J2EE™ Security for Servlets, EJBs and Web Services: Applying Theory and Standards to Practice

Chapter 6. Securing the Wire

Raw TCP packets flowing through a data network may be incomprehensible, even invisible, to a normal user fostering a sense of security, but in reality, the data in these packets are very accessible to those with the appropriate tools and know-how. The data networks over which these packets flow were not designed to protect the information from malicious folks and provide little or no security. With the help of programs freely available over the Internet, one can easily view, analyze and filter, on a normal PC, all the data being exchanged by machines on the same LAN. What it means is that a rogue neighbor, subscribing to the same cable or DSL ISP (Internet Service Provider) as you, can easily collect your account ...