CLEVELAND -- New Dotfuscator 3.0 and Dash0 3.2 also contain features for protecting code from reverse engineering, improving code efficiency and reducing program size of applications

PreEmptive Solutions, the leading provider of advanced code protection tools for Microsoft .NET Framework-based and Java based applications, today announced the availability of Dotfuscator Professional Edition Version 3.0 and DashO 3.2. The newest versions allow customers to produce the most secure and efficient applications built for the Microsoft .NET Framework and the Java Platform.

Intellectual property protection and code security are of paramount importance to all organizations that rely on software to achieve business objectives. PreEmptive's DashO and Dotfuscator tools protect software against hackers attempting to steal intellectual property and programming secrets or find security holes in applications. Via its new digital code watermarking feature, Dotfuscator and DashO now add an additional layer of protection against copying and unauthorized use.

"The recent news reports about personal identification information potentially being stolen by Internet hackers underscores the need for greater investment in software and data security," says PreEmptive Solutions President Gabriel Torok. "Digital watermarking applications is one of the newer responses the software industry to improve our ability to fight back against those who would use the Internet for pirating sensitive individual and corporate applications."

Both Dotfuscator and DashO's new software digital watermarking feature can be used to hide customer identification or copyright information into software applications, similar to how it can be hidden in other digital content such as songs, movies and images. A digital watermark can be used to identify rightful owners of the software or track the origin of a pirated copy.

Dotfuscator Professional Edition is designed to provide the greatest protection and to create the most compact and efficient .NET Framework-based applications. Rather than shipping entire library files with an application, Dotfuscator's new assembly linking feature allows users to package only the minimum bits that are needed by the application to run. Assembly linking can eliminate tremendous inefficiencies that occur when entire library files are shipped with a new application because only a fraction of the functionality is required.

"Building a secure and efficient application is becoming increasingly important to developers," said Prashant Sridharan, senior product manager of the Developer and Platform Evangelism Division at Microsoft Corp. "By incorporating code security into the development life cycle, PreEmptive's Dotfuscator will be of great value to our mutual customers."

"In particular, we need to obfuscate for export reasons. Obfuscation makes code more secure by making it more difficult to decipher the meaning of its components," says Brad Wetmore, a lead developer at Sun Microsystems who uses DashO-Pro for the JCE and JSSE core libraries.

PreEmptive's Dotfuscator Professional for .NET and DashO Professional for Java protect programs against hackers attempting to steal intellectual property or find security holes in a program. Important features include: Pruning, Control Flow Obfuscation, String Encryption, Watermarking, and Incremental Obfuscation. The benefits include superior intellectual property protection, decreased application size, and better program performance.

Pricing and availability

PreEmptive's Dotfuscator Professional Edition and DashO Professional Edition are both available immediately from PreEmptive at http://www.preemptive.com. Pricing starts at $1,495 per user with quantity discounts available. A free trial version is also available.

About PreEmptive Solutions

Founded in 1995, PreEmptive Solutions is the leading provider of advanced Java and .NET obfuscation tools giving unprecedented protection, optimization and size reduction. PreEmptive's Dotfuscator and DashO(TM) Family of Products help secure and improve the efficiency of .NET and Java code. Further information can be found at http://www.preemptive.com or by calling (216) 732-5895.

Microsoft, Visual Studio and MSDN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. PreEmptive Solutions and Dotfuscator are either registered trademarks or trademarks of PreEmptive Solutions Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.