Retirement Plan Design Decisions

Email Security - Not!

Well, maybe!

There has been a lot of unflattering news lately about the lack of privacy over the Internet. "They" know who you are and they know what you're saying. E-mail that you send can sit on a server in between you and your intended recipient forever, waiting for the wrong lawyer to find it.

We have been very concerned with this. Dealing in employee data, few employers want details of what they are paying their employees known widely throughout their own organization, let alone around the world. It is because of this that we have never condoned sending employee data for the FAS 87 valuation to us by e-mail, despite its obvious efficiency.

We are now permitting it, as long as our single-key encryption program is used on the file before it is sent as an attachment to us. This program makes any file unreadable to anyone who does not have the correct password and our program. With a few DOS, Windows 95 or 98 strokes, clients of Lohmann International Associates are able to send their sensitive data to us by email, confidently.

When folder (directory) names and file names are in roman characters, our program preserves the WIN95 or WIN98 long name. It actually preserves most Japanese file names, but there are a few combinations which create problems. The file length remains the same and the password is not hidden anywhere in the resulting output file. You lose the file if you lose the password!

There are restrictions, of course. Anyone with a powerful computer can crack a code if they know the encoding algorithm. Therefore, we insist that our program not be shared with anyone, since a reverse compiler would quickly reveal the encoding algorithm, leaving only the password to be discovered.

Now the good news! We are now making available totally customized versions of our encryption program to non-clients. Other versions will not restore the file to its "unscrambled" state- they can only further encode the file. Why permit everyone to read your email? We believe that sensitive information should be kept private from all except the intended recipient. With LIA's program, you can achieve this result. Unlike popular email encryption programs that come with the browsers, no one but you will have the unique encoding algorithm built only for you. A hacker cannot begin to have progress cracking your password without knowledge of the algorithm. Your private information is kept private.

We are also making available an update service that will provide you with a new algorithm when you feel that the old one has been compromised. Each version will be uniquely yours. No one else will be able to read your email without your program and your password. Better email security is not available at any price!

Normal email is the rough equivalent of shouting across an open room filled with people. The "free" encryption programs are like sending a postcard - you have privacy until they turn it over.

Lohmann International Associates now gives you an envelope with a seal on the flap. And you control who can break the seal!

Please email us if you would like a demonstration. Once you see the ease of use and the results, you will wonder why you ever shouted.

Les Lohmann
llohmann@tkc.att.ne.jp

You have been reading the online edition of LIA $FACTS$, the monthly fax newsletter of Lohmann International Associates. For further information, please visit our home page on the Web or send e-mail to Les Lohmann.

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