AICPA Announces That Digital Signature Trust Adopts WebTrust Standards for Certification Authorities and Receives WebTrust Seal From Ernst & Young

Business Wire, April 12, 2001

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 12, 2001

DST's TrustID Sponsored by American Bankers Association as Preferred

Digital Certificate for ABA Member Institutions

Compliance With WebTrust Standards Adds Comfort for ABA Members

and Online Merchants

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) announced today that Digital Signature Trust (DST), a leading Certification Authority (CA) and affiliate of Zions Bancorporation (NASDAQ: ZION), has adopted the standards of the WebTrust Program for Certification Authorities and been awarded a WebTrust Seal by Ernst & Young LLP.

"The standards of the WebTrust Program for Certification Authorities add an additional blanket of trust to digital certificates -- the CPA independently examines the Certification Authority against the WebTrust standards, helping the CA align its business with the benchmark for good business practices in the process," said Anthony Pugliese, Vice President of Member Innovation at the AICPA. "The WebTrust program is significant because it harmonizes the American Standards Institute's X9.79 PKI standards used by CAs with the rigorous, measurable principles and criteria developed by the accounting profession for CAs. This collaborative development has enabled widespread implementation and acceptance of WebTrust as the new industry standard for CAs."

"In the fast-growing world of e-business, trust is everything," said Scott Lowry, president and CEO of Digital Signature Trust. "At DST, creating, fostering and maintaining trust for our digital certificate clients is at the core of everything we do. The WebTrust Program for Certification Authorities set the benchmark for CAs. By achieving and exceeding the stringent WebTrust standards, and demonstrating that DST complies with them through an independent audit by Ernst & Young, we can guarantee the security, confidentiality and trust of every DST digital certificate."

DST's TrustID program is sponsored exclusively and recommended by the American Bankers Association as the preferred digital certificate program for ABA member institutions and other online merchants.

"We applaud DST for receiving the WebTrust for Certification Authorities Seal," said Donald G. Ogilvie, executive vice president, American Bankers Association. "With more unknown Certification Authorities entering the market, banks need assurance that they are dealing with reliable, trustworthy companies. The fact that DST has been independently examined by Ernst & Young gives our members the added comfort that DST has taken the necessary steps to ensure the security and reliability of the digital certificates issued to and used by our members."

Developed jointly by the AICPA and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), the WebTrust Program for Certification Authorities establishes universal standards for the issuance of digital certificates so that users of these certificates can feel confident that the certificate is valid, credible and trustworthy. These standards surrounding security, confidentiality, authentication, integrity and nonrepudiation are designed to increase confidence in the public key infrastructure (PKI) used by Certification Authorities.

"We believe that by complying with the WebTrust for CAs standards and receiving the WebTrust seal, DST is clearly establishing the benchmark for reliability in providing public key technology-based services, particularly for financial institutions that belong to the ABA," adds Pugliese.

Ernst & Young LLP conducted a thorough examination of DST's business practices, controls and procedures against the WebTrust standards.

According to Joe Schubert, partner at Ernst & Young, "DST is one of the select few companies that has been able to meet the rigorous requirements of the WebTrust Program for Certification Authorities."

According to the Aberdeen Group, a Boston-based research firm, the number of global companies using digital certificates will surge from 30 percent in 2001 to 98 percent by 2003. Equally important, on October 1, 2000, the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act, or E-Sign, went into effect, giving electronic signatures the same legal standing as their paper-and-pen counterparts. Both the widespread use of digital certificates and the expected exponential growth in use of electronic signatures are expected to increase the demand among users for independent verification of the organizations that issue them.

About DST

Digital Signature Trust (DST) is the leader in guaranteeing the identity of individuals and businesses in digital transactions. By backing the strongest identity authentication practices with the industry's leading identity warranty program, DST provides the highest level of risk management available for private and trusted e-business. Acting as the trusted-third-party, DST provides outsourced digital certificate services so businesses can integrate digital signatures into their e-business applications quickly and efficiently. DST is a subsidiary of Zions First National Bank. For more information on DST, visit www.trustdst.com.