Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

Secure Sockets Layer, or SSL, is a historical security protocol developed to provide encrypted data transmission across networks. It was widely used to secure communication between web browsers and web servers. SSL uses cryptographic mechanisms to protect data against unauthorised interception and manipulation during transmission and to authenticate communication partners. Digital certificates and public-key cryptography form important parts of this process. Several versions of SSL were developed, but the protocol is now considered obsolete and insecure. It has been replaced by Transport Layer Security, or TLS. Although the term SSL is still commonly used in expressions such as SSL certificates or SSL connections, modern secure connections actually rely on TLS. Current IT systems and web applications should therefore use supported TLS versions instead.