CertCo, Inc.'s CertValidator Establishes Critical Trust in Online B2B Transactions.

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Banking & Technology/Software Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14, 2000

CertValidator 2.6 Runs on

SUN(TM) Microsystems Solaris Operating System

CertCo, Inc., the leading provider of risk management and security solutions for B2B e-commerce, today released CertValidator(TM) 2.6, designed to establish a higher level of trust in B2B e-commerce. The software runs on the SUN(TM) Microsystems Solaris operating system.

CertValidator is an OCSP responder and secure digital certificate repository that stores electronic identity documents known as "digital certificates" and provides certificate issuers or other supporting entities with the ability to make real-time certificate status information available to trading partners.

According to Forrester Research, in the United States alone, B2B e-commerce will reach $2.7 trillion by 2004. With an increasing number of businesses conducting high-value, high-risk transactions via the Internet, there is a growing need for solutions that provide a high degree of trust in the credibility, performance and settlement of transactions. CertValidator's unique validation capabilities allow businesses to determine, in real-time, whether a digital certificate from a certificate authority (CA) is valid, suspended or revoked.

CertValidator provides the highest level of security in an OCSP responder through features such as:

-- Real-time validation of electronic identities, using the Online Certificate
Status Protocol (OCSP);

-- A secure digital repository and validation engine that receives and
centrally manages certificates and certificate revocation lists (CRLs) from
multiple CAs;

-- Unique "Fast Path" technology enabling real-time certificate suspension -
for possible later reinstatement or "revocation"

- allowing users to react quickly to changing circumstances;

-- A hardware-based token that signs and timestamps all

certificates, to log all requests, responses and modifications

- making it easy to identify transactions that have been

tampered with;

-- Interoperability with the all major CA systems; and

-- Flexible configuration allowing CertValidator either to be

integrated or used as a standalone component in an existing

PKI environment, or via an application service provider (ASP)

model.

"The number of companies conducting high-value, high-risk transactions via the Internet is rapidly expanding," said Eileen McDonough, product manager for CertValidator 2.6. "With the increasingly global nature of online trade, it is important for buyers and sellers to have solutions to address the risks associated with doing business `blindly' via the Internet with new, or previously unknown, trading partners. CertValidator's advanced PKI technology provides customers with the ability to validate digital certificates from major CAs in real time, which is integral in managing risk and enabling secure transactions over open networks."

"As Internet transactions grow in frequency and value, electronic identities are increasingly critical to the completion of secure e-commerce," said June Yee Felix, chairman, president and CEO of CertCo, Inc. "The importance of real-time certificate validation within and across public key infrastructures is critical to businesses that intend to engage in high-value transactions via the Internet."

About CertCo(R), Inc.

Founded in 1996, CertCo, Inc. is a leading provider of risk management and security infrastructure solutions for B2B e-commerce. CertCo provides corporations, financial institutions, online B2B exchanges and governments with business solutions that enable them to safely conduct global, high-value transactions over open networks - effectively removing the "last hurdle" in end-to-end B2B e-commerce. The company offers a full suite of risk management and security services that leverage its thorough understanding and experience with business process, legal, technology and cryptography issues, as well as its deep and long-standing relationships with insurance and financial services providers. Based in New York and privately held, CertCo also operates a research and development office in Cambridge, Mass. More information on the company can be found at www.certco.com.

Copyright (c) 2000 CertCo, Inc., 55 Broad Street New York, NY 10004 U.S.A. All rights reserved. CertCo, its logo, CertCo RMX, CertAuthority, CertValidator, Multi-Step Signing and/or other CertCo products referenced herein are either trademarks or registered trademarks of CertCo Inc. All other company and/or product names are the property of their respective owners.