Tokyo – January 15, 2008 – GMO Hosting & Security consolidated subsidiary and digital certificate services company GlobalSign announces the launch today of Skip Application. The new service marks the first time globally that a certificate authority has been able to issue an SSL server certificate without requiring the customer to generate a private key(*1) and CSR(*2). GMO Hosting & Security is a GMO Internet Group company.

Background
In order to have an SSL server certificate issued a customer needs to generate a private key on their own server and send a corresponding public key as a CSR to the certificate authority. This means that before applying for a certificate a skilled in web server technician, is required to generate the public and private keys. Upgrades must be carried out while services are running on the server and the key pair is often lost as a result of human error during this process.

Skip Application
GlobalSign today launches a service that employs our own revolutionary new technology (patent pending) that in a world first, allows the certificate authority to generate the private key and CSR, issue the certificate and safely deliver it to the applicant. This means the applicant can gskiph the part of the process that requires them to supply a CSR.

Advantages of the Service
– No specialist key pair generation or other PKI knowledge necessary to apply for certificates
– No web server preparations necessary at the time of application
– Certificates issued under PKCS#12 (*3) – installation can be completed by double clicking when using Microsoft IIS (*4)
– None of the risk associated with delicate key management operations while the web server is running

(*1) Private key: Of the pair of keys used in the public key cryptosystem this is the key that that verifies ownership and is gerneally not made public.
(*2) CSR: Certificate Signing Request (includes the public key information)
(*3) PKCS#12: Public Key Cryptography Standard #12: The public key and private key are protected by a symmetric key derived from a user name and password. This file format is used for safe storage and sending.
(*4) Microsoft IIS: Microsoft Internet Information Services: Microsoft Internet server software for Windows.

In Japan GlobalSign has developed the technology to provide a service never before available anywhere in the world. This is testimony to the rapid progress GlobalSign has made from distributing agent to service provider operating its own certificate authority.

GlobalSign
GlobalSign began providing digital authentication services to Belgium ten years ago when digital authentication companies were first beginning to appear. Customers include a number of Belgian government agencies and the GlobalSign Certificate Authority operates many prestigious government projects such as eID*(BELPIC). We are recognized as the Belgian Government Certificate Authority. GlobalSign became a member of the GMO Internet Group in 2006 and beginning in Japan is expanding sales of government-level security worldwide.
eID*: A citizen ID card. This is the first stage of the e-government project in Belgium. The ID card containing a digital certificate is distributed to all Belgian citizens over the age of 12.

Performance: (cumulative figures)
– Over 100,000 SSL Server Certificates issued
– Over1.4 million digital certificates (for web sites, IC Cards etc. including Digital IDs) issued
– Over 20 million certificates worldwide rely on the public trust provided by the GlobalSign root (including issues by subordinate CAs)
– We supply many major government agencies and major corporations.

Media Inquiries
GMO Hosting & Security INC. Corporate Planning Department
E-mail: pr@gmo-hs.com
GMO Internet Inc. Group PR Team
E-mail: pr@gmo.jp

The GMO Internet Group
The GMO Internet Group is a leading force in the Internet industry offering one of the most comprehensive ranges of Internet services in Japan. We hold top domestic market shares in domain registration, web hosting and payment processing and we provide a host of other services including e-commerce solutions and Internet advertising to individual and corporate customers. Striving to redefine the industry and foster a vibrant Internet culture, the GMO Internet Group is continuously working to inspire enthusiasm in our customers and put smiles on their faces.

GlobalSign K.K.