Oracle Licenses RSA Security Software

REDWOOD SHORES, March 15, 1994 -- Oracle Corp. and RSA Data Security announced today that Oracle has licensed several security techniques from RSA, including the RC4, MD5, and Diffie-Hellman encryption technologies for inclusion in Oracle's SQL*Net networking software. SQL*Net, which is currently available on all major hardware platforms, provides transparent data sharing between Oracle database servers, client applications, and third party data management systems, even across heterogeneous network protocols. Oracle is the first major DBMS vendor to offer network data encryption in response to customer calls for increased security.

Larry Ellison, President of Oracle, called the agreement "Significant, in that RSA's technology complements the sophisticated security mechanisms found in Oracle7 and Trusted Oracle7 by extending the high degree of data protection across the entire enterprise. Truly distributed applications can now be safely deployed in industry segments like the finance community, which are currently very exposed to data theft or modification during transit. In addition to being the first to offer this technology, the way we are deploying it is also very interesting, since we allow the compute-intensive operations involved in encoding the data to be spread out across all of the processors in an SMP or massively-parallel computer system."

"Anyone not using a secure link between their client applications and database servers is inviting disaster," said Jim Bidzos, President of RSA. "Oracle's endorsement of RSA technology means that this is the birth of a new de facto standard for transmission of secure data between SQL-based applications and SQL database engines."

SQL*Net is Oracle's open networking layer which allows Oracle and third party products to operate transparently over virtually any network protocol, including SPX/IPX (Novell), TCP/IP, SNA, DECnet, Banyan Vines, Named Pipes, NetBIOS, OSI, AppleTalk, X.25, MaxSix, Async connections, and others.

"What we are offering is very unique. Since it is purely a software product it can be installed at very low cost on virtually any existing computer system, instead of having to install expensive hardware encryption boards or black-boxes," said Laurie Mann, Senior Product Manager for SQL*Net, Oracle. "This product not only works with Oracle7, but with a whole host of other database management systems supported by our Transparent Gateways, such as DB2. We've also designed it to work with the Oracle MultiProtocol Interchange, which means that for the first time a single product can provide encryption that operates across network protocols. That means that a Windows application on a Novell network can send data up to the corporate mainframe, which uses LU6.2 as the network transport, perhaps running through a TCP/IP or DECnet network or two on the way up, and the data stream is fully protected start to finish. No one else offers this - at any price."

Although pricing and availability has not yet been announced, Oracle says it plans to price the product aggressively to enable widespread deployment. Developers at Oracle used RSA's BSAFE 2.0 software developer's kit to build security for SQL*Net. BSAFE 2.0 is the world's best selling cryptographer's toolkit, and provides the software developer with multiple algorithms and modules for adding encryption and authentication features to any application. BSAFE 2.0 includes modules for such popular encryption techniques as RSA, DES, Diffie-Hellman, RC2 and RC4, and also supports digital signatures and certificates.

RSA is the acknowledged world leader in encryption technology, with over three million copies of its software encryption and authentication installed and in use worldwide. RSA is a de facto standard for encryption and digital signatures, and is part of existing and proposed standards for the Internet, CCITT, ISO, ANSI, IEEE and business and financial networks around the globe. RSA develops and markets platform-independent software developers' kits, end- user products, and provides comprehensive consulting services in the cryptographic sciences. RSA technology has been embedded in the products of companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Apple Computer, DEC, Sun Microsystems, Novell, Lotus, Motorola, Northern Telecom, AT&T, WordPerfect, Fischer International, General Electric, Hughes, and many others. Founded in 1982 by the inventors of the patented RSA Public Key Cryptosystem, the company is headquartered in Redwood City, California.

Oracle Corp., with headquarters in Redwood Shores, Calif., is a leading supplier of information management software. Oracle develops and markets the Oracle7 family of software products for database management, Cooperative Development Environment (CDE), a complete set of CASE and application development tools for enterprise- wide, client/server computing; multi-protocol networking products; and Oracle Applications, packaged client/server solutions for human resources, accounting and manufacturing. Oracle software runs on personal digital assistants, PCs, workstations, minicomputers, mainframes and massively parallel computers. The company offers its products, along with related consulting, education and support services, in 93 countries around the world.