Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a security protocol that is used to establish secure connections between web servers and clients. It uses a combination of public and private key encryption to secure the transmission of sensitive data, such as credit card numbers and login credentials.
When a client, such as a web browser, connects to a web server that has SSL enabled, the server will present the client with a digital certificate. This certificate contains the server’s public key, as well as information about the server’s identity, such as its domain name and the organization that operates it. The client verifies the certificate’s authenticity by checking that it has been issued by a trusted certificate authority (CA), and that the server’s domain name matches the domain name listed in the certificate.
Once the certificate has been verified, the client and server will establish an SSL session. During this session, the client and server will use the server’s public key to exchange a unique session key, which will be used to encrypt all subsequent data transmissions. The session key is generated by the client and encrypted with the server’s public key, which ensures that only the server, with its matching private key, can decrypt and read the session key.
Once the session key has been exchanged, the client and server can begin to exchange data securely. All data transmitted during the SSL session will be encrypted with the session key, which ensures that it can only be read by the intended recipient. Additionally, all data is integrity protected by a message authentication code (MAC) to ensure that it has not been tampered with during transmission.
One of the most important aspects of SSL is the use of digital certificates. A certificate is a digital document that contains information about the server’s identity, such as its domain name and the organization that operates it, as well as the server’s public key. Certificates are issued by trusted third-party organizations called certificate authorities (CA).
When a client connects to a web server that has SSL enabled, the server will present the client with a digital certificate. The client will then verify the certificate’s authenticity by checking that it has been issued by a trusted certificate authority (CA), and that the server’s domain name matches the domain name listed in the certificate.
There are two main types of SSL certificates: domain-validated (DV) and extended-validation (EV). DV certificates are the most basic type of certificate and are typically issued quickly and inexpensively. They only verify that the applicant owns the domain name listed in the certificate. EV certificates, on the other hand, are issued only after a more thorough vetting process, which includes verifying the applicant’s legal, physical, and operational existence. EV certificates also display the organization name in the browser bar, which provides a higher level of assurance for end-users.
SSL has been succeeded by Transport Layer Security (TLS), which is a more secure version of SSL. It uses the same basic principles as SSL, but includes several improvements, such as better encryption algorithms and the ability to negotiate the encryption parameters between the client and server.
However, despite being replaced by TLS, the term SSL is still widely used and often used interchangeably with TLS. In practice, when someone refers to SSL they are often referring to the use of any version of the SSL/TLS protocol to secure a connection.
To sum up, SSL/TLS is a security protocol that is used to establish secure connections between web servers and clients. It uses a combination of public and private key encryption to secure the transmission of sensitive data, such as credit card numbers and login credentials. It uses digital certificates issued by trusted third-party organizations called certificate authorities (CA) to verify the server’s identity and the client will verify it.
At Web Design 4 Business we automatically and always equip our clients websites with the commonly available free SSL solutions. It is however on request possible to install and equip your business website with a dedicated SSL certificate.
