HOB enhances its product range by the encryption software "HOBLink Secure"

Zirndorf, 13. January 2000. "Strong Encryption" is the slogan of HOB that the Zirndorf based connectivity expert is getting the year 2000 started with. HOBLink Secure is a software based on the encryption standard SSL V.3.0 (=Secure Socket Layer). HOBLink Secure is going to debut at the fair CeBIT 2000.

Klaus Brandstätter, HOB General Manager and Manager of the development department commented: "Today absolute protection of data against attacks from outside are in the eye of every enterprise. We have mainly focused on providing this protection for the years lying ahead of us with our strategy to offer complete connectivity solutions. HOBLink Secure is to provide an alternative to national enterprises towards American products, which up to this date are still subject to the strict export restrictions."

As widely known, the available options for data encryption are very limited due to the American export restrictions. Subsequently this means that data cannot be protected efficiently to withstand "crackers' attacks".

HOBLink Secure mainly focuses on this market. The software is based on international standards and among others uses algorithms, which up to this date are considered to be absolutely safe. For instance HOBLink Secure supports the following encryption algorithms: RC2 with 40 bit encryption, RC4, which allows a 128 bit encryption and therefore remains "untouched", the DES algorithm with a maximum of 56 bit and 3DES with maximum of 112 bit. This encryption key is also considered to be "crack" safe. As encryption methods HOBLink Secure uses Secure Diffie-Hellmann (DH) and RSA (IAW Rivest, Shamir and Adelmann).

Further methods supported by HOBLink Secure are the Message Digests MD5 and SHA-1, which frequently are used as a digital signature and which are substantial component of a complete encryption solution.

A further stand alone feature underlined by HOB is the supported compression V.42b, which is integrated into V SSL V.3.0, and which reduces the data stream on a 4:1 scale.

Fur further detailed information on this topic HOB refers to its web page www.hob.de/encryption.jsp, exclusively set up for this purpose.

HOBLink Secure is offered by HOB as a complete package, optionally consisting of a Client for Java or Windows 32 bit along with appropriate Server component match for installation on every web server on Windows 32 bit server platform. Both components can be used at the same time or respectively as a counterpart to complete existing structures. Data are encrypted all the way from Client to Server or Web Server.

The operation of HOBLink Secure was optimized for the following environments: Web-to-Host, classic PC-Host attachment, Midrange Connectivity, UNIX Connectivity, NT/Windows 2000 and Host Server Solutions. All of them are the main business fields of HOB.