Apple, IBM, JavaSoft, Motorola, Netscape, Nortel, Novell, RSA, and Silicon Graphics Announce PICA Crypto-Alliance

Building Upon RSA's PKCS Standards Process and Technology Submissions from Industry

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. --October 17, 1996 -- Today Apple, IBM, JavaSoft, Motorola, Netscape, Nortel, Novell, RSA, and Silicon Graphics jointly announced their support for an effort code-named PICA, or "Platform-Independent Cryptography API."

PICA™ builds on RSA's widely-adopted Public Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS) process and technology submissions from several companies.

The PICA alliance has been formed primarily to address potential interoperability problems that may arise as cryptographic technology moves into the mainstream software products of competing vendors. With open development meetings scheduled for later on this year, PICA vendors will attempt to "build bridges" between their differing crypto approaches, and will look for ways to simplify the way developers use cryptography on different platforms.

The PICA specification will be designed to allow developers to introduce open, cross-platform, application independent security in the same way that they introduce other features like graphics, communications, and networking protocols. PICA should enable developers to add security features such as SSL, DES, and smartcards to electronic commerce, banking, EDI and other applications, regardless of the platform on which those applications reside. PICA will also be designed to make the task of developing differing domestic and exportable security requirements much easier.

Jim Bidzos, RSA President, said, "The original PKCS group, with members including Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Lotus, Nortel, Silicon Graphics, Sun and many others, has been a place where competitors can work together on crypto specifications since its formation in 1991.

"It is anticipated that the new PICA efforts will, within the established PKCS framework, be closely coordinated with standards bodies such as the W3C and the IETF. The members of the PICA effort all have significant technology specifications to contribute; PICA will combine the best of them to offer and open standard."

"The industry-wide effort is an important step towards simplifying the way developers work with cryptography," he continued "Once a niche application, sophisticated cryptography is making its way into even the seemingly most pedestrian Internet applications -- and crypto is an important component in hot emerging segments such as electronic commerce, Internet EDI and electronic cash."

"This is an exciting time for cryptography. The PICA effort will better enable IBM's SecureWay cryptographic infrastructure to provide a less complex, more modular way for developers to build applications which make the Internet safe for business," said Kathy Kincaid, Director of I/T Security Programs for IBM.

"This will do for security what HTML did for the Web," said Mike Homer, VP Marketing for Netscape. "Netscape is happy to announce that our client and server security infrastructure is built on Intel's CDSA, a potential building block for PICA. We selected CDSA because it has three attributes which are important to Netscape products -- openness, interoperability and cross-platform support."

"The PICA alliance will make it easier for developers to provide customers with important security features such as privacy of communications, authentication of identity, and viable electronic commerce in a platform-independent manner," said Larry Tesler, Vice President of AppleNet and Chief Scientist for Apple Computer, Inc.

"We are encouraged to see the industry working with the PICA-PKCS process to establish Internet security specifications to offer an open standard, and we look forward to participating in the process to lead its impact on Java," said Li Gong, security architect at JavaSoft, a business unit of Sun Microsystems, Inc.

"Our goal is to integrate strong security into all applications, ranging from commercial off-the-shelf to custom legacy applications," said Brad Ross, director of Business Development, Nortel Secure Networks. "Towards that end, Nortel will be contributing APIs developed for the Entrust family of encryption and key management products, as well as our experience gained with real world solutions, to the PICA effort."

Lenny Rosenthal, WebFORCE Group Marketing Manager at Silicon Graphics, said "the recent proliferation of specifications in the cryptography arena has not been beneficial to our WebFORCE Internet Server customers or to the industry as a whole. PICA is going make life a lot easier for developers, such as those using our innovative COSMO authoring and development tools."

"We are encouraged by the formation of the PICA Alliance," said Tom Arthur, VP of Novell's Internet Infrastructure Division. "Our Novell Directory Services (NDS) represents the world's largest commercial use of public key cryptography and is available on multiple platforms. PICAA will make it easier for developers toprovide secure solutions built on directory services."

"With the PICA effort, Motorola will be able to continue to improve the secure product offering and services we provide to our customers," said Don Rothwell, vice president and director of Motorola's Information Security Operations. "PICA will allow exciting, new applications to reach the market more quickly than previously possible."

About RSA

RSA Data Security, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Security Dynamics Technologies Inc , is the world's brand name for cryptography, with more than 75 million copies of RSA encryption and authentication technologies installed and in use worldwide.

RSA technologies are part of existing and proposed standards for the Internet and World Wide Web, IT4, ISO, ANSI, IEEE, and business, financial and electronic commerce networks around the globe. The Company develops and markets platform-independent developer's kits and end-user products and provides comprehensive cryptographic consulting services. Founded in 1982 by the inventors of the RSA Public Key Cryptosystem, the company is headquartered in Redwood City, Calif.

About Apple

Apple Computer, Inc., a recognized innovator in the information industry and leader in multimedia technologies, creates powerful solutions based on easy-to-use personal computers, servers, peripherals, software, personal digital assistants and Internet content.

Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Apple develops, manufactures, licenses and markets solutions, products, technologies and services for business, education, consumer, entertainment, scientific and engineering and government customers in more than 140 countries. Apple's home page on the World Wide Web: http://www.apple.com.

About IBM

IBM's SecureWay brand is a comprehensive portfolio of security offerings. Whether addressing a specific requirement or creating a total end-to-end solution, IBM's SecureWay offerings provide the expertise and solutions you need to plan, design, implement and operate your business in a secure manner across the Internet and other public networks. Additional information can be found on our SecureWay homepage at http://www.ibm.com/security.

About JavaSoft

JavaSoft, headquartered in Cupertino, CA, is an operating company of Sun Microsystems Inc. The company's mission is to develop, market and support the Java technology and products based on it. Java supports networked applications and enables developers to write applications once that will run on any machine. JavaSoft develops applications, tools and systems platforms to further enhance Java as the programming standard for complex networks such as the Internet andcorporate intranets.

With annual revenues of more than $6 billion, Sun Microsystems, Inc. provides products and services that enable customers to build and maintain open network computing environments. Sun Microsystems was founded in 1982, and is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif.

About Motorola

Motorola is one of the world's leading providers of wireless communications, semiconductors, and advanced electronic systems, components, and services. Major equipment businesses include cellular telephone, two-way radio, paging and data communications, personal communications, automotive, defense and space electronics and computers. Motorola semiconductors power communication devices, computers and millions of other products. Motorola's 1995 sales were $27 billion.

About Netscape

Netscape Communications Corporation is a premier provider of open software for linking people and information over enterprise networks and the Internet. The company offers a full line of Netscape Navigator clients, servers, development tools, and commercial applications to create a complete platform for next-generation, live online applications.

Traded on NASDAQ under the symbol "NSCP," Netscape Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California. Additional information on Netscape Communications Corporation is available on the Internet at http://home.netscape.com, by sending email to info@netscape.com, or by calling 415/937-2555 (corporate customers) or 415/937-3777 (individuals).

About Novell