Websense Acquires Defensio

PRESS RELEASE

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwire - January 27, 2009) - Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN) today announced the acquisition of Defensio, a technology platform focused on solving the problem of spam on the social Web. The acquisition immediately extends the content identification and classification capabilities of the Websense ThreatSeeker(tm) Network by providing visibility into spam posted as comments to social Web sites, including blogs, user forums and social networking sites. Websense will also enhance Defensio Web services so third-party Web 2.0 developers can embed Websense(r) content classification intelligence into their applications.

"This acquisition puts Websense years ahead of the security industry in Web 2.0 capabilities and intelligence," said Websense Chief Technology Officer Dan Hubbard. "We've already integrated Defensio intelligence into the ThreatSeeker(tm) Network, giving existing Websense customers broader protection from Web 2.0 security threats by making Websense products even more universal, accurate and effective. For example, Websense recently used Defensio-derived intelligence to detect that the popular presidential social networking Web site -- http://my.barackobama.com -- hosted links to malicious content within its user-generated blogs." Criminals are adding Web 2.0 sites to their arsenal to spread spam and malicious code, boost search engine rankings and drive phishing and fraud scams. According to Websense Security Labs(tm) research, more than 95 percent of all Web posts on blogs, forums and other sites are unwanted content such as spam and malicious content. Additionally, more than 70 percent of all Web spam and unwanted content is hosted on legitimate sites that allow user-generated content. "This technology acquisition extends our classification and identification abilities to these sources and helps Websense stay ahead of evolving threats. Defensio complements the capabilities of the Websense ThreatSeeker Network with adaptive algorithms. Websense also adds key security data enhancing Defensio." Commitment to Developer and User Communities Websense remains committed to the Defensio developer community and plans to support and enhance the platform for personal users, as well as for commercial use. The company also plans to continue to offer the comment spam filter at no charge for personal use, while offering a new six month commercial trial at no cost. "The combination of Defensio and Websense is a coup for Web 2.0 developers looking for strong anti-spam and security capabilities," said Carl Mercier, who founded Defensio and has joined Websense as director of software development. "Imagine if Web 2.0 developers could access an API so their applications could determine if user-generated content is malicious or unwanted -- without having to embed anything in their applications or products. We see strong potential to partner with social networking platforms, enterprises and hosting providers to enable advanced Web 2.0 security with the Defensio solution." For more information about Defensio visit http://www.defensio.com or http://www.websense.com/content/defensio. About Websense, Inc. Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN), a global leader in integrated Web, data and email security solutions, provides Essential Information Protection(tm) for more than 43 million employees at more than 50,000 organizations worldwide. Distributed through its global network of channel partners, Websense software and hosted security solutions help organizations block malicious code, prevent the loss of confidential information and enforce Internet use and security policies. For more information, visit http://www.websense.com/. Websense is a registered trademark of Websense, Inc. in the United States and certain international markets. Websense has numerous other registered and unregistered trademarks in the United States and internationally. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which, if they do not materialize or prove correct, could cause Websense's results to differ materially from historical results or those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including statements containing the words "planned," "expects," "believes," "strategy," "opportunity," "anticipates" and similar words. These statements may include, among others, plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements regarding future product offerings; statements of belief and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. The potential risks and uncertainties which contribute to the uncertain nature of these statements include, among others, risks relating to execution of growth initiatives, customer acceptance of the company's services, products and fee structures; the success of Websense's brand development efforts; the volatile and competitive nature of the Internet industry; changes in domestic and international market conditions and the entry into and development of international markets for the company's products; risks relating to intellectual property ownership; and the other risks and uncertainties described in Websense's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, available at http://www.sec.gov. Websense assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date on which it was made. MEDIA CONTACT: Cas Purdy Websense, Inc.