Level 3 Acquires DDoS Mitigation Company Black Lotus

Acquisition Enhances Level 3's Security Product Portfolio

BROOMFIELD, Colo., July 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Global telecommunications provider Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT), announced it acquired privately held Black Lotus, a provider of global Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) mitigation services. The acquisition of Black Lotus represents another step in Level 3's continued commitment to provide leading security product capabilities. Level 3 noted the increase in frequency, volume and complexity of DDoS attacks in a recent research report, Safeguarding the Internet: Level 3 Botnet Research Report, substantiating the need to invest in the DDoS market.

New DDoS Capabilities

The acquisition of Black Lotus will add additional capabilities to Level 3's existing DDoS service, which launched earlier in the year, including adding extra scrubbing centers. The Level 3 DDoS Mitigation service provides an enhanced network-based detection and mitigation scrubbing solution alongside network routing, rate limiting and IP filtering abilities. Black Lotus adds proxy-based DDoS mitigation services to the portfolio providing additional capabilities for application layer attacks, along with advanced behavioral analytics technology. The application layer is a prime target for DDoS attacks that often impact Web servers and Web hosting providers.

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"At Level 3, we value security and are committed to protecting our customers and our network," said Chris Richter, senior vice president of managed security services at Level 3. "Black Lotus' proxy and behavioral technologies, combined with their experienced team of DDoS experts, perfectly complements Level 3's DDoS mitigation and threat intelligence capabilities. With this acquisition, Level 3 continues its commitment of investing in a comprehensive portfolio of services that enhance the growth, efficiency and security of our customers' operations, helping enterprises combat the cybersecurity challenges they face every day."

Transaction Details

Level 3 acquired the outstanding equity of Black Lotus in an all-cash transaction on July 1, 2015. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Level 3 Communications

Level 3 Communications, Inc. (NYSE: LVLT) is a Fortune 500 company that provides local, national and global communications services to enterprise, government and carrier customers. Level 3's comprehensive portfolio of secure, managed solutions includes fiber and infrastructure solutions; IP-based voice and data communications; wide-area Ethernet services; video and content distribution; data center and cloud-based solutions. Level 3 serves customers in more than 500 markets in over 60 countries across a global services platform anchored by owned fiber networks on three continents and connected by extensive undersea facilities. For more information, please visit www.level3.com or get to know us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

© Level 3 Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Level 3, Level 3 Communications, Level (3) and the Level 3 Logo are either registered service marks or service marks of Level 3 Communications, LLC and/or one of its Affiliates in the United States and elsewhere. Any other service names, product names, company names or logos included herein are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Level 3 services are provided by subsidiaries of Level 3 Communications, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statement

Some statements made in this press release are forward-looking in nature and are based on management's current expectations or beliefs. These forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of performance and are subject to a number of uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside Level 3's control, which could cause actual events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. Important factors that could prevent Level 3 from achieving its stated goals include, but are not limited to, the company's ability to: successfully integrate the tw telecom acquisition; manage risks associated with continued uncertainty in the global economy; increase revenue from its services to realize its targets for financial and operating performance; maintain and increase traffic on its network; develop and maintain effective business support systems; manage system and network failures or disruptions; avert the breach of its network and computer system security measures; develop new services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; manage the future expansion or adaptation of its network to remain competitive; defend intellectual property and proprietary rights; manage continued or accelerated decreases in market pricing for communications services; obtain capacity for its network from other providers and interconnect its network with other networks on favorable terms; attract and retain qualified management and other personnel; successfully integrate future acquisitions; effectively manage political, legal, regulatory, foreign currency and other risks it is exposed to due to its substantial international operations; mitigate its exposure to contingent liabilities; and meet all of the terms and conditions of its debt obligations. Additional information concerning these and other important factors can be found within Level 3's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important factors. Level 3 is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any such obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Contact Information

Media: Investors: Ashley Pritchard Mark Stoutenberg + 720-888-5950 +1 720-888-2518 ashley.pritchard@level3.com mark.stoutenberg@level3.com

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SOURCE Level 3 Communications, Inc.