SSTarget

[John Young <jya@pipeline.com>]

   The Wall Street Journal, Sept 27, 1995


   Microsoft and Visa Expected to Unveil Internet Technology

   By a WSJ Staff Reporter


   New York -- Microsoft Corp. and Visa International are
   expected to disclose details today of their technology for
   protecting commerce on the lnternet.

   The software company and bank clearinghouse have been
   working since last November on a plan for protecting
   creditcard numbers and other financial data from crooks, a
   major obstacle to the widespread use of computer networks
   for buying goods and services. As the largest players in
   software and credit cards, Microsoft and Visa wield
   considerable clout among a crowd of companies vying to set
   electronic-security standards.

   Their proposed specifications, calied Secure Transaction
   Technology, or STT, is partly based on a data-encryption
   technology popularized by RSA Data Security Inc., a closely
   held company in Redwood City, Calif.

   Other key players in the Internet-security race include
   MasterCard International Inc., the other name in bank
   cards, and Netscape Communications Corp., a leader in
   Internet software that has suffered some highly publicized
   security lapses lately. MasterCard announced plans to
   collaborate with Visa on security technology in June, but
   isn't expected to take part in the latest Visa-Microsoft
   announcement.

   [End]