DigiNotar collapse could cost parent nearly $5 million

Authentication solutions provider Vasco expects the bankruptcy of its Dutch-based certificate authority (CA), DigiNotar, to cost it between $3.3 and $4.8 million, according to a statement Tuesday. The estimate does not include losses that may arise through possible lawsuits filed against the company. On Sept. 20, DigiNotar was "declared bankrupt"  by a District Court judge in The Netherlands after it emerged that the CA issued hundreds of counterfeit SSL credentials after hackers breached its systems. At least one phony certificate, for Google.com, appeared in the wild, presumably so Iranian users could be spied on the government. Vasco is based in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.