RE: AS400 connect to Internet

You know Booth, I get into this discussion several times a week. I deal
with a lot of companies starting to send EDI data over the internet.
Invariably someone in management has recently read some spooky security
article and insists that not only do they have to encrypt their data
with nothing less than 56 bit keys but they have to digitally sign it
too. This is data that they currently distribute via catalog, e-mail,
fax etc. The point of using the internet as a delivery mechanism was to
make it easy to communicate with their smaller "less sophisticated"
trading partners yet they insist on throwing this road block in. We
allow the paranoia factor to take over and we overlook the fact that we
have daily communication of much more sensitive information via
completely transparent methods. Do you think your credit card numbers
are encrypted by those swipe terminals? I could hack into most EDI VANS
a whole lot quicker than I could track down and filter someone's e-mail.
But why would I bother doing either, I could just give the mail man $50
to slip company mail my way. Security is a vital component of any
companies business, not just their e-comm initiatives, but it needs to
be something considered rationally and in conjunction with the merits of
the business issue at hand.
      

> -----Original Message-----
> From: boothm@ibm.net [SMTP:boothm@ibm.net]
> Sent: Saturday, December 12, 1998 12:08 AM
> To:   MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> Subject:      Re: AS400 connect to Internet
> 
> Why do you speak of encrypting your data streams?  Do you encrypt your
> phone conversations?  
> 
> Phone conversations are much easier to intercept than data, and
> probably a lot more useful in the industrial espionage business.
> 
> I don't mean this in a mean or petty way, but I hear so many  people
> speak of the fear of stolen data and sales literature, yet they will
> sit in a busy restaurant and make plans and policies of the very
> future of their business and not even turn their face away from the
> other patrons when they speak.
> 
> On another level the real danger in my mind is disruption of services.
> A firewall may be useful to prevent that, but your real desire is to
> get communicating as easily and quickly as possible.  Set up your
> machine, put it on the lan, get fixed ip addresses from your isp and
> have a go.  It is my opinion that if you think of the internet as you
> think of your phone services you will have a better feel for your
> security needs.
> 
> 
> In <3.0.5.32.19981211162303.007b4730@wco.com>, on 12/11/98 
>    at 04:23 PM, Jerome Draper <jdraper@wco.com> said:
> 
> >What are options for connecting the AS400 to the internet for tn5250
> >access with a firewall and encrypted data streams.
> 
> >An NT box with firewall software on the same LAN as the AS400?
> 
> >The AS/400 itself?
> 
> >An outside specially created box?
> 
> >Thanks in advance.
> 
> >Jerry 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >Jerry Draper, Trilobyte Software Systems, since 1976
> >Specializing in connecting PC's, Windows, MAC's, and LAN's to the
> AS/400
> >Representing Synapse, Apple, IBM, UDS, Nlynx, MI, DCI, Netsoft, etc.
> >(415) 457-3431; (415) 258-1658fax; jdraper@wco.com
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> 
> -- 
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> boothm@ibm.net
> Booth Martin
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> 
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