SSH Communications Security, an award-winning developer of Internet security technologies, today announced SSH Secure Shell for Handhelds, the industrys first Secure Shell application for wireless platforms. Based on the widely-accepted EPOC operating system for wireless communications, this new Secure Shell product brings the industrys leading password and authentication protection to mobile and handheld devices such as PDAs and mobile phones.

SSH Secure Shell for Handhelds is the first security application to protect IP-based communication over wireless devices, such as e-mail and Internet access, by running terminal emulation and port forwarding for remote system administration and password/public key authentication. Each time a wireless connection is made, SSH Secure Shell for Handhelds stores the authentication settings to a protected file that includes user, port and server identification.

According to Tatu Ylönen, founder, chairman and CTO of SSH, "The market for reliable, impenetrable wireless security is growing at a phenomenal rate. Business and consumer users increasingly rely on mobile devices for day-to-day communications and need the assurance that these interactions are secure. SSH Secure Shell for Handhelds is the first product in the market to meet these challenges head-on by protecting communications where theyre most vulnerable at the password level."

SSH Secure Shell for Handhelds is the result of a strategic partnership between SSH and Symbian, the leading software platform provider for Wireless Information Devices. According to GartnerGroups Dataquest, Symbians licensees, such as Nokia and Ericsson, accounted for over 70 percent of the total mobile phone market in 20001.

An Established Leader in Internet Security
SSH has been a pioneer in the development of mobile and wireless Internet security since 1998. The company was responsible for analyzing the security of WTLS (Wireless Transport Layer Security), the security mechanism of WAP. In 1999, SSH partnered with Sonera SmartTrust to develop solutions for secure mobile e-commerce and wireless Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). SSH, along with other Finnish companies, also initiated a research project for wireless value-added services co-financed by Finnish National Technology Agency, Tekes. At the beginning of 2000 SSH introduced the first IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) toolkit optimized for Internet appliances, such as handheld network devices.