Internet Security
The Internet is an ethereal thing. It can appear quite different when looked at for different purposes. For the purposes of secret-sharing, imagine the Internet as a huge town hall which is packed with people. Attempting to communicate a secret in such an environment is difficult, and the chance of others overhearing a conversation between two people increases as the distance between those two people increases. Since the Internet is truly global, no secret of any value can be communicated on it without the help of cryptography.
As the Internet grows (almost exponentially in recent years), its utility increases. Messages can be sent cheaply and reliably and communication is the lifeblood of business. For a company to engage in electronic commerce the sale of goods and services over the Internet security is a must. Sensitive information such as credit card numbers must be protected and a business must be able to authenticate each and every sale. In addition, businesses can use the Internet to inexpensively connect disparate offices. Interoffice electronic mail and even phone calls can be routed over the Internet. Because sensitive corporate information would most likely be transmitted over these links, the need for security should be obvious.
But, Internet security concerns are not solely business'. Each and every person has a need and a right to privacy, and when someone goes on-line, the expectation of privacy does not disappear. As consumer electronics become more and more Internet-aware, the need for security grows. When our phones and VCRs become accessible over the Internet, we won't want pranksters or hackers to steal our phone line or randomly turn our VCRs on and off.
Privacy is not just confidentiality, though; it also includes anonymity. People must be comfortable in cyberspace and an often ignored component of that is the ability for an individual to remain anonymous. What we read, where we go, to whom we talk, for whom we vote, and what we buy is not information that most people traditionally publicize, and if people are required to disclose information in cyberspace that they would not normally disclose in real life, they will be reluctant to engage in Internet activity.
Thankfully, cryptography can address these concerns.
Top IPSec (2nd Edition) ISBN: 013046189X
EAN: 2147483647 Year: 2004
Pages: 76 Authors: Naganand Doraswamy, Dan Harkins
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