
Rockville, MD, AXENT’s broad line of security offerings is used by Fortune 1000 companies and governments worldwide to
protect information systems in heterogeneous computing environments. Recently, AXENT completed the acquisition of 

AssureNet Pathways, Inc., a privately held supplier of token-based authentication products. The acquisition adds proven
remote access authentication products, Internet/intranet authentication products, and significantly expands AXENT’s indirect
distribution channels. Contact AXENT via e-mail at info@axent.com, or visit AXENT’s World Wide Web site at
http://www.axent.com.

                                              ###

AXENT Technologies, the AXENT logo, OmniGuard and OmniGuard/Enterprise Security Manager are trademarks or registered trademarks in
the United States and certain other countries of AXENT Technologies, Inc. AIX is a registered trademark of International Business Machines
Corporation; HP-UX is a registered trademark of Hewlett Packard Corporation; Microsoft, Windows, Windows 95, NT and Windows NT are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; NetWare and Novell Directory Services are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Novell, Inc.; Solaris and Sun are registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc.; UNIX is a registered trademark of X/Open Company, Ltd;
and other product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

 

                    CONTACT  
                                                  
                    Jennifer Whipp 
                                                 Mike Farber, Liz Marshall
                    AXENT Technologies, Inc.
                                                 Schwartz Communications
                    Tel: (301) 670-3653 
                                                 Tel: (617) 684 -0770
                    info@axent.com 
                                                 lizm@schwartz-pr.com