News

Partnership to Improve Performance of IPSec/VPN Solutions, Reduce Time-to-Market

SSH Communications Security (SSH), the world-leading developer of Internet security technologies and developer of the Secure Shell standard, and network security specialist Hi/fn, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIFN), today announced an agreement to provide interoperability between SSH's IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) toolkits and Hi/fn's high-speed compression-encryption processors.

SSH's IPSec software technology, combined with Hi/fn's high-speed processors, will allow OEMs to achieve higher levels of performance and take their IPSec-based new products to market faster as the result of this new partnership.

Under the terms of this new agreement, SSH IPSEC Express and SSH IPSEC Appliance toolkits will work with Hi/fn's 6500 Public Key Processor, the 7751 Encryption Processor, and the 7811 Security Processor, the world's fastest accelerator of the 3-DES encryption algorithm (Data Encryption Standard).

"IPSec protocols are at the core of every VPN," says Stefan Braken-Guelke, Hi/fn vice president of marketing and sales. "This partnership with SSH gives our customers one more reason to use Hi/fn security processors because it greatly reduces the time-to-market for VPN products. Our joint goal is to provide our respective customers the choice of complete and accelerated security solutions."

Hi/fn delivers high-performance compression and encryption processors and software to most manufacturers of VPN (Virtual Private Networks) products, including Cisco, Lucent, Nortel, and many others. SSH is the leading supplier of toolkits based on the IETF's (Internet Engineering Task Force) IPSec standard. SSH's IPSec toolkits add scaleable, easily supportable, strong security to IP networks, without limiting their flexibility to enable new types of business opportunities, such as secure local and global communications for e-commerce and e-banking.

"The rapid evolution of network traffic and use demands IPSec solutions that keep pace," said George Adams, president and CEO of SSH, Inc. "With our new partnership with Hi/fn, we will now better meet this challenge by providing our customers with high performance security solutions that are easier to deploy for faster time-to-market."

Hi/fn's and SSH's technologies are instrumental in industry efforts to provide a secure Internet infrastructure for VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol), e-commerce transactions, and corporate internetworking and telecommuting.

About Hi/fn, Inc.

Hi/fn, Inc. of Los Gatos, Calif. makes integrated circuits and software for manufacturers of computer networking products. Hi/fn's integrated compression-encryption technology is central to the growth of the Internet, helping to make electronic mail, Web browsing and Internet shopping faster and more secure. Nearly all network equipment manufacturers use Hi/fn's patented technology to improve data packet processing. Hi/fn was founded in 1996 and trades on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange under the HIFN symbol. For more information, contact: Hi/fn, Inc., 750 University Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95032. Phone: 408-399-3500. Fax: 408-399-3501, or visit www.hifn.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT NOTICE

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risk and uncertainties, including risks associated with the success of the ongoing technology development efforts, the ability to successfully integrate new technology into products in a cost-effective manner, the timing of new product introductions, intense competition in the network and storage equipment industries and the significant uncertainty of market acceptance of new products. These and other risks are detailed from time to time in Hi/fn's SEC reports as well as in Hi/fn's registration statement on Form S-3.

Hi/fn and LZS are registered trademark of Hi/fn, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

© 2002 SSH Communications Security Corp. All rights reserved. ssh® is a registered trademark of SSH Communications Security Corp in the United States and in certain other jurisdictions. All other names and marks are property of their respective owners.