Northeast Utilities Selects Counterpane Internet Security for Managed Security Services

Fortune 500 Energy Leader to Use Counterpane's Enterprise Protection Suite to Bolster its Security Infrastructure

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., January 21, 2004 - Counterpane Internet Security, Inc., the leader in Network Security Services, today announced that Northeast Utilities (NYSE: NU) has selected Counterpane's Enterprise Protection Suite to support its security infrastructure. Northeast Utilities, a Fortune 500 diversified energy company located in Connecticut with operations throughout the Northeast, will use Counterpane's security monitoring and managed vulnerability scanning services to increase its level of protection against hacker attacks and system vulnerabilities and as part of its compliance strategy with current and future cyber security requirements and government regulations.

Northeast Utilities operates New England's largest utility system and through its competitive and regulated subsidiaries, it provides a full range of energy products and services to millions of residential and business customers from Maine to Maryland. From delivering electricity and natural gas, to marketing energy commodities, to operating and maintaining power plant facilities, Northeast Utilities is committed to safety, reliability and expanding consumers' energy options.

"With more than 2 million electric and natural gas customers in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts and as one of the leading energy marketing firms in New England, we have a complex network that extends to partners on both the regulated and competitive sides of the energy business," said Bob Ciurylo, manager of IT Security at Northeast Utilities. "The critical information safeguarded in our systems makes it particularly important that our networks be constantly monitored against security attacks in a cost-effective manner. For example, the Information Technology systems of our competitive retail business, Select Energy, requires an interface with over 50 separate local electric and gas distribution companies to handle the metering, tracking and billing of gas and electric commodity sales. By outsourcing selected security functions to Counterpane, we are leveraging their security expertise and breadth of knowledge regarding network vulnerabilities, and enabling our IT staff to focus on other core IT operations critical to our business."

Counterpane's Enterprise Protection Suite of services provides customers in the energy sector with a single-source for complete network security. Counterpane leverages a customer's existing security IT investments and through a powerful combination of unmatched monitoring technology and proven expertise, it provides the most cost-effective and complete protection of security infrastructures. For Northeast Utilities, Counterpane will be monitoring network security devices including firewalls and intrusion detection systems as well as critical IT assets inside the perimeter to prevent attacks from disrupting business operations. It will also conduct vulnerability scanning across both Northeast Utilities' regulated and non-regulated businesses.

"Our relationship with Northeast Utilities is a testament to the reliability, strength and benefits of our services in critical environments," said Paul Stich, president and CEO of Counterpane. "Organizations in the energy sector are constantly faced with the pressure to extend business processes within tight operating, capital and regulatory constraints. The impact of power outages further accentuates the need for advanced protection of these critical energy infrastructures. For years, Counterpane has been providing customers with the most effective risk mitigation along with guaranteed protection of their critical assets. We are pleased to work with Northeast Utilities to extend these benefits to them."

About Counterpane

Counterpane is the recognized leader in Network Security Services, providing customers with a single source for complete network security. Counterpane mitigates network disruptions caused by both internal and external attacks, human error and regulatory compliance demands so customers can focus on running their businesses. As enterprises extend their networks to suppliers, remote offices, partners and customers around the world, Counterpane protects critical assets and optimizes network security by preventing attacks as they happen in real-time using 30,000 unique event rules developed for 300 supported devices. Counterpane's Enterprise Protection Suite of complementary managed security services includes Managed Security Monitoring, Vulnerability Scanning, Device Management, Active Response and Security Consulting Services. The company is privately held and headquartered in Mountain View, CA.

###

Counterpane is a trademark of Counterpane Internet Security, Inc. All other companies, brand names or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.