Category: Security

Online or offline security issues

Ajax – A new aproach to web appliations?

On By westiIn Development, Security, Web dev

A lot of buzz has been generated recently by this essay by Jesse James Garrett about what he calls Ajax:

Ajax isn’t a technology. It’s really several technologies, each flourishing in its own right, coming together in powerful new ways. Ajax incorporates:

  • standards-based presentation using XHTML and CSS;
  • dynamic display and interaction using the Document Object Model;
  • data interchange and manipulation using XML and XSLT;
  • asynchronous data retrieval using XMLHttpRequest;
  • and JavaScript binding everything together.

None of this is new technology, but rather the application of existing technology to provide a much better user experience to the user of a web application. Web applications are often see as poor second cousins to desktop applications in terms of user experience because of the continual slow round tripping to the web server to progress to the next step. “Ajax” as used by sites like Google’s gmail removes this poor user experience as the data for the next page is downloaded in the background while the user reads the current page.
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Schneier on Security::Two-Factor Authentication with Cell Phones

On By westiIn Security

Bruce Schneier links to a good idea for a two factor authentication system for internet banking.

All large value transactions for customers of ASB and Bank Direct will have to enter an 8 digit security code within a 3 minute window to authenticate the transaction – The code will be sent to the customers mobile phone.

I only hope the implementation of this doesn’t allow the user to setup there mobile phone number within the system through the internet banking system – otherwise surely this doesn’t provide any benifit at all!