Thawte to Offer Free SSL and Code Signing Certificates to Open Source Community

OAKLAND, CA, Nov 04 (MARKET WIRE) --
ApacheCon US 2009 -- Thawte, a leading worldwide Certificate Authority
(CA), today announced it will offer Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Code
Signing Certificates to approved open source sites and developers at no
cost.

Under a new program announced today coinciding with ApacheCon US 2009,
Thawte will provide full-year certificates free of charge for approved
open source projects and applications. The program, launching in January,
builds on Thawte's 15-year history as a contributor to the open source
community. This initiative is a continuation of Thawte's origins as the
open source-centric trusted SSL provider, dating back to 1995 when it was
founded by Mark Shuttleworth, whose contributions to Debian, Ubuntu and
other open source projects have made him well known throughout the
world.

Thawte(R) SSL Web Server Certificates protect and authenticate
communications between Web servers and browsers. Sites that deploy a
Thawte SSL Certificate can also display the Thawte(R) Trusted Site Seal,
which communicates to every visitor that the identity of the site's owner
has been independently authenticated.

Thawte Code Signing Certificates signal to end users that applications
distributed over the Internet come from a trusted publisher. Code Signing
Certificates serve as "virtual shrink wrap" for applications by applying
a digital signature to code. A broken digital signature warns users that
the application has been tampered with or modified, thereby protecting
them from threats posed by hackers or malicious code.

Through this program, Thawte is offering the same industry-standard
certificates that it provides to its commercial customers, including full
encryption and authentication -- not modified or watered-down versions of
certificates. Unlike the free SSL certificates from other CAs which only
validate the ownership of the domain name within the certificate, Thawte's
SSL Certificates offered in this program include full authentication of
the organization requesting the certificate. Users of open source
applications will receive all standard authentication and encryption
benefits of Thawte SSL and code signing products.

"Open source developers and users need the same protections that
commercial industry employs," said Jeff Barto, senior product marketing
manager for Thawte. "However, the open source community relies on
goodwill for its projects to succeed with contributors giving their time
free-of-charge. It's in this spirit that Thawte has launched this
program."

Barto continued, "Since Thawte's founding in 1995, we have committed to
extending the open, collaborative nature of the Internet while enabling
trusted relationships between Web sites, developers and their customers.
Our effort to provide the open source community with zero-cost encryption,
authentication and code signing stems directly from that focus."

Details of the program will be rolled out at the program's launch in
January. Thawte will establish an approval method for site operators and
developers, to be followed by the normal enrollment and issuance process,
which incorporates Thawte's world-class certification procedures.

About Thawte

Thawte has been innovating and delivering trusted services for more than a
decade. The company enables businesses and individuals to communicate and
transact securely by verifying and authenticating their identities, thus
allowing them to gain the trust and confidence of millions of users.
Thawte's digital certificates are used globally to secure servers, encrypt
files and communication, and validate the authenticity of applications and
digital code. Through our dedication to maintaining your security we are
helping to build a trusted digital future for everyone. For more
information about Thawte, its products and trusted services, please visit
www.thawte.com

Thawte is an independently operated brand of VeriSign, Inc., the trusted
provider of Internet infrastructure for the networked world.

Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information
constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause
VeriSign's actual results to differ materially from those stated or
implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and
uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainty of future revenue
and profitability and potential fluctuations in quarterly operating
results due to such factors as the inability of VeriSign to successfully
develop and market new products and services and customer acceptance of
any new products or services, including Thawte SSL and Code Signing
Certificates; the possibility that VeriSign's announced new services may
not result in additional customers, profits or revenues; and increased
competition and pricing pressures. 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, including in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2008 and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. VeriSign
undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements
after the date of this press release.

Copyright2009 VeriSign, Inc. All rights reserved. Thawte and other
trademarks, service marks, and designs are registered or unregistered
trademarks of VeriSign, Inc., and its subsidiaries in the United States
and in foreign countries. All other trademarks are property of their
respective owners.

Media Contact:
Gina Spatafore
Email Contact
+1-415.248.3403

Copyright 2009, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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