23.2 Encryption

Today, a majority of Internet and network traffic travels in clear text. However, there is a trend toward incorporating encryption into both secure and mainstream communication. Signs of this are present everywhere. Secure Shell (SSH) is an encrypted alternative to rlogin and telnet that is available today. A similar alternative is available for FTP, namely Secure FTP (SFTP). Secure Copy (SCP), a component of SSH, also allows for copying files in an encrypted mode. In addition, TCP wrappers are available that can tunnel as well as encrypt traffic over these common services.

A majority of Internet sites that collect credit card or other financial information employ Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. Sites that collect nonfinancial but personal information are also beginning to encrypt traffic with SSL. In fact, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) has mandated the use of SSL as one of its requirements for obtaining its highly regarded Web Trust Seal of Assurance. (The presence of this seal on a Web site indicates that independent accountants have examined the site's information-handling practices and found them to meet recognized standards for maintaining the privacy of client/user information.)

As the computational requirements for performing encryption and decryption diminish (or the computational power available in traditional networking devices increases), encryption is likely to become more and more popular for all traffic, including confidential and less-sensitive traffic. This will help avoid the situation that the mere fact that certain traffic is encrypted reveals that it must involve a sensitive matter between the sender and the recipient.

Again, the tools and solutions for encrypting communications exist today. Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), for instance, is a very user-friendly and effective means of encrypting e-mails as well as individual files and entire directories, as is the Norton Secret Stuff (Norton.ss) tool. Several free Internet e-mail providers, such as Yahoo.com and MailandNews.com, provide secure access to e-mail accounts. Encrypted communication is one of the key benefits of a PKI. As the need for more data privacy and security becomes clear to individuals and organizations, the advent of encrypted traffic will continue to grow.