ALLENDALE, NJ -- December 4, 2003 -- Guardian Digital, the world's premier open source Internet security company, announced today that its customers were not impacted by the recent kernel security vulnerability that afflicted other open source vendors and their customers.

As a result of the planning and secure design of EnGarde Secure Linux, the company's flagship product, Guardian Digital customers are securely protected from a vulnerability that lead to the complete compromise of several high-profile open source projects, including those belonging to the Debian Project.

"Through a coordinated effort with the open source community and the early warning system developed by Guardian Digital, the kernel currently in use by our customers is not affected," writes Ryan W. Maple, lead security architect at Guardian Digital.

Engineered from the ground up with specific regard to security, EnGarde Secure Linux incorporates intrusion alert capabilities, mail and network management services, improved authentication and access control, strong cryptography, and complete SSL secure Web-based administration capabilities.

As is shown by this recent vulnerability, proper Internet security design is critical to the reliable operation of business today. A recent report Internet Security Systems', a leading security research firm, revealed that compared to the previous three months, the number of security threats have risen 9 percent in the third quarter, and the more serious incidents, confirmed attacks or those that presented an unusual risk, rose by 15 percent.

"When learning of the latest Linux kernel vulnerability and speaking with Guardian Digital security advisors, I was assured that our systems were safe. My confidence in Guardian Digital continues to grow and I am once again reminded of why I purchased Guardian Digital software in the first place," writes Scott DeKramer, IT Director, Implex Corporation.

Recovering from a security event is significantly more costly than preventing it from happening. Guardian Digital software provides a level of assurance that online assets will remain secure. David Dittrich, senior security engineer for University of Washington's Computing & Communications Department, recently did a study estimating the cost of computer security breaches. His finding reported that it can cost companies nearly $5,000 to investigate the cause of a single security incident. He advised that being prepared for such an occurrence can significantly reduce attacks resulting in a much less financial burden.