The L0pht, renowned 'hacker think-tank,' to join @Stake

Receives $10 million in Initial Backing from Battery Ventures

@Stake also announced that renowned hacker think-tank the L0pht has merged with the newly formed company. This strategic move reflects the firm's commitment to build a world-class team of professionals offering non-traditional, e-commerce-age security solutions for clients.

In addition, the company disclosed that it has received over $10 million in initial funding from Battery Ventures, a leading high tech venture capital firm whose other investments include Akamai Technologies, InfoSeek, and Qtera. @Stake is the first company spawned from Battery's newly created in-house incubator program.

"@Stake's independence and dedicated focus on Internet security differentiate their approach from other providers," according to Tom Crotty, general partner at Battery Ventures. "They have assembled a diverse team of extreme talent from premier organizations including Forrester Research, the L0pht, Cambridge Technology Partners, and Compaq Computer."

The company will offer a full range of security services enabling e-commerce for Global 2000 clients. @Stake will focus on planning next-generation security platforms that achieve long-term e-commerce objectives as well as securing clients' immediate Internet needs. Key to the company's strategic approach is building comprehensive security architectures to minimize the impact of viruses, malicious attacks and other threats while maximizing opportunity and competitiveness for firms engaged in the Internet economy. The company's professional services span infrastructure security, including VPNs and firewalls; content security,

such as anti-virus and e-mail scanning; application security, including fine-grained application access control; and operations security, such as intrusion detection and scanning systems.

@Stake's management team includes:

* Dr. Daniel Geer, Chief Technology Officer, formerly vice president and senior strategist at CertCo and director of engineering at Open Market. His tenure as manager of systems development at MIT's Project Athena led to the creation of, amongst other innovations, the X Window System and Kerberos.

* Ted Julian, VP of Marketing and Business Development, formerly lead security analyst at Forrester Research and known for the far-reaching impact of his reports, "Security Suites: Dead on Arrival" and "Turning Security on Its Head."

* Mudge, VP of Research and Development, served as CEO/Chief Scientist of hacker think-tank, the L0pht. Having appeared before the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the US Senate to discuss vulnerabilities facing technological resources, Mudge led the L0pht, a group of 'grey-hat hackers' known for unorthodox, extreme technical sophistication.

* Dr. Phil Tams, VP of Consulting and Operations, formerly a senior manager at Cambridge Technology Partners and responsible for restructuring IT systems and businesses to compete effectively in the Internet economy.

* John J. Rando, Chairman of the Board, was previously senior vice president and group general manager at Compaq. He is widely known for his work developing software product services, pioneering new delivery methodologies, and lifecycle service solutions in networking and systems integration.

"@Stake helps clients address the most critical issue facing their e-commerce initiatives: maintaining the highest levels of security while maximizing openness," said Ted Julian, Founder and VP of Marketing and Business Development. "Our strategic approach is based on the premise that true security lies in enabling the entire enterprise, rather than locking down the system with unnecessary complexity and control."

"By enabling Internet objectives, our security services unleash enormous benefits for organizations building their e-commerce operations," continued Julian.

According to IDC Research, the demand for network security consulting and management services will reach over $1.6 billion in 2002. In addition, in its November 29 brief, "exSourced Security Arrives," Forrester Research "recommends the majority of businesses meet their security needs with exSourcers ... third-party security service providers that connect external constituents with internal processes."

"The opportunity to join the first and only independent 'pure play' in the field of Internet security consulting is perfect for the L0pht," according to Mudge, now @Stake's VP of R&D.; "@Stake's vendor neutrality, combined with open lines of communication to the full spectrum of people dealing with online security, allows us to remain true to our roots - security research and execution which shatters industry myths and builds a totally new standard."

@Stake executives will be participating in the major security trade show, RSA 2000, scheduled for January 16-20 in San Jose.

With headquarters in Cambridge, Mass, @Stake is a specialized professional services firm providing security solutions for the e-commerce operations of global clients. More information can be found at www.atstake.com @Stake, Inc. -- Securing the Internet Economy(sm).