[39493] in Cypherpunks
NetManage - Cylink Press Announcement
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bob Williams)
Tue Sep 19 19:42:50 1995
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 95 15:36:32 PDT
From: Bob Williams <bobw@netmanage.com>
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Cc: Ian Goldberg <iang@CS.Berkeley.EDU>, David Wagner <daw@cs.berkeley.edu>
There are quite a few open issues regarding=20
the reliability, interoperability, and licensing of
public key technology.=20
All parties interested in access to code for testing and
comment please respond to this email address. =20
Thanks
Bob
------------
NETMANAGE, Inc.
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Donna Loughlin, NetManage, (408) 973-7171
Donna@netmanage.com
NetManage Licenses Public Key Cryptography from CYLINK
The Two Firms to Promote an Open Interface for Internet Security which=20
Corrects Flaws and Eliminates Financial and Interoperability Barriers for=
=20
Cryptography.
Cupertino, California - September 19, 1995- NetManage, the leader in TCP/I=
P=20
Applications for Windows and Internet productivity software, announced toda=
y=20
that is has signed a licensing agreement with CYLINK Corporation for=20
technology which incorporates the fundamental patents covering public=20
key cryptography. NetManage will be providing support for public key=20
authentication and data encryption as a fundamental component of its=20
Chameleon Enterprise strategy. The two firms further announced that they=
=20
plan to provide support for an open interface for Internet security which=
=20
will address recent flaws found in cryptographic implementations used by=20
Netscape Communications and other unpublicized security holes in existing=
=20
Internet security protocols. The standard is further intended to eliminate=
=20
the financial and interoperability barriers that have been holding back=20
widespread use of public key cryptography on the Internet.
In a separate announcement released yesterday, CYLINK announced that it had=
=20
prevailed in a patent lawsuit with RSA Data Security which found that RSA=
=20
had infringed U.S. patents held by CYLINK which cover all known=20
implementations of public key technology.
About Internet Security
-----------------------=20
Establishing a secure Internet connection requires any computer software=20
program to perform two functions: Authentication of the user, and bulk=20
encryption of data. =20
The Authentication phase allows two computers to verify that each party is=
=20
who they claim to be, and that they are authorized to enter into a secure=
=20
communications session. This is done via 'public key' technology, which=
=20
was developed and patented originally by Stanford University and licensed=
=20
exclusively by CYLINK Corporation.
During the authentication phase the two computers also agree upon the=20
encryption method to be used for bulk data transfer during the time the two=
=20
computers are communicating data between one another. These ciphers can be=
=20
implemented in either software or hardware, including PCMCIA cards. Popula=
r=20
encryption ciphers include DES, Triple-DES, SAFER, IDEA, Skipjack, RC-2 and=
=20
RC-4 and are available from a variety of software and hardware vendors.
Limitations of Current Internet Security Standards
--------------------------------------------------
Current implementations of security protocols proposed as standards by=20
Netscape Communications and RSA Data Security, Inc. include security flaws=
=20
and fail to fully accommodate open and interoperable secure communications=
=20
between computers which use different bulk encryption ciphers. These=20
problems have limited the adoption of Internet security as a widespread=20
interoperable feature of all Internet software and hardware products=20
including end-user applications, servers, firewalls, and secure routers.
NetManage and CYLINK, along with other major software and hardware=20
developers, will be announcing next week the release of a publicly availabl=
e=20
security implementation which allows for =91plug & play=92 interoperability=
for=20
users of Internet security, and the endorsement of protocol extensions whic=
h=20
improve the reliability of current proposed Internet security standards. =
=20
This open implementation will not lock software or hardware developers into=
=20
the use of encryption technology from any one vendor.
Related APIs, key exchange technology, and encryption will be made publicly=
=20
available to other software and hardware developers. Licensing will=20
include source code and no per-copy royalty fees.
About NetManage
---------------
NetManage Inc., the fastest growing software company in the United States,=
=20
develops markets and supports an integrated set of Internet-based=20
applications, servers and development tools for Microsoft Windows, Windows=
=20
95 and Windows NT. NetManage software allows corporations to facilitate=20
communication, sharing of information and collaboration between workgroups=
=20
using Internet technology. The company's award winning products include=20
Chameleon, Internet Chameleon and ECCO. NetManage is a public company, whos=
e=20
shares are traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol NETM. Its products=
=20
are sold world-wide by NetManage's direct sales force and authorized channe=
l=20
partners.
About CYLINK
------------
CYLINK Corporation is the world=92s largest provider of enterprise-wide=20
network information security products and wireless communications. CYLINK=
=20
is the exclusive holder of the fundamental patents which broadly claim the=
=20
invention of public-key cryptography (Diffie-Hellman, Hellman-Merkle, and=
=20
Helman-Pohling) and which were originally developed at Stanford University.=
=20
Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, CYLINK serves Fortune 500 companies=
,=20
financial institutions and government agencies. Licensees of CYLINK=20
technology include CISCO Systems, and other prominent hardware and software=
=20
developers.
# # #
