Verisign adds malware scanning, search listing seals to its offerings

Verisign is upping its game in the fight against malware by putting the power of its seal to work.

The company is adding a malware scanning feature that will work to detect malware-based HTML code that's embedded into an unsuspecting site. Upon finding it, the company said it will notify the site's administrator of the code, but will also take the added step of removing the code - sort a thumbs-up safety net that consumers have come to recognize - until the site cleans up the code.

It's an incentive, really, for the site operator to maintain a clean site and to almost become one soldier among many who are on Team Verisign's fight against the dark side of the Internet. But it's not just site operators who are joining the fight. By putting their trust into the Verisign seal, consumers are also being armed with a new tool that will allow them to click wisely.

Called Seal-in-Search, the feature places the Verisign seal into search results so it's clear - before users click on a link - which sites have been scanned and tagged as safe by Verisign.

The new tools - free to existing customers - place some more meat behind the power and value of that Verisign label.  The company said that testing has shown that sites with the Verisign label increases transactions by 24 percent.

I do like the idea of pushing Web site administrators to react quickly when malware hits their sites. Likewise, giving consumers another tool to make surf safely is good thing. There will always be Internet bad guys - but every little tool to keep them away from your computing experience helps.