《实用电子商务英语》unit4.pptxVIP

实用电子商务英语;Learning Objects;CONTENTS;CONTENTS;Part Ⅰ Lead-in;Lead-in;Part Ⅱ Reading; Secure Electronic Transactions (SET) is an open protocol1 which has the potential2 to emerge as a dominant force in the securing of electronic transactions. Jointly developed by Visa and MasterCard, in conjunction3 with leading computer vendors4 such as IBM, SET is an open standard for protecting the privacy, and ensuring the authenticity5, of electronic transactions. This is critical to the success of electronic commerce over the Internet; without privacy, consumer protection cannot be guaranteed, and without authentication, neither the merchant nor the consumer can be sure that valid transactions are being made. Secure Electronic Transactions (SET) relies on the science of cryptography6 — the art of encoding7 and decoding8 messages. Cryptography dates back many centuries — even in the time of Julius Caesar, encryption9 was used to preserve10 the secrecy of messages. Preserving the secrecy of transactions is no different, though stronger encryption algorithms11 are used, as well as significantly;stronger encryption keys. Encryption advancements have come about through its application by the military, and by advances in computing power and mathematics. In the SET protocol, two different encryption algorithms are used — DES and RSA. The DES algorithm has been used since the 1970’s. It is believed by some that the National Security Agency (NSA) of America played an invisible12 hand in the development of the algorithm, and that they were responsible for reducing its key size from the original 128-bits to 56. DES quickly became a federal13 standard in 1976, and has been used ever since. In the SET protocol, a DES 56-bit key is used to encrypt14 transactions. This level of encryption, using DES, can be easily cracked15 using modern hardware. In 1993, a brute-force16 DES cracking machine was designed by Michael Wiener — one which was massively parallel17. For le