[LINK] Crime expert backs calls for 'licence to compute'

Stephen Wilson swilson at lockstep.com.au
Fri Aug 28 09:35:19 AEST 2009



Bernard Robertson-Dunn wrote:
> Crime expert backs calls for 'licence to compute'
> By Ben Grubb
> Aug 27, 2009 4:03 PM
> http://www.itnews.com.au/News/154129,crime-expert-backs-calls-for-licence-to-compute.aspx
>
> But education should take back seat to product safety.
>   
Amen to that. Education has reached its use by date. For one thing, 
because credit card data is stolen en masse from department store 
databases and card-present processors, the best cyber-shopping advice in 
the world does nothing to stop hapless users being robbed.
> "There's been some discussion in Europe about the use of what's called a 
> computer drivers licence -  where you have a standard set of skills 
> people should learn before they start using computers," Dr Smith told 
> iTnews.
>   
I disagree we can licence people. It's got too hard. For instance, the 
level of technical skill needed to avoid Man-in-the-Middle SSL attacks 
(double click on the padlock, check the certificate chain etc.) will be 
beyond lay people. And in any case, people fall foul of card not present 
(CNP) fraud without having ever shopped on line.
> BRD: A duo of breathtakingly stupid statements:
>
> (1) "devise technology that makes it difficult or impossible for people 
> to be defrauded"
That's not "breathtakingly stupid" at all. The dominant MO of 
cybercriminals is to steal credit card numbers from backend processors 
(or buy them on the black market) are replay them in CNP fraud. Like 
most digital ID theft, this caper is enabled by the replayability of 
digital ID data. It is not fanciful to call for the wider use technology 
like asymmetric cryptography to make identity replay much more difficult.

Cheers,

Stephen Wilson
Managing Director
Lockstep Group

Phone +61 (0)414 488 851

www.lockstep.com.au <http://www.lockstep.com.au>
-------------------
Lockstep Consulting provides independent specialist advice and analysis
on digital identity and privacy. Lockstep Technologies develops unique
new smart ID solutions that enhance privacy and prevent identity theft.
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