VeriSign Offers SnapNames' Domain Name Monitoring Solution to its Customers from VeriSign, Inc.

VeriSign Offers SnapNames' Domain Name Monitoring Solution to its Customers

Mountain View, CA - July 18, 2001 - VeriSign, Inc., the world's leading provider of domain name registration services, announced today that it has begun offering SnapNames.com, Inc.'s SnapBack™ service which will monitor any of the 10 million existing domain name registrations estimated to become available in the next year. Because many registered domain names are inactive, nearly one million become available for registration each month. SnapNames' SnapBack monitors the domain names that customers want and attempts to register them once they become available.

VeriSign provides a link to SnapNames that appears every time a user searches for a domain name that is already registered. VeriSign shortly will be offering the SnapBack services to its broad global network of reseller partners as well. SnapBack subscriptions sell for $49 per domain name and include the cost of registration should the target name be registered on behalf of the subscriber.

"Through this service VeriSign now offers would-be registrants a second chance at registering a domain name they may have missed out on before," said Doug Wolford, senior vice president and general manager of Web Presence Services. "Dot-com domain names are still the premier address on the Internet, and now many are coming available again. With SnapNames, we're giving our customers the opportunity to get in line for these popular domain names."

SnapNames has also developed a strong reputation among law firms and large corporations as a resource for recovering names previously held by cyber squatters. Marketing executives and small business entrepreneurs also make use of the SnapBack service to capture potential new brand names from those domain name registrations let go by their original registrants.

"We're thrilled to have developed this partnership with VeriSign not only because of their market strength and high quality customer base, but because of their forward-looking approach to the domain industry," says Ron Wiener, chairman and CEO of SnapNames, "As the domain name market shifts from the paradigm of the initial .com land rush to include a strong re-sale market, offering secondary market tools such as our SnapBack service is the best way to improve the registration process and ensure continued and healthy growth."

For more information contact the VeriSign/SnapNames customer service department at 800-285-4075 (503-219-9990 outside the U.S.) or send e-mail to nsisupport@snapnames.com.

About SnapNames 
SnapNames is a venture-backed, independent infrastructure provider for the domain name industry, connecting Registrar and Registry systems to create the world's largest on-line market for secondary domain names. Its exclusive patent-pending SnapBack service monitors a domain name registration that may expire in the future, putting customers in a strong position to register that name as soon as it becomes available. For information go to www.snapnames.com, send e-mail to info@snapnames.com, or call 503-219-9990. SnapNames.com, Inc. is located at 115 NW First Avenue, 3rd Floor, Portland, OR 97209.

About VeriSign 
VeriSign, Inc. ( NASDAQ:VRSN) is the leading provider of trusted infrastructure services to Web sites, enterprises, electronic commerce service providers and individuals. The company's domain name, digital certificate and payment services provide the critical Web identity, authentication and transaction infrastructure that online businesses require to conduct secure e-commerce and communications. VeriSign's services are available through its Web sites (www.verisign.com and www.networksolutions.com) or through its direct sales force and reseller partners around the world.

Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, VeriSign's limited operating history under its current business structure, uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations in quarterly operating results, increased competition, risks associated with the company's international business and risks related to potential security breaches. More information about potential factors that could affect the company's business and financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2000 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2001. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.

VeriSign is a registered trademark of VeriSign, Inc. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.