Comment from CSA Editor:
It’s shocking how much distrust there currently is towards Symantec-branded SSL certificates when just over a year ago, Symantec used to be among the largest certificate authorities (CA) on the market. Following Trustico’s recent announcement regarding their complete dismissal of all Symantec-branded SSL certs from their list of offerings (the full press release can be found below), we contacted Zane Lucas, Director of Trustico Online Limited, for clarification on the matter.
 
We asked whether Trustico would consider reissuing Symantec’s SSL certs if Symantec turned things around by revamping its issuance procedures and improving on the security and reliability of its SSL certificates, but we got the impression that irreparable damage has already been done and the level of distrust that Symantec has garnered over the past year is simply too great. Zane commented, “Symantec branded SSL Certificates now have a high level of distrust in the online community. This appears to be a direct result of Symantec’s neglect of policy and the inability to ensure staff at Symantec acted within industry guidelines. Trustico is not in a position whereby it could offer the Symantec product now or in the future.”
 
Symantec’s CA business unit, meanwhile, hasn't exactly done itself any favours by the way it has handled the whole controversy. Although the unit was acquired by DigiCert late last year, meaning DigiCert took over the validation and issuing of all Symantec-branded SSL certificates, industry players such as Trustico are not convinced.
 
“DigiCert acquired the Symantec CA business, though the same staff and management team that caused the issues which resulted in distrust of the Symantec brand are now employed at DigiCert in management positions. In our view, this discredits the DigiCert brand. Additionally, Symantec acquired 30% of the DigiCert brand shortly after the Symantec acquisition - in our view this looks like a strategic plan involving “smoke and mirrors” to mitigate the level of distrust that Symantec imposed upon themselves,” said Zane.
 
Trustico is further expanding its services in various global regions in 2018 and has a plan to expand into several ASEAN markets in 2018-2019. They are actively working toward a strengthened presence in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, and they are also working with new partners in ASEAN markets to expand their existing partner channel where they do not have an active presence.
 
The full press release follows:​

Effective immediately, Trustico® will cease to offer Symantec®-branded SSL Certificates - Symantec®, GeoTrust, Thawte and RapidSSL - in the lead up to launching their new website trust seals and Trustico®-branded SSL Certificates. 
 
This move follows Google's decision to stop trusting SSL Certificates issued by Symantec® in the coming months, resulting in a degraded website visitor experience.
 
Any website that uses an SSL Certificate issued by Symantec® before June 2016 or after December 2017 will be warned that their connection is not private and someone could be attempting to steal their information. Chrome users will have to click past the warning before they are able to access the website.
 
The initial change is scheduled to arrive with Chrome version 66, which will launch worldwide on April 17. Then from Oct. 23, when Chrome launches build 70, all Symantec® SSL Certificates will be listed as untrustworthy.
 
As a valued partner of Comodo®, Trustico® has updated their systems to minimize disruption to customers with their API and ordering processes by enabling the automatic selection and ordering of equivalent products from the Comodo® range. This means customers that attempt to order an SSL Certificate no longer supplied will be presented with an alternate trusted product.
 
Trustico® will soon launch new website trust seals and will be offering Trustico®-branded SSL Certificates across their sites. The SSL Certificates that Trustico offers ensure websites are both secured and trusted - enabling security to protect sensitive data such as credit card and personal information. 
 
SSL Certificates can be purchased, validated and issued within minutes using Trustico®’s seamless validation process. All the major browsers and devices trust their SSL Certificates, providing the highest level of security and compatibility with 99.9 percent of the world's internet population.
 
Trustico has issued Symantec SSL Certificates for more than 10 years. With more than 50,000 of its current customer base affected by these issues, they’re playing an important role by ensuring existing and new online business remains secured.
 
“The products and services that Trustico provide are those that the internet community trusts and relies upon. It's important for Trustico to ensure that those products and services maintain high-security levels, are free from defect and instill consumer confidence at all times. Unfortunately, due to the recent security events involving Symantec, the brand is no longer one that Trustico believes can offer those high-security levels,” said Zane Lucas.
 
As indicated by Chrome, this incident, while distinct from a previous incident in 2015, was part of a continuing pattern of issues over the past several years that has caused the Chrome team to lose confidence in the trustworthiness of Symantec®’s infrastructure, and as a result, the SSL Certificates that have been or will be issued from it.