MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -- 08/14/08 --
For the first time, more than half of the
world's Internet users can wield a powerful weapon against e-criminals
determined to steal sensitive personal information, thanks to growing
global support for advanced security protections from VeriSign, Inc.
(NASDAQ: VRSN), the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services
for the networked world.
The latest versions of popular Web browsers Internet Explorer 7, Mozilla
Firefox 3 and Opera 9 last month between them achieved more than 50 percent
total market penetration worldwide. That means more than half of all
Internet users now can benefit from the anti-fraud protection provided by
VeriSign Extended Validation (EV) Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificates.
According to the latest Web browser market share report from Net
Applications, IE7 commands 47.1 percent of the browser market, while
Firefox 3 claims 5.7 percent, representing a total share of 52.8 percent.
EV SSL penetration has soared more than 500 percent from July 2007 through
July 2008, according to data gathered by Netcraft.
When an Internet user accessing the Web through one of these browsers
visits a site protected by VeriSign EV SSL Certificates, the address bar on
the browser turns green. The green address bar offers immediate reassurance
that the visitor has reached a site whose authenticity has been verified by
VeriSign. Nearly 6,000 Web sites already rely on VeriSign EV SSL
Certificates (including VeriSign®, GeoTrust®, and thawte® brand
Certificates) to thwart the efforts of identity thieves who use impostor
Web pages to steal passwords, credit card numbers, Social Security Numbers
and other vital personal data.
"The schemes cooked up by identity thieves to steal personal information
just keep growing more sophisticated, a troubling trend that makes advanced
protection like Extended Validation an essential part of any Web site's
security portfolio," said Tim Callan, vice president of SSL product
marketing at VeriSign. "We are pleased to see the browsers supporting EV
SSL have reached this crucial tipping point. As more users upgrade to these
latest browser versions, and as even more businesses deploy VeriSign EV SSL
Certificates, the number of consumers who find the welcome sight of the
green address bar will only continue to multiply."
By deploying VeriSign EV SSL Certificates, online banks, retailers and
other businesses help build trust and confidence among consumers by
offering them immediate and visible assurance that they are dealing with
the authentic e-commerce site that they intend to visit and not an impostor
site. In addition to the green address bar, the latest browsers also
display other visual cues, including a lock icon next to the address and a
new field that contains the name of the organization that owns the site as
well as the security provider that issued the certificate, such as
VeriSign. To learn more about VeriSign EV SSL, visit
http://www.verisign.com/EV-SSL.
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) is the trusted provider of Internet
infrastructure services for the networked world. Billions of times each
day, VeriSign helps companies and consumers all over the world engage in
communications and commerce with confidence. Additional news and
information about the company is available at www.verisign.com.
Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information
constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause
VeriSign's actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied
by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties
include, among others, the uncertainty of future revenue and profitability
and potential fluctuations in quarterly operating results due to such
factors as the inability of VeriSign to successfully develop and market new
products and services and customer acceptance of any new products or
services, including VeriSign EV SSL solutions; the possibility that
VeriSign's announced new services may not result in additional customers,
profits or revenues; and increased competition and pricing pressures. More
information about potential factors that could affect the company's
business and financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and quarterly
reports on Form 10-Q. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any of
the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.
©2008 VeriSign, Inc. All rights reserved. VeriSign, the VeriSign logo,
the checkmark circle, and other trademarks, service marks, and designs are
registered or unregistered trademarks of VeriSign, Inc., and its
subsidiaries in the United States and in foreign countries. All other
trademarks are property of their respective owners.
