Comodo adopts WebTrust Standards from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants [30th September 2003]

Manchester, UK, 30 September 2003. Comodo, the internet security specialists, has today announced that it has adopted WebTrust standards for Certification Authorities and as such has been awarded the WebTrust Seal of Assurance by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The award came after Comodo invited KPMG, the leading professional services firm, to independently assess its business practices and processes for the issuing and management of digital certificates.

WebTrust is an independent auditing process run under AICPA guidelines designed to address customer concerns about privacy, security, and business practices; compliance with WebTrust signifies that Comodo adopts independent standards for the issuing and managing digital certificates. A comprehensive, thorough review by qualified independent specialists, WebTrust meets or exceeds the US industry consensus standards for privacy established by the Online Privacy Alliance and substantively meets the standards for the European Union and Canada. WebTrust includes both privacy and security but also includes confidentiality, transaction integrity and business practice disclosures. Comodo is the first Certification Authority that KPMG has audited in the UK.

In order to maintain compliance Comodo is required to undergo a program of continuous scrutiny with formal reviews at least once every 6 (six) months. WebTrust compliancy is publicly signified by the internationally recognized WebTrust Seal of Assurance which is displayed on Comodo’s web sites. Seeing the WebTrust seal on a site reaffirms the confidence of customers and visitors that Comodo complies with criteria which are among the highest in the world.

Melih Abdulhayoglu, Chief Security Architect, Comodo Group said “As a leading, trusted, Certification Authority we have always believed in the absolute need for security and confidentiality, both via our products and through our service to our customers. WebTrust compliancy is a reflection of our belief and provides our existing and future customers with the satisfaction of knowing that they can obtain high-quality yet extremely cost-effective SSL certificates, via our InstantSSL range, from a provider who complies with the most stringent of standards.”

Since launching the InstantSSL range of certificates in March 2002 Comodo has quickly established itself within the global market, achieving profitability within seven months and signing over 1600 partnerships with leading ecommerce providers. InstantSSL Certificates are digital credentials that enable websites to secure customer transactions using the industry standard security protocol known as SSL. By allowing websites to create an encrypted secure link with the customer, SSL has increased consumer confidence and fuelled the growth in online transactions. Comodo employs a stringent yet highly efficient policy of full two-step validation for all SSL Certificates, verifying both domain name ownership and company legitimacy as part of the issuance process to ensure a safe and secure e-commerce infrastructure.

About Comodo:

Comodo (www.comodogroup.com) is a leading WebTrust-compliant Internet security specialist and provides next generation E-commerce Security Solutions. Through a growing range of products, services and applications developed by its dedicated research lab, Comodo provides software, hardware, secure messaging and certificate based security.

After its first year of issuing SSL Certificates, Comodo has quickly become the worlds leading innovative Certification Authority. For product information please contact US (877) COMODO-5 or Europe +44 (0) 161 874 7070 or visit the Comodo Home Page at www.comodogroup.com.

For more information: http://www.instantssl.com

########

James Turner
Comodo Group
Campus House 10 Hey Street
Bradford , West Yorkshire BD7 1DQ United Kingdom
james.turner@comodogroup.com
www.comodogroup.com