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The essential tool-kit for today¡¯s in-the-know individual is sure to include digital communication accessories, like e-mail, messenger programs, and of course, a cell phone. But just how secure are these methods of staying in touch? According to experts, there is no system available today that completely eradicates the scourge of potential eavesdroppers or interceptors.
You can assume right-off-the-bat that any e-mail accounts held by your employer can easily be checked. They either pass through, or are stored on company servers, so all a network manager has to do is to press a few buttons and all your e-mails become available for public scrutiny.
It is widely known that in the name of preserving company secrets, large-size firms have systems in place that automatically pluck out e-mails containing certain words or attachments when sent between temps and outside entities. These are of course readily available for view, though it is illegal to inspect e-mails of company employees without their prior consent.
Messenger programs are much more secure because they do not pass through the company server and are a purely P2P (peer-to-peer) process. Using a hacking program however, it is easy to obtain the ID and password of a user, so a system to be wary of all the same. There is risk that your password could be compromised if you use programs like NateON, BuddyBuddy, or Touch.
In light of this, many large firms block access to standard instant messaging programs on their networks and only allow employees to use special in-house messaging software. They are also trying to make it mandatory that company computers are not to be used for chatting with friends.
The cell phone is still the most secure communications method available today. The CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) system for mobile communications used in Korea is harder to tap into than the system found in Europe and many other regions. However, if someone gets a hold of your phone¡¯s ESN (Electronic Serial Number) they can clone your handset and listen to their heart¡¯s content. When someone calls the owner of the original phone, the clone rings just the same, enabling the conversation to be heard.
For this to be effective however, the eavesdropper has to stay close to the target at all time, and within close proximity of the same relay station. Without the help of someone working for a mobile carrier, figuring out a user¡¯s ESN is very difficult, though there are plenty of cloned phones available on the street. The Ministry of Information and Communication is currently in the midst of making it mandatory for calls received and placed to pass through a verification process that would eradicate such cloning practices.
Short Message Service or SMS is also on the safe list. This is because carriers delete sent messages the moment they are dispatched. Not so long ago mobile communication firms kept the messages on hand for a length of time so they could be used at a later time if needed in criminal investigations, but there was public outcry at its invasion of privacy, so the practice was done away with last year. An Internet company chief said, ¡°No matter if you double or triple security measures, all it takes is the cooperation of someone on the inside for unexpected holes to open the security net. More than technology, it is the people that have to be controlled.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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