Go Daddy Supports a Rigorous New Extended Validation SSL

November 3, 2006; 02:42 AM

GoDaddy.com® and other industry leaders comprising the CA/Browser Forum are working together to combat phishing and improve online security. Go Daddy® is supporting a new standard for an enhanced type of digital certificate – the Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificate. An SSL Certificate is a digital credential that authenticates the identity of a Web site and encrypts information via Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology.

“Go Daddy is proud to be part of a prestigious group committed to making the Internet safe for everyone,” said Bob Parsons, founder and CEO of GoDaddy.com, the world’s largest domain name registrar and a leading SSL provider. “We support a standard enabling more secure transactions, further legitimizing online business and better helping to prevent fraud for all Internet users.”

Phishing criminals have become increasingly sophisticated and it is often difficult for average Web users to tell if they have been led into dangerous Internet territory. On average, Americans suffered more than $2,500 in individual losses stemming from Internet fraud last year, according to a report from the National Fraud Information Center.

The new EV SSL Certificate guidelines are pending final approval by the Forum and will establish criteria for Certification Authorities (CA) in issuing, maintaining and revoking SSL Certificates for use in e-commerce. Among many important criteria, the next generation of Internet browsers will clearly display certificate identity information at all times. This will help consumers determine if they have been redirected to a phony or scam version of a popular site.

The EV SSL specifications strengthen the vetting process including verification of an applicant’s legal and physical existence, identity, and place of business. The right to use a domain name and that an entity has authorized the issuance of an EV SSL is also verified.

The CA/Browser Forum members developing the new specifications comprise recognized leaders in the Internet community including Certification Authorities, the American Bar Association Information Security Committee and Internet browser software developers including Microsoft®, Mozilla®, Opera® and KDE®.

For more information about the CA/Browser Forum and the Extended Validation SSL Certificate, visit: www.cabforum.org. For more information and to sign up to be notified when EV SSL certificates become available early next year, visit: https://www.godaddy.com/gdshop/ssl/extend.asp.

About The Go Daddy Group, Inc.
Go Daddy® is a leading provider of services that enable individuals and businesses to establish, maintain and evolve an online presence. Go Daddy provides a variety of domain name registration and Web site hosting services, as well as a broad array of on-demand and other services. The Go Daddy Group, Inc. has more than 16.6 million domain names under management. GoDaddy.com is the world's No. 1 domain name registrar according to Name Intelligence, Inc. GoDaddy.com is also rated the world's largest hostname provider according to Netcraft® Ltd. During the first half of 2006, The Go Daddy Group registered approximately one-third of all domain names registered in the top five generic top-level domains, or gTLDs, including .com, .net, .org, .biz and .info.