VeriSign adopts Surety Technologies' electronic record authentication system to safeguard digital IDs

Business Wire, Sept 30, 1996

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 30, 1996--Surety Technologies announced today that VeriSign Inc., the leading company in issuing digital IDs for the Internet, has chosen Surety's proprietary Digital Notary(TM) Record Authentication Service for safeguarding its customers' electronic identifications.

VeriSign will use the Digital Notary Service, an electronic data validation system created to prevent electronic records from being altered without detection, to certify its digital IDs against tampering. This will help authenticate the identity of parties in electronic transactions, including electronic commerce, contracts and communication.

"Using Surety's Digital Notary Service continues our commitment to providing the highest quality and most secure services to individuals and companies doing business on the Internet," said Stratton Sclavos, CEO of VeriSign, which is a spinoff of RSA Data Security.

VeriSign's Digital IDs use state-of-the-art cryptographic techniques to bind the identity of a person or entity to a unique mathematical key, providing a trusted means of authenticating the identity of each party in an electronic transaction. They are used for identification and authorization purposes in a manner similar to conventional forms of identification, such as a drivers license and passports.

Surety's Digital Notary Service provides the electronic equivalent of a notary stamp. It is used to "certify" and "seal" any digital record (including e-mail) in content and time in such a way that it can later be proved incontestably that a given record or image is the one created when claimed and not altered after the fact. At the same time, it attaches a unique and secure serial number for tracking and control purposes.

"We are delighted that VeriSign has selected Surety to ensure the highest levels of integrity for its digital IDs," said Scott Stornetta, CEO of Surety. "It is another sign of the growing demand for digital authentication of electronic documents and transactions, and it is a strong endorsement of the key role that our Digital Notary Service can play in underpinning that security."

Surety Technologies, based in Chatham, N.J., has received exclusive rights from Bellcore to develop and license commercial products based on the Digital Notary Service technology. Their web site is located at http://www.surety.com.

VeriSign Inc., based in Mountain View, CA, specializes in products and services that permit deployment and adoption of secure electronic commerce solutions. The company recently signed an agreement with Netscape Communications Corp. offering digital IDs to Netscape users seeking security for performing transactions or gaining access to private of paid-for information on the Internet. -0-

Digital Notary is a registered trademark and Surety Technologies is a trademark of Surety Technologies, Inc.

Editor's Note: There is an "at" symbol after "102262.2624," in the E-mail address below. This symbol may not appear properly in some systems.

CONTACT: Surety Technologies Inc.

Linda Muskin, 847/291-1616 ext. 275

102262.2624@compuserve.com