Accelerated Technology's Nucleus Cipher AES to Support Growth of E-Commerce and Help Secure the Digital Economy

MOBILE, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 6, 2003--Accelerated Technology(R), the Embedded Systems Division of Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq:MENT), today announced the release of the Nucleus(R) Cipher Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), a software plug-in to the Nucleus Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). Using the Nucleus Cipher AES software in conjunction with the Nucleus SSL, developers have a software library that provides increased security for building embedded data transaction applications.

Security is at the forefront of everyone's mind due to the apparent regularity with which hackers break into vital business and government systems. Increasingly, embedded systems are being networked together and often placed on the Internet itself. As a result, many of the security concerns that have historically been centered on PCs, mini-computers and mainframes are now felt in the embedded market. The Nucleus SSL software, providing for encryption and authentication, has addressed exactly these concerns for the past two years.

AES is the latest encryption standard adopted by the United States government as a new technique to be used to protect computerized information. AES is the result of a four-year competitive process and was selected from among five finalists. AES is intended to replace an older data encryption standard (DES) and is expected to become a widely used cipher, or encoded character, for securing data transactions. In addition to the government, it is expected that the standard will be widely adopted by businesses, particularly financial institutions.

The Nucleus Cipher AES increases the security level of Nucleus SSL. The Nucleus Cipher AES provides 128bit and 256bit encryption levels. The Nucleus Cipher AES is provided in source code form, as is the Nucleus SSL software, and plugs seamlessly into Nucleus SSL, making it easy for existing Nucleus SSL customers to adopt the new cipher. Together, the Nucleus SSL and the Nucleus Cipher AES software can be used to secure a developer's applications, or they can be combined with the Nucleus WebServ embedded Web server allowing an embedded device to host a secure Web site. This is important for those devices managed or configured remotely via the Web. For example, an embedded alarm system could be monitored remotely via Internet Explorer and yet remain secure by using the Nucleus SSL and the Nucleus Cipher AES software.

"In the future, virtually all embedded systems will be networked because it greatly increases the system's value. However, the vulnerability of a network is of great concern," said Robert Day, director of marketing, Mentor Graphics Embedded Systems Division. "This is why the Nucleus SSL and the Nucleus Cipher AES software are so important to the embedded market. These protocols can be used to secure any networked embedded system. In addition, the source code, non-royalty business model of the Nucleus software makes the technology affordable for the vast majority of embedded projects."

Pricing and Availability

Available now, licenses for the Nucleus Cipher AES start at U.S. $2,995. For more information, please contact Accelerated Technology at 800-468-6853 or info@acceleratedtechnology.com.

About Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq:MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world's most successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of about $650 million and employs approximately 3,500 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777; Silicon Valley headquarters are located at 1001 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, California 95131-2314. World Wide Web site: www.mentor.com.

Accelerated Technology, Embedded Systems Division of Mentor Graphics Corporation, is located in Mobile, Alabama, with sales offices and distributors worldwide. By providing embedded systems developers with a focus on service, well-documented source code and industry-leading non-royalty-based Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) software, AT's RTOS software shortens time-to-market and provides a complete solution for engineers. For more information, please visit www.acceleratedtechnology.com or e-mail us at info@acceleratedtechnology.com.

Mentor Graphics, Accelerated Technology and Nucleus are registered trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Mentor Graphics/Accelerated Technology
             Jennifer Tanveer, 251-661-5770, ext. 5032
             jennifer_tanveer@mentor.com
             or
             Mentor Graphics
             Suzanne Graham, 503-685-7789
             suzanne_graham@mentor.com