Apple FCU Selects Comodo To Deliver Anti- Phishing Protection To Its Members

Jersey City, NJ (August 12, 2006) – Comodo, a global Certification Authority and leading provider of Identity and Trust Assurance Management solutions, announced today that Apple Federal Credit Union, a not-for-profit member-owned cooperative serving more than 77,000 members in the Northern Virginia community has selected Comodo’s new technology, VerificationEngine (VE) to protect members from phishing and pharming attacks. In addition, Apple FCU will utilize other elements in Comodo’s flagship S.A.F.E. Solution (Secure and Authenticated Financial Engagements) including High Assurance SSL certificates, email certificates and HackerGuardian to ensure that Apple members can experience increased verification and security in online banking. Apple FCU chose Comodo as its authentication partner because Comodo’s credentials and expertise as a Certification Authority uniquely qualify it to deliver new technology for ensuring mutual authentication.

“The VerificationEngine solution that Comodo has introduced provides our members with a truly user-friendly authentication solution that allows them to conduct online transactions confidently”, said Mr. Juan Batista, VP of Information Technology of Apple FCU. “In today’s digital world, online fraud is dampening our members’ adoption of online financial services. This solves our customers’ issues while providing us with a solution that can be deployed quickly and for less than we thought possible.”

Apple FCU is utilizing the following core elements of Comodo’s S.A.F.E. solution:

* VerificationEngine is an anti-phishing tool that lets users verify web content before they submit any sensitive information. Consumers simply roll the mouse over protected web content (e.g. log-in box) to verify if the content is genuine to the site it claims to be. If the site is authentic and can be verified, a bright green “good to go” border will be displayed outside the browser environment making this trust indicator impervious to fraudsters and site imposters. Today, VerificationEngine (VE) can be used to verify the site identity of more than 200,000 organizations including financial institutions, government agencies and public companies.

* Comodo’s InstantSSL™ Certificates provide Apple FCU with certification and authentication of business identity. Only High-Assurance SSL certificates can both authenticate site identity and enable encrypted transactional sessions. These High Assurance SSL certificates are a key weapon in defending against phishers and pharmers because low assurance, non-business vetted SSL certificates do not provide identity assurance which is why phishing attacks can be launched.

* Apple FCU is also employing Comodo’s email certificates which ensure that when a member receives an email from the Credit Union, the consumer can be sure that the sender is not a fraudster masquerading as Apple or one its partners. Also, email certificates will be used to encrypt sensitive communications, providing additional layers of security within the Credit Union so that members’ personal information remains protected.

* To help ensure that Apple FCU customers are protected from hackers, Apple FCU will deploy Comodo’s HackerGuardian™ – a daily vulnerability scanning and certification solution. Apple FCU’s servers will be scanned daily and the HackerGuardian TrustLogo will be displayed on the website to certify that Apple FCU webservers are free of known security vulnerabilities that hackers exploit. Highly visible, the TrustLogo provides instant verification of security credentials whenever members roll their mouse over the HackerGuardian TrustLogo. This TrustLogo will also be verifiable using VerificationEngine - making it the only “unspoofable” TrustLogo on the market today.

“Apple FCU represents a financial institution committed to providing the best and most productive solutions to protect its members from online fraud”, said Andrew Pynes, Executive VP of Comodo. “These trust solutions will allow Apple FCU to enhance member confidence and trust thus removing potential consumer adoption barriers to online banking. This allows the Credit Union to realize higher adoption of online services that can generate incremental revenue for Apple FCU.”


About Apple Federal Credit Union

Apple Federal Credit Union, founded in 1956 by educators within Fairfax, VA, offers a full range of high-quality, low-cost financial products and services designed to help members in pursuit of an improved life. Every one of Apple FCU’s more than 77,000 members owns an equal share of the credit union, and it is because of this dynamic that all earnings are returned to the membership in the form of lower loan rates, higher dividend yields and more.

Through a lifelong partnership with anyone touched by education, Apple FCU’s mission has been to help members achieve their dreams by offering competitive financial solutions, with dedicated personal service. They exist, not for profit, but for the benefit of their members, and. Apple offers these members a full range of services (e.g. deposits, loans, checking and more), making Apple FCU the premier financial institution serving the educational community. For more information, please visit www.applefcu.org

About Comodo

Comodo is a leading global provider of Identity and Trust Assurance services on the Internet, with over 200,000 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Jersey City, NJ with global offices in the U.S., UK, Ukraine and India, the company offers businesses and consumers the intelligent security, authentication and assurance services necessary to ensure trust in online transactions.

As a leading Certification Authority, and in combination with the Digital Trust Lab, Comodo helps enterprises address digital ecommerce and infrastructure needs with reliable, third generation solutions that improve customer relationships, enhance customer trust and create efficiencies across digital ecommerce operations. Comodo's solutions include integrated Web hosting management solutions, infrastructure services, digital e-commerce services, digital certification, identity assurance, customer privacy and vulnerability management solutions. For additional information on Comodo - Creating Trust Online™ - please visit: www.comodo.com.