NETSCAPE ANNOUNCES SECURE COURIER, -- A DIGITAL ENVELOPE FOR SECURING FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS ON THE INTERNET

---

MASTERCARD AND INTUIT SUPPORT OPEN PROTOCOL FOR ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS

The new open protocol builds on existing industry-standard protocols including the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), an open protocol used today by Netscape customers for secure online communications. Secure Courier will observe the soon-to-be-released MasterCard and Visa security specification for bank card purchases on open networks. "MasterCard supports Netscape's development of the Secure Courier protocol as proof of the industry's willingness to come together around a common standard," said Ed Hogan, senior vice president at MasterCard.

Compatible across UNIX, Windows and Macintosh operating environments, Secure Courier increases security for commerce on the Internet by encrypting a consumer's financial information all the way from his or her PC to the financial institution. In addition, Secure Courier enables consumer authentication for merchants. While secure channel protocols such as SSL encrypt data passing along the network between a client system and a server, Secure Courier delivers the additional security of keeping the financial data encrypted -- or in a "secure digital envelope" -- when it arrives at a merchant's server or at other intermediate points on the net. This means that the data remains "wrapped" or protected at any site at which it stops. The Secure Courier protocol decreases the risk of consumer and merchant fraud, enables global payment security, and reduces merchant costs.

"Netscape's Secure Courier protocol delivers the first open, cross platform solution for online electronic payments, advancing Internet security to a new level," said Marc Andreessen, vice president of technology at Netscape. "Today, a wide range of merchants are already successfully conducting business on the net using SSL for secured communications. With the development of Secure Courier and a complete open payment system backed by industry-leading financial companies, consumers and merchants can feel even more confident that sensitive financial transactions will be protected."

"The safety of consumers' financial information is a top priority at Intuit," said Scott Cook, chairman of Intuit, the makers of Quicken, QuickBooks, and TurboTax. "We enthusiastically support the development of open protocols, such as Secure Courier, which will help enable secure electronic commerce on the Internet."

Secure Courier is a key part of Netscape's complete open payment system for online transactions, which consists of three phases:

• Phase 1: Enable reduced-cost commerce across the Internet by using SSL to accept orders on the net, and authorizing and settling transactions offline. Netscape implemented this phase during the first quarter of 1995 and is shipping SSL-enabled products. A number of customers are currently using these products for secure online communications and commerce.
• Phase 2: Build the infrastructure for PC-to-bank secure payments. Slated for the third quarter of 1995, this phase includes the publishing of the Secure Courier protocol specification and the licensing of Secure Courier to partners. This phase is designed to establish the infrastructure for increased security through a digital certificate and end-to-end encryption of financial transactions.
• Phase 3: Deliver products that include Secure Courier for end-to-end secure electronic payments. This final phase, planned for the fourth quarter of 1995, will include the deployment of commercially supported software for consumers, merchants, and financial service providers. With this software, financial transactions can be accepted, authorized, and cleared over the Internet with an increased level of security.

A reference implementation of Secure Courier is scheduled to be available before the end of the year, and will be free for non-commercial use and available for a nominal licensing fee by companies who want to use it in commercial products.

Secure Courier is fully compatible with SSL, an open security protocol that incorporates RSA Data Security technology for securing data communicationsacross networks. Supported by more than fifteen companies, SSL provides a straightforward method for adding strong security to existing applications and network infrastructures. More than six million people already have SSL-enabled products, which have been available since December 1994. SSLis application protocol-independent and provides encryption, which creates a secured channel to prevent others from tapping into the network; authentication, which uses certificates and digital signatures to verify the identity of parties in information exchanges and transactions; and message integrity, which ensures that messages cannot be altered en route. SSL will continue to be used to provide privacy, authentication, and data integrity for all types of transaction data on the Internet.

Netscape Communications Corporation is a premier provider of open software to enable people and companies to exchange information and conduct commerce over the Internet and other global networks. The company was founded in April 1994 by Dr. James H. Clark, founder of Silicon Graphics, Inc., a Fortune 500 computer systems company; and Marc Andreessen, creator of the NCSA Mosaic (tm) research prototype for the Internet. Privately held, Netscape Communications Corporation is based in Mountain View, California.

Additional information on Netscape Communications Corporation is available on the Internet at /, by sending email to info@netscape.com or by calling 415-528-2555.

Netscape Communications, the Netscape Communications logo, Netscape, and Secure Courier are trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation. All other product names are trademarks of their respective companies.