Online fraud, site spoofing, pharming and phishing are growing by leaps and bounds, and eroding consumer trust in online transaction security. The new Extended Validation SSL certificates help secure that trust and your reputation by:

• Enabling secure connections
• Establishing online business identity
• Helping to prevent fraud

What are Extended Validation SSL Certificates?

Extended Validation SSL certificates (also referred to as EV certificates) are the next generation of SSL certificate. These high assurance certificates provide a highly recognizable, very visible way for you to prove that your site has been verified as an authenticated business.

EV SSL certificates prove particularly useful for companies whose Internet domains are considered at a high risk of being targeted by phishing schemes and other types of Internet fraud. High-risk domains include domains owned by high-profile online financial services, banking sites, auction sites, popular retailers and other sites that conduct Internet transactions with customers that are likely to be targeted by Internet fraud.

Are you ready to own an Extended Validation SSL Certificate? Find out with our Pre-Issuance Readiness Check.

Security Consumers Can See.
All major browsers are integrating new displays to give consumers a way to see a distinct difference between conventionally-vetted sites and sites whose identity has been confirmed by these new EV certificates.

It displays color-coded notifications next to the address bar in the browser, changing the address bar to green for websites bearing the new certificates, indicating the site owner has completed extensive identity verification checks.

It will also change the address bar to red if the user is on a known phishing website.

Getting Your EV Certificates.
Any online business that can demonstrate their business identity according to the extended validation process can receive an EV SSL certificate. The vetting process is more comprehensive than today's vetting standards to prevent phishers and pharmers from getting this highly trusted new EV certificate. This way, consumers can be confident that the site they are connecting to is genuine and safe for transactions.

The new specifications for verifying identities for these new EV SSL certificates were finalized in late 2006. Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 is the first browser to display a distinctive EV signal. In IE7, the address bar turns "trust" green.

Click here to register for information on how you can subscribe to Cybertrust's managed PKI service that gives you the power to issue and manage EV SSL certificates in your community of users. You can also email us for more information.

If you are ready to buy a single EV SSL Certificate, click here.

Below are the top questions most people have about EV certificates. Please see our complete FAQ section for more information.

I know that EV verification processes are very comprehensive and, because of that, more costly than a standard EV SSL certificate. How do I know that I will want to spend that much?
Because it is difficult to overestimate the value of the trust placed in you by your customers and prospects, you will probably find the Cybertrust EV SSL Certificate price is money you will be happy to spend. But, if you want to prove the value to yourself before purchasing multiple certificates, Cybertrust's EV SSL Starter Kit will let you perform a Try It and You Will Like It trial. With the Starter Kit, if you purchase a single EV SSL Certificate, and you find within a year that you like it, you will be able to purchase additional EV SSL Certificates without undergoing the inconvenience of further EV validation processes.

I am a current CorporateSSL customer. If I want to upgrade my unissued standard SSL certificates to EV SSL Certificates, will I have to revoke my old certificates and lose the money I spent on them?
Not at all. Cybertrust will credit 100% of the value of the unexpended certificates toward the purchase of CorporateSSL EV certificates. Be sure to ask your account representative how this works.

What is the change-over process, and can I change providers?
Changing providers is not only possible, it's quite simple. Whether your organization is a new or an existing customer, Cybertrust will provide step by step guidance to assure success in obtaining EV certificates. Your existing certificate provider is prevented from using any information it knows about you to shortcut the issuance of an EV certificate, so the switch to EV is an opportunity to try another issuer.

Will companies require new EV certificates? Is there a timeframe around the switchover?
Consumers, not companies, will demand that all websites that do business on the Internet have EV certificates. When consumers realize that EV Certificates create certain proof that they are connected to the site that they intended, they will migrate away from transactions with businesses that use weak certificates.

At the end of January 2007, Microsoft released its new Vista operating system. Internet Explorer 7 browsers on Vista will display the green and red bars described above. From now on, consumer behavior will encourage your business to beat or meet your competitor's ability to visibly prove your concern for the security of your customers and partners.

Does this change the "lock" symbol designation?
Internet Explorer 7 on Vista continues to display the familiar lock symbol, which has now moved from the bottom tool bar to a space right next to the Web address field. As before, clicking the lock symbol will reveal the details about the certificate function properties and issues.

Will certificate provider names be shown in the toolbar?
When the IE7 address bar turns green, a field immediately to the right of the address bar will toggle between the name of the certificate issuer and the business that owns the site found by the browser.

What It Means To Your Business.
The impact of Extended Validation certificates on your business can be summed up in one word: TRUST.

Trust directly translates to revenue that you cannot afford to lose if consumers lose confidence in the security of your site. The new EV certificates are one of the biggest improvements in your ability to create trust online because users can get browser confirmation of your identity. For the first time, EV provides a uniform vetting standard for all certification authorities so that consumers will be able to make reliable risk assessment decisions about which online merchants to do business with.