New DoS Service Level Agreement to Help Companies Strengthen Their Defense Against Internet Threats and Attacks.

MCI (WCOEQ, MCWEQ) today announced it has introduced the industry's first Denial of Service (DoS) Service Level Agreement (SLA) to help Internet customers better thwart and defend against Internet threats and attacks. The new SLA ensures that all MCI Internet customers will have immediate access to MCI's award-winning security staff to help them rapidly address and mitigate Internet attacks, providing the strongest network security protection available.

MCI's DoS performance guarantee automatically extends its SLAs at no additional cost to customers. The new SLA is being applied across all MCI Internet Protocol (IP) services including dedicated and remote Internet access, IP VPN Dedicated and Remote, and Internet Colocation, Shared and single-server Dedicated Hosting.

"MCI's experience operating IP networks along with its advanced network monitoring and management capabilities enable the Company to provide the strongest security defense for our customers," said Sara Santarelli, MCI vice president of network security. "Our new SLA gives customers greater peace of mind, knowing that MCI will help them stop Internet threats and attacks, while further demonstrating our commitment and ability to making the Internet a safer place for the greater Internet community."

MCI guarantees its response to suspected DoS attacks within 15 minutes of a customer-generated trouble ticket through MCI Customer Support. MCI's Security team works hand-in-hand with customers to determine and implement the necessary steps to quickly mitigate the security threat. MCI is the first and only service provider to develop and initially utilize and implement a set of highly effective anti-DoS network tools and techniques, enabling its Security team to quickly trace and stop potential attacks.

One of the first companies to take advantage of MCI's new SLA is Ask Jeeves, Inc(R). As the Web's second most popular search engine, Ask Jeeves receives more than 19.5 million unique users monthly and relies solely on its Internet presence to provide consumers with authoritative and fast ways to find relevant information to their everyday searches.

"MCI's new DoS SLA is an enormous step forward for the entire industry," said Dayne Sampson, vice president of Information Technology for Ask Jeeves. "MCI has set the bar for other providers, as it commits to effectively responding to suspected DoS attacks within minutes of their start. As a company under daily attack, MCI represents a critical component in our Internet security defense-enabling Ask Jeeves to seamlessly conduct business 24 hours a day."

Recognized as a leader in the area of mitigating DoS attacks by the SANS Institute, MCI is the 2003 recipient of two key Information Security Leadership Awards in the Internet Service Provider (ISP) category. MCI received the Award for Leadership in Mitigating Denial of Service Attacks for its proactive efforts in developing new and aggressive techniques to identify and block Distributed Denial of Service attacks (DDOS) against its customers. MCI also received the Award for Leadership in Rapid Response to Worm Activity for its quick and decisive work in decoding and halting the CodeRed and SQLSlammer worms.

In addition to focusing on the protection of MCI's networks, MCI works closely with U.S. government organizations and third-party security groups focused on the protection of the nation's critical infrastructure. These organizations include: National Security and Telecommunications Advisory Counsel (NSTAC); FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC); National Communications System; The System Administration, Networking and Security Institute (SANS Institute); and CERT(R) Coordination Center.

About WorldCom, Inc.

WorldCom, Inc. (WCOEQ, MCWEQ), which, together with its subsidiaries, currently conducts business under the MCI brand name, is a leading global communications provider, delivering innovative, cost-effective, advanced communications connectivity to businesses, governments and consumers. With the industry's most expansive global IP backbone, based on the number of company-owned points-of-presence (POPs), and wholly-owned data networks, WorldCom develops the converged communications products and services that are the foundation for commerce and communications in today's market. For more information, go to WorldCom.