VeriSign and Equifax Form Alliance to Provide Consumer Authentication Services For Enterprise Customers
Enterprises Can Now Authenticate their End-users to Minimize The Risk of Fraudulent Transactions
SOURCE: VeriSign, Inc.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and ATLANTA, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN - news), the leading provider of Internet trust services, and Equifax Inc. (NYSE: EFX - news), a worldwide leader in information management and e-commerce solutions, today announced a partnership to combine VeriSign's new Authentication Service Bureau with Equifax's patent-pending consumer authentication services, enabling enterprises to issue digital credentials to their customers for use in high-value e-commerce transactions. As part of the relationship, VeriSign has named Equifax as a preferred provider of consumer authentication services and Equifax has named VeriSign as a preferred provider of Internet Trust Services. In addition, Equifax will sell certificate-based authentication to its customers via VeriSign's certificate infrastructure. VeriSign also announced today its new Authentication Service Bureau. (see related release, ``VeriSign Introduces New Scalable Internet Authentication Service Bureau-a ''One-Stop`` Source for Online Authentication of Businesses and Individuals Engaged in E-Commerce Transactions,'' dated October 17, 2000.)

Responding to the increasing demand for the most advanced levels of security and authentication, VeriSign and Equifax are teaming to provide best-of-class solutions that not only secure e-commerce transactions by encrypting sensitive information, but also authenticate online consumers. Through this initiative, businesses in a variety of industries -- including telecommunications, healthcare, transportation, banking, financial services and online retailing -- can significantly reduce the risk of fraudulent transactions while enabling consumers to protect themselves from online identity theft and fraud.

``As communications and transactions over the Internet continue to expand, it is imperative for corporations to provide the highest level of security and authentication to prevent fraud and identification theft,'' said Anil Pereira, senior vice president of VeriSign's Internet Services Group. ``Equifax is at the forefront of online authentication technology. This alliance combines Equifax's comprehensive authentication services with VeriSign's scaleable and proven digital certificate services to create a comprehensive solution that will be critical to the continued growth of e-commerce transactions.''

Unlike traditional methods that rely solely on so-called ``wallet'' information such as name and address to identify users online, the Equifax authentication solution requests both wallet and shared data that are known only to the user and Equifax, such as banking and payment history. The authentication engine compares and analyzes multiple elements of the furnished information against existing consumer data from Equifax and other consumer and business information sources, all in compliance with the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.

``Obtaining a more complete and accurate user profile, Equifax authentication is a superior shield against tampering and identity theft, protecting the privacy of user information through each step in the authentication process,'' said C. Richard Crutchfield, executive vice president and group executive, Equifax Internet Solutions. ``By interfacing with Equifax's extensive consumer databases and authentication technology, VeriSign is setting a new industry standard for personal privacy and security when issuing digital certificate credentials to individuals in an online environment.''

About the VeriSign Authentication Service Bureau

VeriSign's Authentication Service Bureau enables businesses to establish trusted online relationships with their customers by irrevocably authenticating users via organizational and individual identity authentication, age validation, physical ``personal presence'' validation, and authentication for specific kinds of restricted access, such as access to healthcare or legal records. These services enable enterprises, online merchants, B2B exchanges and others to seamlessly outsource their authentication process and issue digital credentials necessary for authentication over the Internet.

About VeriSign

VeriSign, Inc. is the leading provider of trusted infrastructure services to web sites, enterprises, electronic commerce service providers and individuals. The company's domain name, digital certificate and payment services provide the critical web identity, authentication and transaction infrastructure that online businesses require to conduct secure e-commerce and communications. VeriSign's services are available through its web sites (www.verisign.com and www.netsol.com) or through its direct sales force and reseller partners around the world.

About Equifax

Equifax (www.equifax.com), a worldwide leader in enabling and securing global commerce, brings buyers and sellers together through its information management, transaction processing, direct marketing, and customer relationship management businesses. Atlanta-based Equifax serves the financial services, retail, credit card, telecommunications/utilities, transportation, information technology and healthcare industries and government. Equifax adds knowledge, expertise, convenience and security to provide value-added solutions and processes for its customers wherever they do business, including the Internet and other networks. Equifax employs about 15,000 associates in 16 countries with sales in almost 50 and has $1.9 billion in revenue.

Statements in this press release that relate to Equifax's future plans, objectives, expectations, performance, events and the like are ``forward-looking statements'' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Future events, risks and uncertainties, individually or in the aggregate, could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Those factors could include changes in worldwide and U.S. economic conditions that materially impact consumer spending and consumer debt, changes in demand for the Company's products and services, risks associated with the integration of acquisitions and other investments, the spinoff of Payment Services on a timely basis without adverse impact on the Company's operations, and other factors discussed in the ``forward-looking information'' section in the management's discussion and analysis included in the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999 and 10-Q for the period ending June 30, 2000.

Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, potential volatility in VeriSign's stock price, uncertainty of Internet privatization, increased competition in the domain name registration business including price competition, customer acceptance of new products and services offered by the company in addition to or as enhancements of its registration services, risks associated with the company's international business, uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and fluctuations in its quarterly operating results. More information about potential factors that could affect the company's business and financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially in the company's Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed on April 12, 2000, as amended, Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended March 31, 2000.

NOTE: VeriSign is a registered trademark of VeriSign, Inc. All other trade names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

SOURCE: VeriSign, Inc.