Internet Explorer Version 7 (IE 7)

Microsoft was one of the first browser companies to implement an EV SSL compliant web browser.

In early 2007, Microsoft with IE7 enabled the EV SSL compliant browser, with new end-user interface conventions.

With Microsoft IE 6.0, there are no obvious signifiers to alert an end-user that the Web site is encrypted and secure. An end-user would have to know what to look for, or what menu to access, in order to ascertain the level of security and the legitimacy of the website.

In version 7.0, Microsoft Explorer makes it very easy for the end-user to recognize an EV SSL compliant website/entity/organization.

In this example, let's take a look at the Charles Schwab website. Charles Schwab offers a wide range of financial products and services for investors, independent investment advisors and companies of all sizes.

Let's take a look at the website, through IE 7.0:

When visiting the Charles Schwab website, which has an EV SSL certificate, the address bar turns green and a new active lock icon appears showing the name of the organization this site claims to be.

If the end-user toggles, or drags the mouse over the lock icon, or if the end-user clicks anywhere in the address bar, the pop-up screen appears.

An outside, third-party CA-in this case, VeriSign-has certified this website as legitimate, and the pop-up screen reveals the information needed, in order for the CA to issue the certificate.

The CA/Browser Forum decided that the change of the address bar to green is a more noticeable indicator that the site is secure, instead of just displaying the padlock icon at the bottom of the screen.

Legacy browsers that were developed before the EV standard, display EV SSL Certificates in the same manner as traditional SSL Certificates.

The same website-Charles Schwab-as it looks on the Firefox browser:

The web address bar is not green, however it denotes the "https" secure convention. When the actual certificate is viewed, it displays the information concerning the certificate, including that it is, indeed, an EV SSL certificate. Firefox, Opera and other browsers are in the final stages of a new release with the same functionality as IE 7.0. All of the major browsers should function the same, in the very near future.

                    

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