Skip the navigation
Opinion

Digital IDs matter

Melissa, ExploreZip.worm and now the "Love Bug" show what happens when we fail to protect our online identities. Digital IDs can help us do that

By Jon Udell
May 22, 2000 12:00 PM ET

Computerworld - Here's a message I hope I'll never have to send: Hello. You're in my address book and therefore have probably been sent an e-mail "from me" containing a zipped attachment - which I supposedly received from (Sender), (Title) at (Prominent Company).
Do NOT open the zipped attachment - this is the worm virus in the news. Simply delete the e-mail.
Sorry, (Victim)
I received this pathetic missive in the wake of the so-called Love Bug's predecessor, ExploreZip.worm. These worms, while clever, are more socially than technically adept. A victim is attacked by a message that seems to come from an acquaintance. In reality, of course, the poisoned message comes from a trusted person's machine, not that trusted person.
After the Love Bug, experts made the same tired recommendations we always see:
• Disable macro languages.
• Ban attachments in corporate environments.
• Don't open any attachment you aren't sure about.
Will we ever learn? This isn't really about viruses and worms at all; it's about identity.
You probably do most of your business through e-mail, where you're represented by nothing more than an e-mail address. Everybody knows it's trivial to forge an e-mail address, and we now know it's also far too easy to hijack somebody's e-mail program. Sadly, a solution has been widely available - and almost universally ignored - for almost five years.
Since 1996, the e-mail clients bundled with both Microsoft's and Netscape's browsers have enabled us to digitally sign our messages and thus prove our identities to recipients. I sign all my e-mail messages, but I can count on the fingers of two hands the people who have ever sent me signed e-mail. Leave out cryptography experts, and I only need one hand.
To sign your e-mail, you need a client certificate, a.k.a. digital identification. These are like the server certificates that secure Web sites use to support Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connections. But server certificates do more than just activate SSL. They also authenticate servers to clients - that is, they prove to your browser that it's really connected to Amazon.com and not to some rogue site.
The dirty little secret of e-commerce is that clients aren't authenticated to servers. You know that Amazon.com is Amazon.com, but it doesn't know who you are; it knows only that you're somebody's valid credit-card number. Why not use a client certificate? It takes effort to acquire and use one, and nobody wants to slow the e-commerce juggernaut by asking people to make that effort.
It's long past time



Additional Resources
Forrester Consulting - Optimizing Users and Applications in a Mobile World
WHITE PAPER
Solving application issues over the WAN requires careful consideration. Based on their independent research, Forrester Consulting offers recommendations on how to tackle application performance issues, insufficient bandwidth and the inability to quickly restore users in a disaster.

Read now.

Security KnowledgeVault
WHITE PAPER
Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All
WHITE PAPER
New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

Management and Careers White Papers
Overcome Top 7 Admin Challenges of Active Directory
As Active Directory's role in the enterprise has drastically increased, so has the need to secure the data. Gain insight on creating repeatable,...
Insiders Can Ruin Your Company. Take Action.
Did you know that 80 percent of threats to an organization come from the inside? The threat from insiders is often overlooked in...
Smarter Commerce is redefining value chain visibility
Smarter Commerce is redefining the value chain in the age of the customer. It starts with putting the customer at the center of...
Identity Governance: The Business Imperatives
This white paper describes the business challenges and opportunities that are driving interest in Identity Governance while discussing considerations your organization should make...
The Executive Buyer's Guide to Project Portfolio Management
The Innotas Executive Buyer's Guide provides you with a concise overview of Project Portfolio Management (PPM) and delivers important buying criteria to help...
All Management and Careers White Papers
Management and Careers Webcasts
Live Webcast
Integrated IT Operations Management in the Cloud
Join award-winning technology editor Stan Gibson and Andrew White, CMO at Numara Software, to learn how asset management and service management are converging...
Integrated IT Operations Management in the Cloud
Join award-winning technology editor Stan Gibson and Andrew White, CMO at Numara Software, to learn how asset management and service management are converging...
Optimizing Networks for the Cloud
Join guest speaker, Rohit Mehra, IDC Director of Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, to explore current trends, discuss best practices for optimizing Data Center and...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere
Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
Customer Spotlight: How IPC The Hospitalist Company Implemented Oracle on VMware
Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn...
All Management and Careers Webcasts
Newsletter Sign-Up

Receive the latest news test, reviews and trends on your favorite technology topics

Choose a newsletter
  1. View all newsletters | Privacy Policy
IT Jobs