CHICAGO, April 3 /PRNewswire/ --

The Certification Authority/Browser Forum (CAB Forum), the author of the
guidelines for issuing Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificates, is pleased
to announce that approximately 5,000 EV SSL certificates have been deployed
by businesses and organizations worldwide(1) since the introduction of the
guidelines last June.

Extended Validation SSL certificates were introduced last year to help
businesses and organizations conducting e-commerce, e-banking or e-government
to reliably assert their identities to end-users and consumers. EV SSL
certificates are issued to entities that complete a rigorous validation
process that includes the following criteria:

-- Verified legal, physical and operational existence of the entity
    -- Verified identity of the entity matches official records
    -- Verified that the entity has exclusive right to use the domain
       specified in the EV Certificate
    -- Verified that the entity has properly authorized the issuance of the
       EV Certificate

EV SSL helps combat online scams such as phishing, in which legitimate
web sites are "spoofed" or faked and presented to consumers via e-mail
campaigns disguised as routine customer service. The unwitting consumers
submit personal data such as bank account information to the faked sites,
which appear authentic. These scams cost businesses and consumers millions of
dollars each year in fraud and lost time. The "extended validation" process
mitigates this scenario by requiring additional information to verify an
organization's identity, so only legitimate organizations can obtain an EV
SSL certificate.

The latest versions of the leading Internet browsers currently support EV
SSL by providing additional visual security indicators such as shading the
address bar green within a browser when consumers visit a web site that
leverages an EV SSL certificate. To a consumer, green means they can do
business on-line with confidence because the web site address displayed in
the browser address bar has been rigorously verified by one of the leading
certification authorities.

The Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA), an organization
whose mission is to foster the elimination of email and Internet fraud, abuse
and data intrusions thereby enhancing online trust, confidence and online
protection of businesses and consumers, issued a statement in January
endorsing Extended Validation SSL. According the AOTA, "EV certificates fill
the void left in SSL certification by validating that the endpoint is that
which it claims to be. Companies and individuals who adopt EV certificates
benefit from a higher level of authentication and increased consumer
confidence in online commercial transactions."

AOTA has recently published a list of brands that have adopted EV SSL,
which is comprised of 3,000 companies that have deployed approximately 5,000
certificates. The complete list can be viewed at:
http://www.aotalliance.org/resources/EV

(1) Data provided from the Netcraft Secure Server Survey Feb 2008 data

ADDITIONAL FACTS ABOUT EV SSL CERTIFICATES

Eligible Organizations: EV SSL certificates are available for all types
of businesses, including government entities and both incorporated and
unincorporated businesses.

Industry Certified: All certification authorities are required to undergo
an annual audit to ensure adherence to the EV issuance process.

Revocation: Improperly used EV certificates will be revoked quickly in
accordance with the guidelines.

About the Certification Authority/Browser Forum

The CAB Forum is a voluntary organization composed of leading
certification authorities and Internet browser suppliers. For more
information, visit http://www.cabforum.org.

Web site: http://www.trustwave.com