From: Jeff Weinstein <jsw@netscape.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Jan 96 16:32:00 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: [Fwd: Re: Netscape + Verifone]
Message-ID: <31042B07.5664@netscape.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Howard Melman wrote:
> 
> On Mon Jan 22, 1996, Perry E. Metzger wrote:
> 
> >    REDWOOD CITY, CA - Netscape Communications Corp. and Verifone
> >    Inc. will devise a system to make electronic payments on the internet
> >    more secure.
> >
> > Anyone know anything about this?
> 
> Reported in today's Wall Street Journal
> 
>   http://update.wsj.com/update/edit/w-netsca.html
> 
> Basically Verifone's credit card processing technology
> (credit card verification) will be bundled with Netscape's
> Commerce server.
> 
> Netscape also announced that the software will use new
> encryption technology being developed by MasterCard and
> Visa.  I don't know what this quote means:
> 
>   That technology would break sensitive information like
>   credit-card data into 1,024 bits of information, instead
>   of the 128 bits used currently, theoretically making it
>   much more difficult to steal.

  This is typical "the reporter doesn't understand the difference
between RSA and symetric cipher key sizes" reporting.  What it
really boils down to is that export software can use larger key
sizes for certain application specific encryption.  For example
if you limit what is being encrypted to fixed length financial
information such as credit card numbers and ammounts you can
use keys larger than 40 bits.

	--Jeff

-- 
Jeff Weinstein - Electronic Munitions Specialist
Netscape Communication Corporation
jsw@netscape.com - http://home.netscape.com/people/jsw
Any opinions expressed above are mine.


Subject: Re: Netscape + Verifone
From: melman@osf.org (Howard Melman)
Date: 22 Jan 1996 12:05:53 -0800
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On Mon Jan 22, 1996, Perry E. Metzger wrote:

>    REDWOOD CITY, CA - Netscape Communications Corp. and Verifone
>    Inc. will devise a system to make electronic payments on the internet
>    more secure.
> 
> Anyone know anything about this?

Reported in today's Wall Street Journal

  http://update.wsj.com/update/edit/w-netsca.html

Basically Verifone's credit card processing technology
(credit card verification) will be bundled with Netscape's
Commerce server.

Netscape also announced that the software will use new
encryption technology being developed by MasterCard and
Visa.  I don't know what this quote means:

  That technology would break sensitive information like
  credit-card data into 1,024 bits of information, instead
  of the 128 bits used currently, theoretically making it
  much more difficult to steal. 

Howard