Why SecuCert?

Internet Issues

Internet faces many issues which exist since the beginning but have gotten worse with each year when more and more people use and do business online.

Do you really know who you're giving your money to on the Internet?

• 57.000 phishing* websites are created daily (source: Reuters).
• Phishing is increasing exponentially every year (source: Cyber Source).
• Copycat is increasing for SMEs – small medium enterprises. The problem has been noticed in the last three years; it does not help that PPC search engine advertising is allowed for these kind of websites.
• 70% of Internet visitors' identities were already stolen in UK (source: Cyber Source).
• 85% of website visitors are looking for identity information on a website (source: Cyber Source).
• Currently almost all online certificates (example: Verified by VISA, MasterCard Secured, PayPal Verified, etc.) are only image-based verifications. As such the images can be copy-pasted on any other website in seconds and links redirected to other “verification” websites.

Because the verification is lacking technology, these signs are not only worthless, they can be misleading and dangerous. Since cyber criminals can use them by copy-pasting, there's not much difference between them and a legitimate merchant.

We could even compare the current situation to the state issuing money on a basic photo copier and stating in laws forgery is not allowed. It just doesn't work.

As a consequence, Internet users' trust is in permanent decrease since 2001 showed a study from the University of Southern California.

Current Response To The Issues

There aren't many solutions on the market which address these issues. They are mostly sold by SSL providers (Verisign, Thawte, GeoTrust) and as such are based on SSL technology (SSL is, in short, technology for safe transfer of data from server to client). Which brings a set of other issues:

• SSL-based verification does not protect http protocol (and most websites are on unsecure http protocol).
• High-end ($1000+) SSL certificates with additional verification are not that much different to low-cost $10 SSL certificates for the end user. They both color the address bar (green or yellow, respectively) but don't expect the users know the difference.
• SSL-based verification can only be for identity – and while this is important, the SSL providers are usually unknown outside the technology community; this means the credibility of such verification is low for the average user.

SSL is not enough! It can just mean you're safely & securely sending money to the wrong recipient.

In the end, SSL which some thought to be a solution, becomes part of the problem. All better constructed phishing websites now already have SSL certificate with the respective “trust seal”.

SecuCert® Solution

SecuCert brings a bottom-up approach to online certification. White label certificates means that we offer a technological solution for certificate issuers. This means that credibility, trust and responsibility are all dependent on the issuers. This usually means the brands behind the verification are better known and better trusted. For example: a verification of a Microsoft Partner is better if it's done by Microsoft and not some third party.

SecuCert helps identify all involved parties - thus making the Internet a much safer place to be.

There are many other benefits for websites to own a SecuCert certificate:

• With passive protection it secures both http and https.
• It helps with proactive protection by notifying the owner if somebody tries to copy their website.
• It's phishing-proof; i.e. a working Seal cannot be pasted to another website.
• It gives instant trust to website visitors with the Signed Seal.

A very important feature and a global innovation is the SecuCert Signed Seal (Personalized Cross-Signed Certificate Technology). You can read more about it under Sign Your Seal.

Read more on SecuCert technology works under How It Works.