1237ca55531f
tech



Hello Wayne - 

CA>>> There were many problems with IEx v4 but I don't recall
CA>>> specifics. 

RJT>> The only thing I ever used it for was to view web pages
RJT>> on the primary linux box that I'd put together, and it
RJT>> never showed me any problems there. 

CA>> I have the impression that the webpages you refer to were
CA>> written by you. What I am referring to is on the WWW where
CA>> there is pressure to add razzle-dazzle and whatnot. The
CA>> problems with v4 were either non-standard displays of HTML
CA>> or security issues. 

I failed to include that the pages written by Roy are only on
Roy's intranet and not available on the WWW at all. :-) 

CA>>> Version 5 wasn't so hot but v5.5 is OK AFAIK. I upgraded
CA>>> to version 6 just for the heck of it and v6 seems OK to
CA>>> me. 

WC> My bank has notified me IE 5.5 has security features that
WC> are due to expire. 

"Expire" is the bank's way of avoiding telling customers that
some little dweeb 'webmaster' they've hired (probably a
go-getter recent grad relative) wants to only use newer
versions of an automated web-authoring tool that he/she is
familar with and that requires 128 bit encryption or some other
absurd attempt at pretending to be a 'secure' site for
financial transactions. 

After having known several people whose hobby was encryption
since before home PCs even existed I tend to doubt there are
ways to 'encrypt' anything that cannot be decrypted given
enough time. What one man can create another can destroy. 

WC> Why the heck would security features expire? 

Short answer: They don't. They become obsolete or fall out of
'favor' and are replaced with the next newest version which is
usually just another from a grab bag of existing types of
encryption that have been used before at another time. 

I guess it's worthwhile to slow down the pimple-faced
pre-pubescent teenagers who might diddle with the banks
computers but organized crime began recruiting computer
specialists two decades ago and may even be setting up fake
'security firms' offering their services to firms looking to
avoid the payroll to hire their own people. The most common way
to 'hack into' a system from the outside is to get the
passwords etc. from a disgruntled employee (contrary to
Hollywood versions of this process). There is no way to setup a
'secure' system. 

One memorable scene from a Hollywood movie where kids hack into
a major corporation's computers has the 'expert' saying there
was no way it could happen unless some moron executive chose
"GOD" as their password and the female CEO standing behind him
begins to blush and look sick to her stomach. I laughed out
loud when I saw that. 

At one time burglars were buying information from home alarm
system installers about what homes had something worth stealing
and where to disable the alarms in those homes. 

Even doing banking in person things can go wrong. My bank lost
a $954 deposit to my checking account once and began bouncing
my checks all over town. When they found the missing deposit
they never apologized nor would they refund the
bounced-check-charges they had withdrawn from my account (over
$150).  I couldn't afford to take a day off from work to sue
them (I made more than that in one day) and they got away with
it. :-\

Another bank lost $15,000 of an account when my mother was the
executor of her brother's estate and they never apologized
either after finding their error. Having deposit slips from the
tellers was the only reason the banks in question continued to
search for the money. They don't just agree with you because
you have a deposit slip in your hand either as many might think
they would have to.  Can you imagine how you would convince
them if you had no deposit slips stamped by one of their
employees? 

>
>        ,                          ,
>      o/      Charles.Angelich      \o       ,
>       __o/
>     / >          USA, MI           < \   __\__
 

___ * ATP/16bit 2.31 * 
... DOS the Ghost in the Machine! http://www.undercoverdesign.com/dosghost/

--- Maximus/2 3.01