You may have a little more to fear than fear itself when using your credit card on the Internet - but, experts say, not much more. The level of Net awareness and the white-hot glare of publicity on each security breach exaggerates the danger to individuals, experts say. While the actual number of hacker attacks is impossible to measure, civilians face fewer problems handing over a credit card in cyberspace than in real life, they say. If you call L.L. Bean, you can rely on them, even if you can't see the representative.
Security remains a concern for corporations.
Adam Curry, chairman of Onramp Inc., says perception has not caught up to reality. He contends competing parties seeking to set the on-line standard, and the government, battling sophisticated encryption, have fueled fears. They want to know, 'Cool. Significantly, the two credit-card giants agreed earlier this month on technical encryption standards for secure purchases and banking over the Net. They're now seeking input from merchants and security experts.