SAN FRANCISCO -- VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the leading provider of intelligent infrastructure for the networked world, today announced that more than 400 leading companies have registered for its Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates, which help protect users against online fraudulent activity by providing third party verification of a Web site’s authenticity. The certificates will allow businesses such as Overstock.com, PayPal, Charles Schwab, Travelocity, and many others to provide consumers with a visual cue – the "green" address bar in the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Web browser – on Web pages where EV certificates are deployed to help assure them the site they are visiting truly represents the legitimate business it claims to be, and that their online transactions will be safely encrypted.

VeriSign EV SSL Certificates enable Microsoft Internet Explorer 7, running on the Vista operating system, to indicate which sites have undergone Extended Validation. Furthermore, VeriSign is offering EV Upgrader, which enables all supported platforms of Internet Explorer 7, including Windows XP, to display the same green address bar and other interface enhancements that indicate a Web site’s identity has been verified. The address bar in Internet Explorer 7 will also display the registered organization’s name and the name of the EV SSL provider, which allows site visitors to confirm the genuine name of the businesses with whom they are interacting. VeriSign EV SSL Certificates are backward compatible with all earlier browsers and operating systems that support SSL.

“It takes an industry-wide effort to help protect users and boost their confidence in sharing sensitive data online,” said Gary Schare, director of Internet Explorer Product Management at Microsoft Corp. “Internet Explorer 7 is the first browser to fully support Extended Validation SSL Certificates, and we’re happy to be working with VeriSign and other certification authorities to bring this solution to users.”

VeriSign Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN)