securityISSUE!

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n.merchant88@gmail.com - 23 Oct 2005 01:20 GMT

ok...im using a G4 powerbook and everytime i enter amazon or e-bay the
computer tells me that info i send off here can be seen by other ppl on
the network. now im on university internet and i am told that they have
made every effort to ensure that the internet itself i.e. from their
end is secure...is there any settings i need to have from my end (my
computer) to make sure that any details i pass on the internet (like
credit card no.s etc) on websites is secure?
on i.e. for windows a small lock appears at the right-hand side bottom
so u know that its secure. how can i ensure SECURITY in mac osx?????
HELP PLZZZ
u cn reply on n.merchant88@gmail.com

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William Smith - 23 Oct 2005 04:50 GMT

> ok...im using a G4 powerbook and everytime i enter amazon or e-bay the
> computer tells me that info i send off here can be seen by other ppl on
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> HELP PLZZZ
> u cn reply on n.merchant88@gmail.com

When you are connected securely in IE 5.2.3 for Mac OS X, you'll see the
tiny lock in the lower left corner of the window.

Both Amazon and eBay will require your browser to connect via SSL
(Secure Sockets Layer / https) before allowing any confidential
transaction. This isn't an option you or your browser can turn on or off.

That being said, I've looked at Amazon in both IE and Safari and it does
appear that the web page for signing in to your account is not
encrypted. This is the page that would submit your user name and
password. I don't have an eBay account to test.

I'm not a web security expert but I do notice when signing in to my bank
and credit card accounts online that the pages are secured before
sending any name/password information. Also, I've found numerous online
posts dating back to 2001 stating that both Amazon and eBay are pretty
lax with their online security.

I've submitted this to Amazon's feedback page. I doubt I'll receive any
valuable feedback but I would suggest that you see if any of your credit
card services offer virtual account numbers for use online. These expire
after about 30 days, which means if someone were to sniff the network
and see your information, they would have to use your account within 30
days of your transaction. Or you can opt for sending a check or money
order.

Hope this helps! bill

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William M. Smith
(Microsoft Interop MVP)

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Mac Forum / Applications / Internet Explorer / October 2005

securityISSUE!