What is an Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate?

An Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificate is a digital certificate issued in conformance with the extended validation guidelines defined by the Certificate Authority/Browser (CA/B) Forum.

The introduction of EV certificates will tighten the security of Internet transactions as certificate requestors will be subject to a thorough, standardized vetting process which all issuing Certification Authorities (CAs) must adhere to.

The EV certificate standard provides an improved level of authentication of entities that request digital certificates for securing transactions on their websites. The latest generation of Internet browsers will display EV SSL-secured websites in a way that allows visitors to instantly recognize that the organization that operates the site has been authenticated in accordance with the CA/B Forum's uniform vetting standard.

EV certificates are particularly useful for companies whose Internet domains are considered at a high risk of being targeted by phishing schemes and other types of Internet fraud. High-risk domains include domains owned by high-profile online financial services, banking sites, auction sites, popular retailers and other sites that conduct Internet transactions likely to be targeted by Internet fraud.