“PKI (public-key infrastructure) two years ago held the
title of most promising security technology. But in the battle to
become a staple of IT security, PKI has fallen behind
intrusion detection, anti-virus software and e-mail filtering
and is in danger of becoming “forever pilotware,” said
Chris King, an analyst at Greenwich Technology Partners Inc., in
Stamford, Conn.”
“A PKI system gives users secure electronic keys, or
certificates, to authenticate and encrypt transactions over the
Internet. But with several pilot projects failing or stalled, the
technology could become irrelevant if vendors don’t create a common
PKI standard while making the technology easier to use and less
expensive.”
“The latest casualty: a multimillion-dollar, 30,000-certificate
system at NASA’s Ames Research Center, in Moffett Field, Calif. The
project has been cut back severely and could be killed altogether,
sources said.”