Symantec sells its problem SSL unit to DigiCert for $1B

Symantec has found a way to make a dispute with Google over the validity of its TLS and SSL  certificates go away -- and get paid almost US$1 billion in the process.

Browser developers including Google had raised questions about way Symantec issued SSL certificates, and have threatened to stop recognizing them, a move that could hurt Symantec's customers and worry visitors to the websites using the affected certificates.

Now Symantec has sold its certificate authority (CA) business to DigiCert for US$950 million and a 30-percent stake in the smaller company, leaving DigiCert to pick up the pieces and implement plans to fix Symantec's issuance procedures.