BOSTON, MA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/15/12 -- GlobalSign, one of the leading providers of SSL Certificates worldwide, today announced availability of its SSL Configuration Checker. This free online service allows website administrators to confirm that they have correctly configured SSL across their websites and receive actionable guidance on how to remediate any faulty or exploitable SSL configurations. Correctly configured SSL improves website performance and strengthens security, allowing organizations to preserve the end-user experience and provide better defense against SSL BEAST, CRIME, and other common and damaging attacks that exploit faulty SSL configurations.

Any organization can use the service by visiting sslcheck.globalsign.com. Once there, users simply enter the URL of the website they want to check. After a brief scan, the user receives a letter grade with a simplified explanation of any issues found in the website's SSL configuration and actionable remediation steps. The SSL Configuration Checker integrates the assessment technology of Qualys SSL Labs, which is focused on auditing the SSL ecosystem, raising awareness, and providing tools and documentation to web site owners so they can improve their SSL implementations. The tool is immediately available in Dutch, English, French, German, Japanese, Russian and Spanish to service the Internet at large.

"Research from Qualys SSL Labs shows that more than 70 percent of websites using SSL are configured incorrectly which has resulted in poor performance and weakened security. Unfortunately, until now there has been a lack of user-friendly resources to help administrators apply SSL securely," said Ryan Hurst, GlobalSign CTO. "With the availability of SSL Configuration Checker, GlobalSign is adding context to SSL issues by helping companies understand how best to configure SSL to reduce their risk and optimize performance. Our goal is to help all organizations reduce SSL-related risks."

"Configuring SSL properly is an important step in realizing the benefits of SSL. However, it's often hard for administrators to find comprehensive guidance on how to accomplish this goal," said Ivan Ristic, director of engineering at Qualys. "Our work with GlobalSign is addressing this need and making the Internet a safer place for everyone."

"Security doesn't end at the close of a technology sale. Providers need to deliver ongoing support for products and services that allow their customers to maximize the value of their solutions and increase their effectiveness as the threat landscape changes," said Richard Stiennon, noted security author, speaker and founder of IT-Harvest. "As a Certificate Authority, GlobalSign is in the best position to understand website administrators' needs in configuring SSL and remediation of security issues."

About Qualys SSL Labs

Qualys SSL Labs is technology developed by Qualys as free service to help organizations audit their SSL implementation on the Internet. SSL Labs is a non-commercial research effort, and Qualys welcomes participation from any individual or organization interested in SSL. For more information, please visit https://www.ssllabs.com.

About GMO GlobalSign

GlobalSign has been a trust service provider since 1996. Its focus has been, and always will be, on providing convenient and highly productive PKI solutions for organizations of all sizes. Its core Digital Certificate solutions allow its thousands of authenticated customers to conduct SSL secured transactions, data transfer, distribution of tamper-proof code, and protection of online identities for secure email and access control. Vision and commitment to innovation led to GlobalSign being recognized by Frost & Sullivan for the 2011 Product Line Strategy Award. The company has local offices in the US, Europe and throughout Asia. For the latest news on GlobalSign visit www.globalsign.com or follow GlobalSign on Twitter (@globalsign).

About GMO Internet Group

GMO Internet Group is a comprehensive provider of industry-leading Internet solutions including domain name registration, cloud-based and traditional hosting, ecommerce, security, and payment processing services that each hold the top share of their respective markets in Japan. Other key business areas for the Group include online securities/FX trading, Internet advertising, search engine marketing and online research. In 2011 a new Social Media & Smartphone Platform segment was established bringing together group initiatives in social apps development, daily deals and Android app distribution. GMO Internet, Inc. (TSE: 9449) is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. For more information please visit http://www.gmo.jp/en

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