Rondo: In honour of your old employer--care to comment on this one re CIC-- or the bank-- or about the Weather.
Attention Business Editors:
CIBC launches first VeriSign trust product
Digital Certificates ease consumer fears about online security
TORONTO, Nov. 16 /CNW/ - CIBC today announced that its first VeriSign
digital certificates are now available to help businesses address key consumer
online fears including theft of credit card numbers and personal information.
While statistics confirm that the long awaited business to consumer
e-commerce surge is underway, research continues to show that security remains
one of the key impediments to doing business on the Web. A June 1999 national
Angus Reid survey found that one-half of Canadians with access to the Internet
said the primary barrier to their shopping online is concern over providing
credit card information to online retailers.
Digital certificates are fast becoming the standard authentication and
security product for doing businesses with customers, employees and suppliers.
CIBC has teamed up with VeriSign Inc. to provide Canadian-based companies and
individuals with server digital certificates, or secure server IDs.
Ninety-five per cent of websites worldwide use VeriSign server digital
certificates to assure customers that their website is authentic and that
customer communications cannot be tampered with. At the same time, server
digital certificates address the needs of businesses to protect themselves
from disputed sales, as well as to protect themselves from attempts to
counterfeit their online presence.
"While companies are recognizing the tremendous potential for business to
consumer and business to business opportunities on the Web, the future of
e-commerce will ultimately be based on consumer confidence and trust," said
Peter Ricciardi, general manager of Internet services for CIBC. "When your
competitor is only a mouse click away, the company that can provide a
recognized seal of security will enjoy a definite competitive advantage. As
more consumers become sophisticated on-line shoppers, they will know to check
a website's digital certificate, which attests that the merchant's
trustworthiness has been confirmed by independent authorities."
As VeriSign's preferred financial services affiliate in Canada, CIBC will
operate a highly secure Internet trust services processing and service centre
providing comprehensive customer support. Companies can obtain their secure
server ID online by following the simple enrollment and purchase process at
www.cibc.com/verisign.
CIBC is a leader in providing a choice of convenient electronic banking
channels, including telephone banking (1-800-465-CIBC), 4,300 banking
machines, and PC and Internet Banking (www.cibc.com). CIBC is one of North
America's leading financial institutions with almost 7 million personal
banking and business customers. CIBC became a VeriSign Inc. certificate
authority in August 1999 to provide the full spectrum of digital certificate
trust services to Canadian companies, websites and individuals.
Backgrounder attached:
Server Digital Certificates put online security at consumers' fingertips
BACKGROUNDER
Server Digital Certificates put online security at consumers' fingertips
Companies intent on taking advantage of the growing appeal of online
shopping to expand their businesses are installing server digital certificates
to reassure consumers that their websites are authentic and offer a secure
transaction environment.
How to know you're accessing a secure website
Server digital certificates, installed on a merchant's website server,
automatically activate secure communications between your browser and the
website. Here's what to look for and how it works:
1. When you contact a merchant's site make sure the URL or address
begins with "https:" instead of just "http:" -- which confirms you
are communicating with a secure site.
2. The merchant's web server responds, automatically sending you the
site's digital certificate, which authenticates the site. You can
view the certificate by clicking on the closed padlock icon or
unbroken key icon found on the bottom left of your browser window.
The digital certificate displayed confirms the merchant's name and
place of business, as well as identifying the Certificate Authority
that issued the certificate and that provides independent
verification of the merchant's identity.
3. To keep all communications between your browser and the site safe
from interception and tampering, it is encrypted using the industry
standard SSL (Secure Socket Layer) security technology supported by
virtually all web servers and the leading browsers. A secure session
is established when your web browser generates a unique "session key"
to encrypt your data. Your browser then encrypts the session key
itself with the website's "public key" so only the site can read the
session key.
The encryption process takes only seconds and requires no action by the
user. But remember if the URL does not display "https" or the browser icon is
not a closed padlock or an unbroken key, the transaction won't be encrypted
and transmitted securely across the Internet.
-0- 11/16/1999
For further information: Joe Heim, CIBC Electronic Banking, (416) 861-7094
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