beTRUSTed and Equifax Form Alliance To Enhance Security Solutions for Global E-Business.

Business Editors

COLUMBIA, Md. & ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 17, 2001

Integrated Services To Combat Identity Fraud and Enable Secure

Commerce

beTRUSTed(SM), an e-security business of PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Equifax Secure, the e-commerce enabling business of Equifax Inc. (NYSE:EFX), today announced an alliance extending their leadership in risk management to provide solutions combating identity fraud and enhancing the safety and integrity of commercial transactions.

The threat of cybercrime - particularly identify theft - is ever-present and growing rapidly. "At least one incident of economic mass victimization of thousands of Internet users will occur by the end of 2002," according to a new Gartner Inc. study of Internet crime. The governmental Internet Fraud Complaint Center reports a steady rise in the number of consumer complaints of Internet fraud from 106 countries around the world.

"We see an increasing need for businesses to implement a state-of-the-art e-security solution," said Dr. Alastair MacWillson, joint global CEO for beTRUSTed. "Through this alliance with Equifax Secure, we have the opportunity to ensure that our customers have peace of mind, with e-security solutions from two of the most trusted names in the industry."

"As businesses face increasing risk in the e-commerce environment, the pairing of beTRUSTed and Equifax Secure products and services allows companies to reduce the risks associated with online communications," said Ron Garmon, senior vice president and general manager of Equifax Secure.

Under the alliance, Equifax Secure along with beTRUSTed will provide digital certificate registration authority services and patent-pending authentication solutions. As a result, beTRUSTed alongside Equifax will have the ability to authenticate communicating parties, validate the identity of prospective partners, issue certificates and oversee certificate renewal and revocation.

Equifax and beTRUSTed will offer enhanced authentication and registration services as part of a seamless Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) service. The alliance enables beTRUSTed to leverage Equifax's services to provide a full range of solutions to secure online business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions over the Internet and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).

Authentication

eIDverifier(TM), the Equifax patent-pending identity authentication solution, fights the rising incidence of online fraud and enables businesses to determine reliably if individuals are who they claim to be through a real-time, simple and Internet-accessed procedure. eIDverifier also enables the secure issuance of digital certificates to their intended recipient and provides a superior shield against tampering and identity theft.

beTRUSTed will offer eIDverifier to customers and Equifax will process in real-time the authentication and verification of user identities in e-commerce transactions. Unlike basic authentication methods that rely solely on wallet information - such as name, address or driver's license number - to identify users online, eIDverifier requests both financial and non-financial information that should be known only to the user and to Equifax.

Online Integrated Registration Services

In addition, beTRUSTed's clients will be able to subscribe to Equifax registration services while automating the issuance of certificates through the following offerings:

- ConsumerSecure: enables a company to conduct high-value business transactions
with previously unknown consumers by authenticating identities and automating
the certificate registration process.

- EmployeeSecure: allows a company to issue digital certificates to employees
in a highly efficient and automated fashion using its own data sources, such as
human resources databases.

- PartnerSecure: allows a company's known vendors and/or customers to be issued
digital certificates in a highly automated and efficient process, thus enabling
partners to communicate in a mutually authenticated fashion for extranet B2B
transactions.

- TradeSecure: enables companies to establish secure communications with
previously unknown buyer or seller trading partners.

Equifax and beTRUSTed will oversee certificate issuance, renewal and revocation through the certificate system designed to closely match client requirements. Both companies maintain secure vaults, systems and data centers that ensure the integrity of each solution.

Digital Certificates

beTRUSTed and Equifax will offer PKI Web certificates that enable Web servers to establish Secure Socket Layer (SSL) sessions with a variety of supported browsers. These Equifax signed certificates are co-branded as beTRUSTed 1024 Web Server Certificates and use the most current and secure encryption technology available. beTRUSTed 1024 Web Server Certificates lead the industry in terms of price, compatibility and warranty and are trusted by approximately 98 percent of deployed browsers. beTRUSTed object signing and SMIME certificates will also be offered.

About beTRUSTed

beTRUSTed(SM) (www.betrusted.com), is an e-commerce security integrator, delivering the most complete custom-designed infrastructure solutions to the Global 2000. beTRUSTed combines world-class Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) expertise and Certification Authority services, along with consulting and integration from PricewaterhouseCoopers. beTRUSTed rapidly advances an organisation's ability to conduct sensitive, high-value communications and transactions in a networked environment. beTRUSTed's technical facilities in the United States and Europe adhere to rigorous systems and standards, using the same protocols established for military and diplomatic operations. This results in legally verifiable digital signatures and complete assurance of each transaction's integrity - anywhere in the world.

About PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwcglobal.com) is the world's largest professional services organisation. Drawing on the knowledge and skills of more than 150,000 people in 150 countries, we help our clients solve complex business problems and measurably enhance their ability to build value, manage risk and improve performance in an Internet-enabled world.

PricewaterhouseCoopers refers to the member firms of the worldwide PricewaterhouseCoopers organisation.

About Equifax Secure

Equifax Secure (www.equifaxsecure.com), the e-commerce division of Equifax Inc, provides security, privacy and transaction management solutions that protect consumers and enterprises from the risk of identity theft and fraudulent transactions. Equifax Secure authenticates online consumer identity, secures business applications and manages digital certificates and directories for highly secure, private e-commerce over the Internet and other networks.

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. Equifax (NYSE:EFX) customers include financial services, retail, credit card, telecommunications/utilities, transportation, information technology and healthcare industries. 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 12,000 associates in 17 countries, with sales in almost 50, and has $2 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, and other factors discussed in the "forward-looking information" section of management's discussion and analysis included in the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000 and 10-Q for the period ended September 30, 2000.

beTRUSTed is a service mark of PricewaterhouseCoopers. Equifax (R) is a registered trademark of Equifax Inc.; eIDverifier(TM) is a trademark of Equifax Secure, Inc. All other registered trademarks and service marks belong to their respective owners.

Note to Editors: The name beTRUSTed is one word, lower case be, upper case TRUST, and lower case ed. The name PricewaterhouseCoopers is one word, with upper case P, upper case C, and all other letters are in lower case.