• Recommend:
• 0 Comments

PGP Products Protect You From Internet Snoops

Utilities help keep your Web browsing habits private.

By Yael Li-Ron, PCWorld   

Two of the most common Internet taskssending e-mail and Web browsinginduce the most paranoia. But now PGP tackles the security issues with two new products. PGPcookie.cutter, a $19.95 utility (scheduled to go beta this month), prevents vendors or anyone with a Web server from viewing your Web browsing habits. PGPmail 4.5 (currently available as public beta on PGP%squots site), at $149, lets you easily encrypt e-mail.

The preproduction versions I used suggest that PGPcookie.cutter is a clear winner. PGPmail 4.5 is pricey and so far supports only two popular e-mail clients. But if you need this kind of security, peace of mind can be priceless.

PGP founder Phil Zimmerman is already well-known for his modestly named e-mail encryption tool, Pretty Good Privacy. This free, downloadable tool that encrypts e-mail using a 128-bit algorithm has been around for years. But its not helpful for typical PC users because of an intimidating command-line interface.

Covering Your Web Tracks

Youve probably heard about the privacy infringement risk related to %dquotcookie%dquot files: These are text files that Web servers write to your PCs hard disk that other Web servers can view. Cookie files keep track of your identity, some demographic information, and your browsing habits, including the names of the sites youve visited. PGPcookie.cutter, for Windows 95, NT, and the MacOS, is the first %dquotcookie blocker%dquot tool on the market.

Based on the version I saw, PGPcookie.cutter is easy to use and effective. The program, which works with Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, adds a tiny icon that looks like a gingerbread cookie to the title bar of your Web browser. Click this icon, and a simple drop-down menu displays all the options. Once you configure the program to prevent Web servers from peeking at your cookies.txt file, you wont have to do a thing.

A common myth is that by preventing the cookies.txt file information from being written to your PCs hard disk, youre preventing servers from peeking at the information. But servers can still look at the information, which is stored in RAM, while your browser is open. PGPcookie.cutter doesnt prevent information from being written. Instead, it lets you control who can read the cookies information.

You may want to let some Web servers see your cookies.txt filefor example, if you use a personalized Web page from a news site. Personalized pages deliver information based on your tastes and past viewing habits. PGPcookie.cutter lets you selectively block access. You simply type in the URLs of any sites to which youd like to grant access.

Encrypting Your E-mail

PGPmail 4.5, a Windows 95 version of the old DOS-based PGP program, offers several powerful options to protect sensitive e-mail messages. Its encryption method is the RSA standard, which uses up to a 1024-bit algorithm.

Unfortunately, PGPmail 4.5 currently works only with Netscape Mail (the e-mail client software that comes with Netscape Navigator) and Qualcomm%squots Eudora e-mail software. PGP plans support for major e-mail programs, including corporate packages such as Lotus cc:Mail, Notes, and Exchange, later this year. Your recipient needs a free, downloadable PGP program in order to read your messages.

PGPmail adds five new buttons to your e-mail client softwares toolbar that offer the tools you need to send and receive encrypted messages. Its easy to useour biggest reservation is the high list price.