From: nobody@REPLAY.COM (Anonymous)
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 95 05:04:05 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Open Mkt Sudden Infant Death
Message-ID: <199510111203.NAA20811@utopia.hacktic.nl>
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Open Market Web Site Launches Free "Internet Security" 


Cambridge, MA, Oct 10  -- In a teleconference, Open
Market launched a three-pronged attack on Internet
"security breaches" that includes an online "security
checker" for multivendor Web browsers belonging to end
users, free upgrades from the Netscape Secure Server to
the Open Market's Secure WebServer, and the giveaway of
sample code to operators of "any extensible secure Web
server."

The trio of security remedies will all be available free
of charge starting this week from the Open Market Web
site at <http://www.openmarket.com>, officials reported
during the teleconference.

"Our entire business is based on people having trust in
open networks," noted Shikhar Ghosh, Open Market's chief
executive officer (CEO). "We'll make a significant
investment, with the view that all of will suffer if (the
public) loses trust."

Consumers are only "gradually gaining some confidence" in
the Internet, according to Ghosh. But recently, reports
have surfaced of security problems with the Netscape
Secure Server, and some Web sites using the Netscape
product have been "saying they are going to go off the
air."

As a result, he added, Open Market is introducing a
policy that allows licensed users of the Netscape Secure
Server to download Open Market's Secure WebServer "at no
cost."

The other two planks in Open Market's new pro-security
Web "resource center" are "informational," the
journalists and analysts were told. Open Market will work
with the makers of Web browsers to track information on
"known problems" with browsers, including browser
tampering. "We will (also) inform the (Web) software
companies of problems," the CEO maintained.

The Open Market Web site will perform a database look-up
on the type of browser in use, and will then report back
to the user on any security issues known to be associated
with that kind of browser, elaborated Open Market's Win
Treese.

"One strength we have is that we don't have a browser. We
are agnostic," Ghosh told the telephone audience. Open
Market also performs "extensive testing" on Web browsers.
"We do as many as several hundred versions of browsers
coming in at any time. We definitely expect (to) unite
the industry, rather than dividing the industry," he
added.

The sample code to be offered from the Open Market Web
site will provide "underlying code" for "reference
implementations on what are the major ways of handling
the known (Internet security) problems," according to
Ghosh.

"To reiterate, security is one of those pillars on which
the entire industry rests," contended the Open Market
chief, to conclude the teleconference.

Contact: Open Market, 617-621-9500; Press Contacts: Wendy
Ziner, Open Market, 617-374-6508; Dawn Geary or Merrill
Freund, Schwartz Communications for Open Market,
617-431-0770)

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