Articles
Secure email delivery combats identity theft - ( Jun 2004 )
Electronic Billing specialist Striata says its secure email delivery process is one way in
which companies can ensure that email communication to customers is trusted.
In a report published recently by Gartner, technology-driven fraud using channels such as
email and the web, is now the fastest growing form of consumer theft in the United States.
According to Garin Toren, COO of Striata, the marked increase in 'phishing' has caused a great
deal of uncertainty and anxiety amongst recipients of electronic communication.
Toren says organizations need to protect their brand, business and customers from the potentially
devastating effects of identity theft and related fraudulent activity. To do this they must revise
their communication strategies to remove high risk practices.
"Identity theft is forcing changes in the way organizations communicate with their customers. Without
applying smart measures, certain functionality such as web links, the provision of personal details
and downloads, are seen as high risk and must be avoided. Once a customer has fallen prey to a
fraudulent email or website that they believed to be from a genuine service provider, the trust between
the two parties is indelibly damaged," says Toren.
One way in which organizations can ensure that their electronic communication is trusted, is by
incorporating digital signatures into their email process. By digitally signing an email, the service
provider is able to assure the customer of the authenticity of the sender and provide notification if
the email has been changed from the original.
According to Toren, "This eliminates the risk of an email being 'spoofed' by someone masquerading as
a trusted service provider, as well as the risk of an email being tampered with in transit."
Striata's secure email delivery process allows integration with both standard and advanced based digital
certificates, as well as via hardware security modules (HSM's) such as nCipher's nShield and Thales
eSecurity's WebSentry. This means that users of Striata's email and billing processes are able to
'stamp their authenticity' onto their outbound communication.
Over and above digital signatures, Striata's software has further advantages for parties concerned
about fraud. Striata's eBilling Suite can include a username and password layer that requires the recipient
to authenticate themselves before accessing the email bill or any other confidential information. Once the
secure email is received, the recipient is able to disconnect from the Internet and read the contents of
the email offline, thereby ensuring that no undetected communication is taking place.
By highlighting the benefits and advantages of these measures, companies can educate their customers on
the importance of digitally certified and encrypted email, encouraging them to only trust communication that
includes one or both of these security elements.
"By integrating this type of security layer into our secure email and bill distribution process, we are
assisting our users to protect of their intellectual property, authenticate and secure their email
communication, while also ensuring the integrity and privacy of customer information." says Toren.
Protection against identity fraud is not just the responsibility of suppliers. Customers also need to
understand how to protect themselves. This involves being aware the methods used by criminals in recent
'phishing' cases, such as web links to false sites, and avoid using processes that could put them at risk.
Toren says customers need to be educated as to the assurance new technologies such as digital certificates
can provide, and how to capitalize on these benefits.
According to the Gartner report, online fraud and identity theft accounted for $2.4-billion during the
last 12 months.
Confident about applying Striata's technology, Toren comments, "Solutions such as ours can assist both
companies and customers to protect themselves - and to continue to benefit from the ubiquity and convenience
of email communication."
About Striata
Striata is an application software developer and service provider focused on enabling
secure electronic communication. The Striata Application Platform provides highly
flexible, robust and scalable products deployable across multiple operating systems. Striata's solutions are
applicable to organizations that view efficient communication with customers and
stakeholders as a vital component of their success.
Striata specializes in the secure delivery of Bills, Statements, Invoices and Payslips via secure email.
Striata has been a provider of software and services in the electronic messaging arena since 1999 and have
offices in New York, London, Sydney and Johannesburg.
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