Santa Clara, Calif. — October 21, 2002 - Sanctum, Inc., the established leader in Web application security software, today announced a partnership with F5 Networks, Inc. [NASDAQ: FFIV], the leading provider of Application Traffic Management products. Together, Sanctum and F5 will provide customers with the first networking solution that facilitates Web application security enforcement to ensure the security, availability and performance of mission-critical Internet servers and Web applications. Built on patented technology, Sanctum's application firewall, AppShield™, monitors application traffic and enforces authorized behavior 24/7 without the need for signatures or rules. F5's BIG-IP Application Traffic Management device continuously monitors each server to ensure availability and performance, routing incoming queries to the most available server. Through F5's open iControl™ API, the integration of AppShield and the BIG-IP device enables users to automatically and intelligently ensure high performance and optimal efficiency of network and security services.

Until now, traffic management has not addressed the growing Web application security threat. With 80 percent of cyber attacks targeted at the Web application, and with dynamic Web sites growing in size and complexity, Web application security has become a higher priority in the enterprise. The integration of and automatic configuration between F5's BIG-IP device and Sanctum's AppShield will save considerable administrative costs and ensure faster time-to-market for overall site deployment. Advanced health checking capabilities provide increased throughput, reduced latency and overall improved site stability in a highly secure environment.

"BIG-IP's new Dynamic Security Control Architecture (DSCA) relies on the expertise of specialized security devices and acts on their behalf. F5 recognizes that application security presents a serious and ongoing threat and the BIG-IP solution's centralized security structure is designed to thoroughly address these threats," said Jim Ritchings, vice president of Business Development at F5 Networks. "With Sanctum's long-standing leadership in advancing Web application security, AppShield provides an excellent frontline defense for automatically and intelligently enforcing authorized application behavior and communicating threats to BIG-IP."

"Through our partnership, F5's BIG-IP solution now can address application security to ensure businesses have a failsafe defense in place," said Gili Raanan, senior vice president of Products at Sanctum. "By seamlessly integrating into new and existing F5 deployments, customers can achieve high speed performance without compromising application-level security."

About AppShield
Based on a positive security model, AppShield is the most advanced application firewall available in the market, providing a failsafe defense against application-level breaches. Through its patented Dynamic Policy Recognition Engine (DPRE) technology, AppShield automatically and intelligently identifies the legitimate requests made of an e-business site and permits only those actions to take place, enforcing the Web and business logic of the site.

About F5 Networks
F5 Networks is the leader in Internet Traffic Management (ITM) and delivers application aware networks through its open Internet Control Architecture. F5 features the industry's leading set of integrated products and services that manage, control and optimize Internet traffic and content. Our solutions automatically and intelligently deliver the best possible Internet performance and availability for service providers, enterprises and e-businesses. Our products remove bandwidth congestion and optimize the availability and speed of mission-critical Internet servers and applications, including web publishing, content delivery, e-commerce, caching, firewalls and more. Our solutions are widely deployed in large enterprises, the top service providers, financial institutions, government agencies, healthcare, and portals throughout the world. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, and has offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. F5 Networks is located on the web at www.f5.com.

About Sanctum, Inc. (www.SanctumInc.com)
Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., Sanctum, Inc. is the recognized leader for Web application security solutions. Sanctum software solutions provide automatic enforcement of intended business processes, ensuring the protection of core information and data. By detecting and defending against any unauthorized behavior, Sanctum protects customers against malicious cybercriminal activity—from theft of intellectual property and customer data, to e-commerce fraud and Web site defacement—even if a site has unknown security holes or flaws. Sanctum's solutions complete a company's security infrastructure, assure regulatory compliance and create sustainable ROI. Sanctum's customers include industry leaders in finance, retailing, healthcare, government and telecommunications. Privately held, Sanctum is funded by blue-chip venture capital firms and industry leaders including Sprout Group, Dell, Gemini Israel Funds, Fidelity Ventures, Wachovia Strategic Ventures Group, Mofet Israel Technology Fund and Walden Israel. For more information, visit www.SanctumInc.com or contact the Company directly at (408) 352-2000.

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Dara Sklar or Tara Dugan
Schwartz Communications, Inc.
(415) 512-0770
[email protected]