Section: IT & Technology · CybersecurityDifficulty: Easy
SSL
USUK
Secure Sockets Layer — a cryptographic protocol for securing internet communications, now superseded by TLS.
Also: Secure Sockets Layer
Definition
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a cryptographic protocol developed by Netscape in the 1990s to provide secure communications over the internet. SSL has been deprecated and replaced by TLS (Transport Layer Security), but the term 'SSL' is still commonly used to refer to TLS certificates and secure connections. SSL/TLS certificates are issued by Certificate Authorities (CAs) and enable HTTPS, encrypting data between clients and servers and authenticating server identity.
Example
“The padlock icon in your browser indicates an SSL/TLS certificate is active, meaning your connection to the website is encrypted.”
Synonyms
- security certificate
- TLS predecessor
- secure layer
Antonyms / Opposites
- unencrypted connection
- plaintext HTTP
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Related Terms
- tls
- https
- certificate-authority
- encryption