AOTA Endorses EV SSL Certificates

On January 15, 2008 the Authentication and Online Trust Alliance (AOTA) released a press release of its endorsement of Extended Validation SSL certificates, an emerging standard to help verify site identity and increase consumer confidence in ecommerce and ebanking. This announcement comes as the popularity of newer browsers that support EV certificates increases (Internet Explorer 7's worldwide usage is approaching 40%, according to one report).

It was pointed out that there are thousands of websites now that have begun to use EV certificates, including Alaska Airlines, AutoZone, British Airways, Charles Schwab, eBay, FedEx, PayPal, Microsoft, Royal Doulton, Sovereign Bank, SunLife, The Body Shop UK, Travelocity, UBS and Vanguard. The AOTA even commissioned Netcraft to create a list of company's who are using EV Certificates on their site. With over 3000 companies listed, it is easy to see that the popularity of EV certificates is on the rise. The press release stated:

“Online crime is inevitable and criminals will continue to get smarter making the need for industry collaboration imperative to staying one step ahead of the game,” said Howard A. Schmidt, president and CEO of R&H Security Consulting, former White House Cyber Security Advisor and AOTA board member. “AOTA stands behind EV certificates and promotes adoption as a key tool to help the entire online trust ecosystem.”

 The full press release can be viewed on the AOTA's site. Also be sure to check out Andrew Codrington's discussion of the subject.

Originally posted on Sun Jan 20, 2008