SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and its successor, TLS (Transport Layer Security), are protocols for establishing authenticated and encrypted links between networked computers. Although the SSL protocol was deprecated with the release of TLS 1.0 in 1999, it is still common to refer to these related technologies as “SSL” or “SSL/TLS.”
An SSL certificate (also known as a TLS or SSL/TLS certificate) is a digital document that binds the identity of a website to a cryptographic key pair consisting of a public key and a private key. The public key, included in the certificate, allows a web browser to initiate an encrypted communication session with a web server via the TLS and HTTPS protocols. The private key is kept secure on the server, and is used to digitally sign web pages and other documents (such as images and JavaScript files).
An SSL certificate also includes identifying information about a website, including its domain name and, optionally, identifying information about the site’s owner. If the web server’s SSL certificate is signed by a publicly trusted certificate authority (CA), like SSL.com, digitally signed content from the server will be trusted by end users’ web browsers and operating systems as authentic.
Both SSL and TLS are cryptographic protocols between networked servers, computers, and devices for authentication and data encryption. SSL is 25 years old. Netscape developed the first version of SSL (version 1.0) in 1995, but it was not released because of its critical security vulnerabilities. SSL 2.0 was not good, and SSL 3.0 was published just over a year later. Unanimous development, people participated in it and developed TLS 1.0. TLS 1.0 is very similar to SSL 3.0, but there is enough difference to reduce it to SSL 3.0 in advance.
In this topic, we will discuss the difference between SSL and TLS. But firstly, we need to know the SSL and TLS.
What is SSL?
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is the most used internet security cryptographic protocol before Transport Layer Security (TLS) was released in 1990. However, the SSL protocol has been discontinued, but the TLS has now adopted it. Most people call it SSL. SSL provides a secure link between two devices or computers linked to the internet or the internal network.
What is TLS?
TLS is a popular security protocol designed for Internet communication to enhance privacy and data security. It is generally used to encrypt communication among web packages and servers, including a web browser loading page. It can be used for encrypting different voice messages for texts and IPs. It was introduced by the Internet Technology Task Force (IETF) of the International Standards Organization (ISO), which launched the primary protocol in 1999. In 2018, the latest version was released and contained TLS 1.3.
Main Differences between the SSL and TLS
Here, we are going to discuss the main differences between SSL and TLS.
- The SSL is a secure socket layer, whereas the TSL is a Transportation Layer Protection.
- The SSL and TLS cryptographic protocols authenticate server-to-device data transfers. For example, a cryptographic protocol encrypts data exchanged between the Web server and a user.
- A secure framework is needed to encrypt the data from both sides. An SSL/TLS certificate supports this. It serves as an encryption portal for encrypting information that prevents unauthorized entry by hackers.
- For SSL message authentication, key information and configuration data are needed on an ad hoc basis, even as the TLS model depends on the authentication code for the HMAC hash.
- SSL was a first-kind cryptographic protocol. On the other hand, TLS was the latest modified SSL version.
Head to Head Comparison of SSL and TLS
Here, we are going to discuss head to head comparison of SSL and TLS in tabular form:
| SSL | TOOLS |
|---|---|
| For Fortezza, SSL supports the Cipher Suite. | The encryption of Fortezza doesn’t support TLS. |
| It makes use of the Message Authentication (MAC) code for the record protocol. | It makes use of Hashed MAC for the Record Protocol. |
| The SSL uses the pre-master secret message digest for the generation of master secrets. | It is a slightly different way of defining master confidentiality in the TLS. |
| Verify the complex in the SSL Certificate. | In the TLS, Sample Certificate Verification. |
| Included in the SSL alert message is “no certificate”. | It removes the summary of the alarm and adds a dozen other values. |
| SSL message authentication offers ad-hoc key information and client data. | The TLS version is based on the HMAC Hash Message’s authentication code. |
Keys, Certificates, and Handshakes
SSL/TLS works by binding the identities of entities such as websites and companies to cryptographic key pairs via digital documents known as X.509 certificates. Each key pair consists of a private key and a public key. The private key is kept secure, and the public key can be widely distributed via a certificate.
The special mathematical relationship between the private and public keys in a pair means that it is possible to use the public key to encrypt a message that can only be decrypted with the private key. Furthermore, the holder of the private key can use it to sign other digital documents (such as web pages), and anyone with the public key can verify this signature.
If the SSL/TLS certificate itself is signed by a publicly trusted certificate authority (CA), such as SSL.com, the certificate will be implicitly trusted by client software such as web browsers and operating systems. Publicly trusted CAs have been approved by major software suppliers to validate identities that will be trusted on their platforms. A public CA’s validation and certificate issuance procedures are subject to regular, rigorous audits to maintain this trusted status.
Via the SSL/TLS handshake, the private and public keys can be used with a publicly trusted certificate to negotiate an encrypted and authenticated communication session over the internet, even between two parties who have never met. This simple fact is the foundation of secure web browsing and electronic commerce as it is known today.
SSL/TLS and Secure Web Browsing
The most common and well-known use of SSL/TLS is secure web browsing via the HTTPS protocol. A properly configured public HTTPS website includes an SSL/TLS certificate that is signed by a publicly trusted CA. Users visiting an HTTPS website can be assured of:
- Authenticity. The server presenting the certificate has a private key that matches the public key in the certificate.
- Integrity. Documents signed by the certificate (e.g. web pages) have not been altered in transit by a man in the middle.
- Encryption. Communications between the client and server are encrypted.
Because of these properties, SSL/TLS and HTTPS allow users to securely transmit confidential information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and login credentials over the internet and be sure that the website they are sending them to is authentic. With an insecure HTTP website, these data are sent as plain text, readily available to any eavesdropper with access to the data stream. Furthermore, users of these unprotected websites have no trusted third-party assurance that the website they are visiting is what it claims to be.
Look for the following indicators in your browser’s address bar to be sure that a website you are visiting is protected with a trusted SSL/TLS certificate (screenshot from Firefox 70.0 on macOS) :
- A closed padlock icon to the left of the URL. Depending on your browser and the type of certificate the website has installed, the padlock maybe green and/or accompanied by identifying information about the company running it.
- If shown, the protocol at the beginning of the URL should be
HTTPS://
, not
HTTP://. Note that not all browsers display the protocol.
Modern desktop browsers also alert visitors to insecure websites that do not have an SSL/TLS certificate. The screenshot below is of an insecure website viewed in Firefox and shows a crossed-out padlock to the left of the URL
Obtaining an SSL/TLS Certificate
Ready to secure your website? The basic procedure for requesting a publicly trusted SSL/TLS website certificate is as follows:
- The person or organization requesting the certificate generates a pair of public and private keys, preferably on the server to be protected.
- The public key, along with the domain name(s) to be protected and (for OV and EV certificates) organizational information about the company requesting the certificate, is used to generate a certificate signing request (CSR).
- Please see this FAQ for instructions on generating a key pair and CSR on many server platforms.
- The CSR is sent to a publicly trusted CA (such as SSL.com). The CA validates the information in the CSR and generates a signed certificate that can be installed on the requester’s web server.
- For instructions on ordering SSL/TLS certificates from SSL.com, please see this how-to.
SSL/TLS certificates vary depending on the validation methods used and the level of trust they confer, with extended validation (EV) offering the highest level of trust. For information on the differences between the major validation methods (DV, OV, and EV), please refer to our article, DV, OV, and EV certificates.
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