<DIV><BR><BR><B><I>Old Dan <dan@dannyboy.dnsalias.org></I></B> wrote:
<BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">
<P>> I'm kind of a new reader of GLLUG (Greater London?) and they're in the<BR>> middle of a conversation/thread on the new pin codes coming in for<BR>> switch etc and how a pin code is only 10 bit security while a signature<BR>> is/should be a bit more .... and this nice url came up...<BR>><BR>> http://www.thescreamonline.com/cartoons/cartoons3-3/<BR>:) LOL<BR><BR>> Being the sad sad sad person I am, I couldn't stop laughing as I read<BR>> it. Perhaps I'll be alone in this, or maybe I ate something a bit wacky<BR>> for lunch (working in this place kind of does that too)....<BR>><BR>> Anyway, even though the article is written by an American, I don't<BR>> somehow think it's any different over here.........<BR><BR>I do think the idea of completely replacing signatures is a stupid one. <BR>The problem with signatures not being checked is a simple one of - well -<BR>signatures not being checked rather than a fundamental flaw in the<BR>signature system
itself.<BR><BR>I can see major problems with PIN numbers though. All someone would have<BR>to do is find out your PIN (say by standing behind you in a supermarket<BR>queue and watching you enter it - not as hard as it seems, have you ever<BR>tried watching someone at a cash machine? Sometimes people are so obvious<BR>it's hard /not/ to see the numbers they're pressing, and that's at a<BR>set-back-from-direct-view ATM...), steal your bag/wallet then go to the<BR>next shop or whatever and go wild before you have even noticed it missing.<BR>Not to mention that most people will prefer to have the same PIN for each<BR>card they have.<BR><BR>At least it takes some practice to forge a signature. I'm guessing the<BR>rationale behind this is more to do with online card fraud(which this will<BR>make harder) than the on-the-street variety but I'm really not sure they<BR>have thought out the implications of it. Maybe a PIN system specifically<BR>for online transactions would be a better
idea.<BR><BR>::shrug::<BR><BR>-- <BR>Dan<BR><BR>Hi,</P>
<P>Why does nobody produce a cash point/credit card with your photo on?</P>
<P>Regards</P>
<P>AndyHill</P>
<P> ::</P>
<P>______________________________________________<BR>Wolves LUG mailing list<BR>Homepage: http://www.wolveslug.org.uk/<BR>Mailing list: Wolves@mailman.lug.org.uk<BR>Mailing list home: http://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/wolves</P></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><p>
<hr size=1><font face="Arial" size="2"> <a href="http://uk.rd.yahoo.com/mail/tagline_messenger/*http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com"><b>
Yahoo! Messenger</b></a> - Communicate instantly..."Ping" your friends
today! <a href="http://uk.rd.yahoo.com/mail/tagline_messenger/*http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/download/index.html"><strong>Download Messenger Now</strong></a></font>