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Re: SSL and certificates



At 5:24 AM -0700 8/27/96, Michael Brennen wrote:
>At least one well advertised national Internet mall advertises its secure
>credit card server -- then turns around and emails the CC to the client
>unencrypted.  Incredible.  That is the most vulnerable side, as the email
>sits on a disk for some period of time where it is the most subject to
>being picked off.  This *is* lulling users into false security, and it is
>deliberate; I believe they know the security risks involved.
>
>With a well designed system, including proper PGP key and passphrase
>management training to the client, the risks involved can be very greatly
>reduced so that the risks are almost certainly lower than any other use of
>CCs.

Michael,

I realize that this is a weak link (getting the CC# from server to
merchant), but are there well-established alternatives?

E.g. are there versions of PGP that an ISP can install on a UNIX box in a
simple fashion?

And then what? Do you write as part of the order-taking form-processing cgi
a call to PGP before SENDMAIL?

Thanks!

  ___
   |
 \_|IM

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Jim Ratliff, Ph.D.       jim@virtualperfection.com
Virtual Perfection       http://www.virtualperfection.com/
     Web Solutions       (520)624-7852
P.O.Box 43995            (800)578-2164
Tucson AZ 85733          (520)624-9266[fax]
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