Iconix Study Finds That 85 Percent of Delivered Messages from Top Senders Are Authenticated

Inbox Authentication Index Tracks Use of Email Authentication for Delivered
Messages
PHILADELPHIA--(Business Wire)--
In conjunction with the 2009 Online Trust and Brand Protection Summit hosted by
the Online Trust Alliance, ICONIX, Inc., the leading provider of visual email
identification solutions, today announced initial results for its Inbox
Authentication Index, which is based on a study of actual email received by
nearly 5000 users in the third quarter of 2009.

The Inbox Authentication Index focuses on the use of email authentication for
the top 12,000 sending domains seen by users in the study. Although the messages
indexed reflect only 3.5 percent of domains seen by the users, they represent 80
percent of the messages received. The Index tracks use of the two email
authentication methods widely used in the industry today: Sender Policy
Framework (SPF) / Sender ID and DomainKeys/ DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM).

Key findings of the Index include:

* In total, 85 percent of messages were authenticated by at least one of the
methods

* 79 percent were authenticated by SPF/Sender ID
* 37 percent were authenticated by DomainKeys/DKIM
* 31 percent were authenticated using both methods

* From a domain standpoint, 72 percent of the 12,000 domains in the Index were
authenticated by at least one of the methods

* 71 percent were authenticated by SPF/Sender ID
* 25 percent were authenticated by DomainKeys/DKIM
* 24 percent were authenticated using both methods

"This is the first study that has looked at authentication metrics for messages
actually seen by users," said Jeff Wilbur, vice-president of marketing at
ICONIX. "The recent resurgence in phishing attacks has put a spotlight on the
need for senders of email to authenticate their messages, which helps receiving
email services protect users and senders from misuse of their brand. Though the
authentication rates in the Index are high, this is no surprise since it
represents messages delivered to users. The use of DomainKeys and DKIM is higher
than we expected, though we noted that very few senders use this method
exclusively. We will be releasing updates to the Index on a quarterly basis."

"The research from ICONIX complements OTA`s industry scorecards recognizing
companies and brands most committed to combating online abuse and promoting
consumer safety," said Craig Spiezle, Executive Director of the Online Trust
Alliance. "Having the perspective of what actually lands in the inbox is a
critical component to track the progress of email authentication, which is
essential to protecting users from online deception and abuse."

Email authentication is one of OTA`s Online Trust Principles which were
co-authored by Iconix and other industry and business leaders committed to
online trust. More information may be found at
https://www.otalliance.org/resources/initiatives.html.

For more information on how Iconix can help businesses effectively communicate
with their customers, visit http://iconix.com/business/.

Additional Resources

Iconix Blog

Iconix Truemark Download

Iconix Business Solutions

About OTA

About ICONIX, Inc.

ICONIX, Inc. is the leading provider of trusted email identification solutions.
ICONIX provides the industry's first visual eMail ID solution for businesses and
consumers. The patented Iconix® solution enables consumers to instantly
recognize and find messages from legitimate senders, which proactively combats
widespread email based identity theft techniques, such as phishing. The Iconix®
Truemark® service is the only standards-based visual authentication solution
that works across various email platforms. ICONIX is not necessarily affiliated
with any of the senders of email marked by the Iconix service, nor does marking
imply that a third party has subscribed to or endorsed the Iconix service. For
more information, visit www.iconix.com.

Iconix, Truemark and the Iconix logo are registered trademarks in the United
States and Iconix, Truemark and the Iconix logo are trademarks or service marks
of ICONIX, Inc.Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Connect PR
Dan Sorensen, 801-373-7888
dans@connectpr.com
or
ICONIX, Inc.
Jeff Wilbur, 408-727-6342 x125
jeff.wilbur@iconix.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009