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Yes, ISOCNZ Needs A Shake-Up

20 June 2000 Edition
Previous Edition

Note: I'm pretty sure that the faux-pas documented below will be fixed very shortly so I've used screen dumps as well as a link to the website.

I've been criticised for bitching about ISOCNZ so often -- so this morning's whinge will be brief.

One eagle-eyed Net user reported yesterday that when they went to ISOCNZ's website and clicked on a link from 4 this page labeled "** Online Registration," the page they were then sent looked 4 like this.

Please support the advertiser

Look carefully at what it says about security -- then take a look at the little padlock in the bottom left of the screen and the URL.

That's right -- despite what it says at the top of the page -- this form is delivered to the user's browser as an insecure document as proven by 4 this report.

And yes ... it does 4 ask for your credit card details.

Just an oversight?

No... playing the cheapskate more like!

As several readers have pointed out -- the data submitted to the form will be sent in an encrypted form -- but ISOCNZ they have used this bastardised deviation from the accepted practice (which normally allows users to verify that the form is secure before submitting) has been done because ISOCNZ clearly can't be botherd forking out money for their own secure server certificate.

The "average" Net user, yes -- even those who might want to attend the summit, will usually expect that unless the form appears in secure mode then the results will be sent in a plaintext form.

As always, your feedback is welcomed.

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