Around the World, Consumers and Businesses Turn to VeriSign(R) for Online Identity Protection

Market Wire, October, 2008

As consumers wrestle with Internet security concerns in the face of recent high-profile account break-ins, more online businesses than ever are shielding their customers from e-criminals with identity protection services from VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the leading provider of Internet infrastructure for the networked world.

From financial institutions and merchants to government agencies, organizations the world over are deploying VeriSign® Identity Protection (VIP) services to thwart the efforts of fraudsters whose phishing schemes can trick consumers into revealing sensitive private information. VeriSign Identity Protection service's one-time-passwords (OTP) are one element of a layered security approach. Other layers include Web site security brought by an Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificate, fraud detection services to monitor anomalies on the back end, and consumer education to arm end users with information.

Today VeriSign spotlighted several new VIP Network members, a growing reseller channel for Identity and Authentication Services, and new data that suggests consumers continue to find VIP strong authentication valuable and easy to use. VIP Services is a comprehensive suite of identity protection and authentication services designed to strengthen and protect consumers' online identities.

VIP Network Adds Members Worldwide

Demand among consumers for stronger safeguards from e-criminals led dozens of organizations to join the VIP Network in the past year. These customers have signed up for various credentials from tokens supplied by ActivIdentity to innovative credit-card-format tokens from InCard Technologies (NASDAQ: INVC).

--  American Bankers Association, the largest bank trade association in
    the U.S.
--  AWA Credit Union Ltd, the Credit Union for ALCOA employees and their
    families Australia-wide
--  Central Murray Credit Union, a small-medium sized financial
    institution based in rural Australia
--  DocLocker, an Australia-based provider of secure online document
    storage and sharing services for businesses worldwide
--  Indusval Multistock, a 40 year old, successful banking and brokerage
    firm in Brazil
--  Joyo Bank, a large banking institution in Japan
--  Maitland Mutual Building Society, a regionally based financial
    institution in Australia providing savings solutions and loan products to
    its members
--  Morgan Street Document Systems, the premier provider of personalized,
    web-based, document management services to high-net-worth individuals and
    their advisors
--  South West Credit Union, servicing the communities of South West
    Victoria, Australia
--  U.S. Department of Education,  Federal Student Aid -- providing
    financial assistance to students for higher education
--  VietUnion, a Vietnam-based provider of online payment service Payoo
--  Water ISAC, a private, not-for-profit organization authorized by the
    U.S. Congress and established by utilities to provide information necessary
    to secure water systems
    

Membership in the VIP Network allows online businesses to use the same VIP credentials on various other network members' sites, including AOL, eBay, PayPal and many others.

Ease-of-Use Drives Popularity

With a growing selection of credential options, consumers continue to report that use of one-time password with VIP is both valuable and easy to use. At eBay Live! in June, 689 attendees responded to a survey about their experiences with the PayPal Security Key, a type of VIP security credential that provides a one-time password (OTP) for every transaction. During an online transaction, this password is entered into a user interface with other information (such as user name and static PIN) for multifactor authentication.

A third of respondents said they use the PayPal Security Key, and nearly three-quarters of users reported that their PayPal key is easy to use. What's more, most respondents said they wanted to enjoy VIP protection with a variety of services -- including online banking, shopping, gaming and stock trading -- while nearly half hoped to use their token to access health care services.

"Before I started using my token, someone was breaking into my account every four to six weeks," said Janice Lindgren, an eBay seller of sports memorabilia. "I'm so glad I came across the Security Key last year during eBay Live. I feel safe when I use it. My husband and I aren't computer experts -- I'm 63 and he's 71 -- but this is easy. I previously had to change my password constantly to keep others out of my account, but since I started using the PayPal Security Key, I haven't had to change it once."

Growing Partners Extend Reach of VIP

Enhancements to VeriSign's sales and delivery channel for VIP also has extended the network's market presence worldwide. VeriSign recently added to its channel and strategic partner ranks:

--  Blitz IT Consultants Pte Ltd in Vietnam
--  Senior Solutions in Brazil
--  Scitum and Netrix in Mexico
--  Bharti Airtel in India
--  iTrusChina in China
--  MSCTrustgate in Malaysia