VeriSign, the provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world, announced that it has issued more than 4 million Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificates. The total includes certificates issued by VeriSign under all four of its SSL brands: VeriSign, GeoTrust, thawte, and RapidSSL.

Since 1995, the company has served as a trusted third party and Certificate Authority responsible for issuing and authenticating a range of digital certificates designed to protect online businesses and their customers by:
• Encrypting sensitive information during online transactions
• Authenticating the identity of certificate owners
• Warning when certificates are invalid

Under its four brands, VeriSign issues, authenticates and manages a range of certificates that are vital to the secure and trusted operation of the Internet, Web-based applications, and services requiring digital IDs, including:
• SSL Certificates. VeriSign provides secure SSL encryption to Web sites protected by all VeriSign SSL Certificates brands, enabling trusted e-commerce, communications, and interactions on Web sites, intranets, and extranets.
• Extended Validation (EV) SSL Certificates. EV SSL protection provides Web users using high security browsers with immediate visual confirmation that they’ve reached a site whose authenticity has been independently verified by VeriSign.
• Server-Gated Cryptography (SGC) Certificates. VeriSign’s SGC Certificates enable every Web site visitor to connect using the strongest encryption for which their systems are capable.
• Code Signing Certificates. VeriSign® Code Signing creates a digital “shrink-wrap” for code and content to protect software publishers and users when they download code and content over the Internet and mobile networks.
• PKI Certificates. VeriSign protects enterprises, government agencies and others with a flexible platform enabling complete management of digital certificates for authentication, encryption and digital signing.

The milestone of issuing more than 4 million SSL certificates underscores how VeriSign is essential to enabling secure online transactions around the world. The company has issued more than 12,000 EV SSL Certificates, making VeriSign the far-and-away market leader with a 74 percent share of the EV SSL market. And every day, VeriSign conducts up to 1 billion Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) checks – the most timely and efficient way for Web browsers to determine whether an SSL or user certificate is still valid or has been revoked and a key indicator of secure sessions initiated using VeriSign SSL Certificates.

VeriSign also plays a vital role in Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) deployments, which use digital certificates for authentication, encryption and digital signing. In the past 14 years, VeriSign has issued and managed tens of millions of PKI certificates for thousands of customers throughout the world.
“As the world’s leading SSL Certificate Authority, VeriSign understands that when customer trust is paramount, second best is never nearly good enough,” said Tim Callan, vice president of product marketing at VeriSign. “Now more than ever, in a marketplace that is truly global and increasingly competitive, protecting a Web site, application or service with VeriSign is an investment that pays dividends every day.”