Microsoft Chooses WebTrust for Certification Authorities.

• Position: Abstract - Brief Article

Microsoft Corporation, the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing, has selected WebTrust for Certification Authorities or its equivalent as part of its program for accepting Certification Authorities (CAs) wishing to distribute their root certificate through Microsoft software. Microsoft's root certificate program allows the hundreds of millions of Microsoft customers to easily shop securely on the Internet, send or receive secure e-mail, or share encrypted files.

The Microsoft qualification program for CAs is designed to provide users with high-level security when accessing the Internet and includes a number of technical and business criteria, one of which is an "independent, third-party audit" of the CA. Microsoft has stipulated that these "audits" must be accomplished through "Web Trust for Certification Authorities or its equivalent," indicating how important the independent examination of controls and procedures is to its qualification program.

The Web Trust for CAs program -- already being utilized by such leading Certification Authorities as VeriSign, Entrust.net and Digital Signature Trust -- normally requires that a...