Press Release

FaceTime Protects Corporate Networks Against Critical AIM Security Flaw

FaceTime Customers are Safe from AIM "Away" Attacks with IMAuditor

FOSTER CITY, Calif. - August 11, 2004 - FaceTime Communications, the leading provider of solutions that secure, manage, and extend instant messaging (IM) and other forms of real-time communications, announced today that it has provided its customers the only successful method to combat the flaw in the AOL's popular instant messaging client, AIM, discovered earlier this week. The company has provided its IMAuditor customers directions to enable full protection against this newly identified flaw prior to an AOL's release of a security patch, scheduled for the end of the week.

Two firms discovered a flaw in AIM's architecture that could allow computer hackers to send a buffer overflow through AIM's "away" function, which is used to indicate to other AIM members that the user is not at the computer. With the "away" sign on, hackers can take over the computer by sending long messages of approximately 1,024 bytes in size. After the buffer is overridden by the long messages the flaw is fully exposed once the hacker directs the client PC to a Web site where more code could be downloaded.

IMAuditor has the ability to restrict messages with specific phrases and key words thus thwarting attempt at an attack to an unsuspecting "away" AIM user. FaceTime security experts immediately issued, to its customers, the phrases and words that need to be entered in order to block potential attempts at exploiting the AIM flaw.

"This discovery within the AIM client should serve as a reminder, to executives responsible for corporate IT infrastructure safety, of the potential for the significant liability posed by IM," said FaceTime Vice President of Products and Chief Technology Officer Jonathan Christensen. "Our response to this flaw validates the role IM gateway providers play in protecting enterprises from these dangers. IM is a complicated communications tool that needs very specialized expertise to provide adequate protection. Without FaceTime's "Defense-in-Depth" solution, companies are vulnerable to the emerging threats posed by uncontrolled IM and P2P usage."

According to IDC, up to 70 percent of businesses have free, consumer-oriented IM-usage, whether they know it or not, which leaves the network vulnerable to a variety of worms and viruses through flaws like this one in the AIM client. FaceTime provides secure IM use to over 350 customers, including half of the world's largest financial services firms.

For more information on how FaceTime solutions can protect your environment from this latest virus and other malware, please contact us at info@facetime.com.

About FaceTime Communications
FaceTime Communications enables the safe and productive use of instant messaging, Web usage and Unified Communications platforms. Ranked number one by IDC for four consecutive years, FaceTime's award-winning solutions are used by more than 900 customers – including nine of the 10 largest U.S. banks – for security, management and compliance of real-time communications. FaceTime supports or has strategic partnerships with all leading public and enterprise IM network providers, including AOL, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Skype, IBM and Jabber.

FaceTime is headquartered in Belmont, California. For more information visit http://www.facetime.com or call 888-349-FACE. The FaceForward blog, at http://blog.facetime.com, offers thoughts and opinions about the changing nature of Internet communications.

PR Contact:

Emily Chamberlin
650-762-2945
echamberlin@ar-edelman.com