Re: Re: OK,If Matt Walters can gripe, we can too


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Posted by Bob on December 07, 2000 at 11:10:32:

In Reply to: Re: OK,If Matt Walters can gripe, we can too posted by Mary Ann on December 07, 2000 at 10:38:45:

Mary Ann,

You all need a little education on computer and network security. It is a hot topic these days. There are multiple elements such as authentication (knowing who you are communicating with), encryption (making text unreadable except to the correct receiver), protection (preventing the destruction of your data, even from legit connections), privacy (keeping your data secret) and tracking (being able to prove that a transaction really happened). The person who asked to call you was doing authentication (making sure you were who you said you were.) All of these elements are interconnected and depend on each other.

A few years ago, the finance industry, retail industry and computer/networking industry introduced Secure Electronic Transactions (SET). SET performs all of these functions but you need to be using a website that is SET-enabled and you need to be registered with a "trusted third party" which manages keys. Most retail websites that use SET have facilities for you to register if you haven't done so. The big advantage of SET is that the retailer never sees your credit-card number. They get approval from the bank which holds the card for the sale.

The biggest risk for credit card theft in a network is not someone watching the network but hackers who break into companies systems and get lists. If you are interested, there is a hacker's convention each year in Las Vegas. The hackers, the CIA, the FBI and all of the computer security people attend. As you might expect, they don't tell anyone which type of person they are. If you showed up with a tuba, it could thoroughly confuse everyone!




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