DULLES, VA (Marketwire) - Internet leaders and visionaries will convene to share insights and new research findings regarding how to strengthen the Internet infrastructure at Verisign's "Building a Better Internet" symposium to be held in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 18.

The forum will spotlight how, after decades of exponential growth, the Internet infrastructure needs to be strengthened and fortified to support the needs of the next billion users. It will also look forward to the increasing complexity and internationalization of Internet-enabled technologies, and the evolutionary changes that must take place to meet those challenges.

"In the years ahead, we believe the world will welcome a billion new Internet users, and witness the development of businesses and services that have yet to be imagined," said Jim Bidzos, Verisign's executive chairman, president and chief executive officer. "That is why it is imperative to bring industry and technical leaders together to think through and plan for the challenges ahead. Verisign is proud to host such an impressive group."

Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine and author of "The Long Tail," will keynote the event, which will feature technology leaders from the academic, business and policy communities.

The event will also feature the winners of the four $75,000 infrastructure grants that Verisign awarded as part of its 25 Years of .Com commemorations in 2010.

The grant winners who will present their findings are:

• Professor Shlomi Dolev, Ben Gurion University, Negev, Israel (Techniques for Achieving Positive Anonymity)
• Anil Madhavapeddy, Cambridge University, United Kingdom (Constructing a "Functional" Name System)
• Professor Philip Brighten Godfrey, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Lifesaver: Enabling Responsive Web Applications)
• Professor Z. Morley Mao, University of Michigan (Enhancing Mobile Internet Infrastructure for Improved Performance and Security)

The infrastructure grant program, launched during the 25 Years of .Com commemoration, represents a continuation and expansion of Verisign's commitment to sponsoring research that supports the Internet's healthy growth and development. Through Verisign Labs, Verisign has sponsored numerous university research programs this year, in addition to the infrastructure grants.

As the steward of critical components of the Internet's global infrastructure -- including the .com and .net top-level domains, and two of the Internet's 13 authoritative root zone servers -- Verisign plays a leading role, in partnership with other organizations, in ensuring the security and stability of the Internet. The research being highlighted at the "Building a Better Internet" symposium exemplifies the creative thinking that should help the industry to stay ahead of mounting demands and new threats, and enable users to enjoy the full benefits of the connected digital world.

Attendance at the symposium is by invitation only. Members of the media may obtain a credential for the event by sending an email to Deana Alvy, dalvy@verisign.com.

About Verisign
VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRSN) is the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world. Billions of times each day, Verisign helps companies and consumers all over the world connect between the dots. Additional news and information about the company is available at www.verisigninc.com.

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 as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended. 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, the uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations in quarterly operating results due to such factors as increasing competition, pricing pressure from competing services offered at prices below our prices and changes in marketing practices including those of third-party registrars; the sluggish economic recovery; challenges to ongoing privatization of Internet administration; the outcome of legal or other challenges resulting from our activities or the activities of registrars or registrants; new or existing governmental laws and regulations; changes in customer behavior, Internet platforms and web-browsing patterns; the inability of Verisign to successfully develop and market new services; the uncertainty of whether our new services will achieve market acceptance or result in any revenues; system interruptions; security breaches; attacks on the Internet by hackers, viruses, or intentional acts of vandalism; and the uncertainty of whether Project Apollo will achieve its stated objectives. 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, including in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Verisign undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this announcement.

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