Todays's NY Times Technology column (8/17/98) deals with digital commerce. Cites a major problem with software based encryption being the unavailability of software source code. "Any software company that, for example, develops software for Windows has to trust whatever security defaults Microsoft has chosen to use, yet 'the developers have no idea what's in them...There's now way to find out the Windows source code'", says Mark Seiden of Veriguard, Inc, a computer security concern in Pala Alto, CA.
The article goes on to say that Seiden "recomends encrypting sensitive information on a vulnerable machine by using code embedded on a computer chip, rather than encryption software."
It also cites a growing trend towards corporate espionage, quoting Thomas Noonan, chairman & CEO of Atlanta based Internet Security Systems: " Corporate espionage is the fastest growing sector of the computer crime business...if electronic commerce is about the ability to trade ubiquitously in all corners of the globe, one of the huge challenges for business is how to protect the security and integrity of my information, which is the basis of my competitive advantage." The article goes on to state: "Mr Noonan, whose clients include some of the world's largest companies, says corporate information officers realize that commercial software is the 'source of their vulnerabilities.'"
Phil Geiger |
