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What is SSL?
SSL (for Secure Socket Layer) is a communication protocol for securely transmitting data over insecure networks like the Internet and extranets. SSL provides encryption of the communications along with strong authentication using digital certificates.
SSL is for transmitting data securely over the Internet
The SSL protocol, with its encryption capabilities, is the de facto standard for encrypting communications that flow between browsers and web servers and vice versa. In fact, both Microsoft IE and Netscape Navigator as well as information servers such as IIS and Apache contain implementations of the SSL protocol.
For the history, this secure information channel was developed by Netscape Communications and was based on encryption algorithms developed by RSA Security.
SSL is for authenticating web sites to visiting browsers
The SSL protocol is also the standard for authenticating web sites to the visiting browsers. When a web site displays an URL that start with https: instead of http it means that the information that you enter in that page is transmitted using an encryption algorithm. Many web sites use the SSL protocol when requesting confidential information, such as credit card and social security numbers. Financial institutions use SSL to secure the transmission of your PIN number and other confidential account data. If using IE, you can check that a page uses SSL by looking either at the URL or at the bottom bar of IE; if a 'closed lock' is displayed, SSL has been enabled.
SSL server certificates are the cornerstone of trust
In order for web server to prove their authenticity they need to use SSL server certificates. These certificates are issued by Certificate Authorities (CA) like Verisign and other independent third parties that issue certificates to organizations and individuals after a thorough investigation that the prospective certificate owner is the individual or the organization that it claims to be.
SSL certificates confirm the identity of the site to the site visitor's browser.
When a visitor hits a web site, the web browser automatically check that the certificate of the server and the public ID are valid and have issued by a certificate authority included in the list of trusted authorities built into the browser. There are a limited number of CA certificates which come pre-installed in the browsers, one of which belongs to RSA. RSA can sign the customer’s CA and enable the customer to issue SSL server certificates that will be trusted by most browsers automatically.
SSL Certificates establish a secure channel of communication
Through this secure channel travel the information encrypted by the sending browser and decrypted by the receiving information server. When a user wants to send confidential information to a web server, the browser will access the server’s digital certificate. The certificate, which contains the web server’s public key will be used by the browser to: authenticate the identity of the web server (the website) and encrypt information for the server using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. Since the web server is the only entity with access to its private key, only the server can decrypt the information. This technology stop people equipped with packet sniffing software from intercepting or tampering with the data in transit over the Internet.
Distinct supports SSL
Distinct supports SSL in its implementation of ONC RPC / XDR for Java to encrypt header and data transfers between an RPC client and server.
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