VRSN: VeriSign Combats Online Fraud with New Digital Brand & Fraud Protection Services

VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN), the leading provider of intelligent infrastructure for the networked world, today launched a suite of new Digital Brand and Fraud Protection services. The services help organizations detect, prioritize and rapidly respond to suspicious activities on Web sites, blogs, online user communities, and other sources that can damage brand equity and consumer confidence.

“Brand equity and reputation, which can be valued at billions of dollars for well known companies, can easily be compromised by online fraud, negative opinions, trademark infringement and improper logo usage,” said Mike Denning, vice president and general manager, VeriSign Digital Brand Management Services. “For the first time, companies can protect revenue and their brands by rapidly responding to incidents in near real time. Our new Brand and Fraud Protection Services provide marketing, legal and IT professionals with actionable brand protection and management solutions to detect and counter any unauthorized or improper online activity that could damage their brand image and lead to lost revenues.”

“Firms have to ensure that their brand integrity remains consistent both online and offline,” writes Mike Rasmussen, vice president, Forrester Research. “Malicious attacks or internal negligence can lead to compromised customer privacy, inconsistent company communications, or inaccurately published information that ultimately harms the firm's overall brand and online presence.”1

With the proliferation of online fraud such as phishing and typo squatting, protecting brands online has become increasingly more important for enterprise companies. According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), the number of distinct spoof Web sites rose 52 percent in October 2006 to a record-shattering of 37,444, up from 24,565 a month earlier.

VeriSign’s Brand and Fraud Protection Services are accessed through a Web-based portal that supports legal, marketing and IT departments by allowing comprehensive global management of a corporation’s brand and reputation online. The portal enables multiple groups within a company to maintain brand consistency by providing highly relevant detection, prioritization and analysis of brand abuses.

VeriSign Brand and Fraud Protection Services enable companies to:

• Detect and
  Respond to Online Phishing Attacks - Anti-phishing services monitor
  email spam, Web sites and domain names and images to detect attempted
  phishing activity and enable rapid response.


• Track Counterfeit
  Goods - Counterfeit good services monitor targeted sources for
  the presence of leaked information, locations that facilitate fraud,
  or the sale or distribution of imitation or grey market products.


• Monitor Online
  Affiliates – Affiliate management services monitor Web sites and domain
  names to ensure online partners are in compliance with licensing terms
  and are displaying logos and content properly.


• Protect Online
  Reputation – Reputation management services detect and prioritize incidents
  related to trademark infringement, copyright violations, negative sentiment
  and unauthorized logo use.

(1) Forrester, Understanding and Mitigating Online Risks, Mike Rasmussen, April 13, 2006.