Self-destructing e-mail, possibly impossible mission<\/p>\n
By Lim Tri Santosa<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): Several companies are exploring ways to control
\nthe copying and dissemination of electronic documents with their
\nown versions of self-destructing e-mail. They aim to make it
\npossible to send a message or document that will become
\nunreadable after a predetermined period, allowing companies and
\nindividuals to keep their information on a short leash.<\/p>\n
Keeping control of sensitive data in the age of the Internet
\nhas been a notoriously difficult job, because computers and their
\noperating systems have been designed to make copying information
\nas easy as possible. The computer manufacturers wanted to make
\ntools for creating many documents, and so they made duplication
\nsimple. What's great about the Internet and computers is that you
\ncan zap information to anyone in the world in a matter of
\nseconds.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of cases where people have gotten in trouble
\nbecause of their e-mails. One of the many examples is the
\nantitrust lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice
\nagainst Microsoft. Another incident took place at Los Alamos
\nNational Laboratories in New Mexico, where a U.S. government
\nresearcher allegedly e-mailed top-secret data to the Chinese
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
These are the worst case scenarios of sending e-mail without
\nany thoughts for the consequences of what you are saying.
\nRemember, words have a way of coming back and haunting you.<\/p>\n
Fans of the television show Mission: Impossible know that at
\nthe start of each episode, the show's principals received their
\ntop-secret orders from a tape-recorded message, one that would
\nalways end with the words, \"This tape will self-destruct in five
\nseconds.\"<\/p>\n
Now, anyone who sends e-mail can conceal his tracks in the
\nsame way. Infraworks Corp. of Austin, Texas, has a new product
\nthat does the same thing to e-mail attachments, but without any
\nmess or noise. The product has attracted some positive attention
\nfrom the CIA and the U.S. Department of Defense, which already
\nuses other Infraworks data protection products.<\/p>\n
Infraworks markets its software products to content and
\npublishing companies, government agencies, financial
\ninstitutions, lawyers, doctors and general businesses. A free
\nversion of InTether is available at www.infraworks.com for a
\nlimited time. For companies, it means less worrying about
\nconfidential e-mail falling into the hands of competitors, or
\ngovernment regulators.<\/p>\n
If the police are knocking on your door and you start
\nshredding, that's destruction of evidence and you will be
\nprosecuted. But it's an accepted and legal business practice to
\nregularly destroy documents, in this case using a timer.<\/p>\n
With InTether, users can protect their multimedia, word
\nprocessing, spreadsheet and presentation files by determining
\nironclad access permissions that prevent unauthorized use and
\nredistribution. Because the InTether software integrates with the
\ncomputer's operating system and uses a series of layered
\ndefenses, the access permissions cannot be easily overridden.
\nViolations, such as those attempted by hackers, are penalized
\nby self-destruction of the data.<\/p>\n
InTether Packager is a standard Windows application that
\nencapsulates the source document. The packaged file that is
\ncreated contains a set of recipient permissions, reception
\ncontrols, the InTether Receiver (optional) and the content. This
\nfile can be distributed using standard technologies such as e-
\nmail. The 200K receiver can be sent with the message or
\ndownloaded by the recipient from Infraworks' web site. The
\nmessage will operate only with the reader of the intended
\nrecipient.<\/p>\n
The recipient uses the InTether Receiver to automatically
\nunwrap the package and access the document. When the package is
\nunwrapped the document is placed into a software vault created by
\nthe receiver. InTether Receiver then controls access to the
\ndocument and enforces the permissions set by the packaging
\noperation. The sender has the option of including the InTether
\nReceiver in case the recipient does not already have it
\ninstalled.<\/p>\n
There are five types of document permissions that can be given
\nto a package. First, the amount of time after the package has
\nbeen opened; the document is shredded when the timer runs out.
\nSecond, a date after which the document will be shredded; the
\ndate is checked against the recipient's system date. Third, the
\nnumber of times the document can be opened after it has been
\nunpackaged by the Receiver. Fourth, a cut and paste restriction
\nin Window's clipboard editing features. Fifth, the recipient can
\nonly access the file once the password has been entered.<\/p>\n
When the permissions are exhausted, the Receiver automatically
\nshreds the package and associated files. Permissions can be
\napplied in combinations, with the first permission that expires
\ninitiating the shredding sequence. When the package is accepted
\nfrom a download or from e-mail, InTether Receiver is initiated.
\nEach package is given a unique identifier, and the Receiver
\nstores the history of these identifiers in the vault. If an
\nincoming package has an identifier that already exists, it is
\nrejected. This stops multiple downloads of the same InTethered
\npackage.<\/p>\n
The Receiver unpackages the InTethered file and places it in
\nits software vault, and the embedded permissions are extracted.
\nThe recipient permissions are first checked, then the InTether ID
\nor password. Once verified, the document is released for access.
\nThe target application then opens the document and the
\npermissions are updated. Once the permissions have been
\nexhausted, the maximum number of reads has been reached or the
\naccess time has been used up, the package is shredded.<\/p>\n
Don't even think of saving the package with another filename
\nor cutting and pasting on the Windows' clipboard, because it will
\nnot work regardless of the application that opens the associated
\ndocument. Perhaps, you think you can use repetitive brute force
\nattacks like copy and paste with Windows Explorer; sorry this
\ndoesn't work either.<\/p>\n
In spite of the strong protection features, I have seen an
\nobvious shortcoming with InTether: any recipient who is
\ndetermined to make a copy of a message can simply take a
\nphotograph of the computer screen. For that reason, Infraworks
\nhas focused on building tools that manage the lifetime of e-mail
\nfiles instead of tools with bulletproof security. Possibly it
\nwill be used as self-destructing e-mail in MI-3, if Tom Cruise
\nforgets to take his wristwatch camera with him to the cliff top.
\n(abbaml@rad.net.id)<\/p>",
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