I've been waiting for it to happen, and here we are. Apple officially wins the smartphone race for Extended Validation SSL support. That's because Mobile Safari now has Extended Validation SSL support. On the heels of Internet Explorer's adoption of EV support in January 2007, the desktop saw a wave of browsers adding in support. With over 60% of mobile browser usage, iPhone is the pacesetter in this market. I hope Apple has broken the ice for mobile devices to do the same thing.

I've written in the past about how phishers and other online scammers are attaching themselves to topical items like tax season and holiday shopping. Well, now it looks like March Madness is the latest victim.

That makes all the sense in the world. These fraudsters are trying to trick Internet users into giving away information or giving malware access to their systems. Originally it was a matter of spoofing someone's PayPal or bank account. As the users have gotten wiser (although these workhorse counterfeits are still happening in huge numbers) the attackers have constantly sought green fields. One consistent technique is to take the prospective victim out of the context in which he is looking for a scam. Your bank account is too suspicious? No problem. How about your utility bill or your favorite e-commerce site or your wireless phone service? Account...

Here's a nice writeup of research involving consumer fears of online transations, trusted security marks, and Extended Validation SSL. Just thought I'd share.

The Safari 4 beta is out. While many of us were pleased to see EV SSL support in version 3.2, there was a widespread opinion that the organization information was not prominent enough. Now we get a peek at version 4, and Apple appears to have fixed that problem. But don't just take my word for it. Here is a review with screen caps from a Safari user.

As an aside, this same reviewer has comments on the other popular browsers and their EV SSL interfaces as well.