“Extended Validation SSL (EV SSL or EVSSL) certificates are
widely considered to be the most trusted option currently available
for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates. While EV SSL
certificates utilize the same levels of security as conventional
SSL certificates, they do require more extensive verification of
the certificate requestor by the certificate authority (CA) issuing
the certificate.“Websites using EV SSL certificates have a unique visual
indication in a Web browser’s URL bar to help users identify the
use of increased security verification measures. Internet Explorer,
for example, displays a green address bar in the URL as well as the
certificate’s security vendor and the name of the organization
associated with the certificate.“Browsers that currently support visual identification for EVSSL
certificates include Google Chrome (all versions), Microsoft
Internet Explorer (versions 7 and later), Mozilla Firefox (v3.5 and
later), Apple Safari (v3.2 and later) and Opera (v9.5 and later).
The Extended Validation Standard for EV SSL certificates was
approved in 2006 by a group of leading SSL Certificate Authorities
and browser vendors.”