What is TLS?

TLS (Transport Layer Security) is the modern cryptographic protocol that replaced SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to provide secure communication over computer networks. Developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), TLS is the current standard for encrypting data transmitted between web browsers and servers, ensuring privacy, data integrity, and authentication for internet communications.

TLS Protocol Versions

TLS has evolved through several versions, each improving security and performance:

TLS 1.0 (1999): Initial TLS version, now deprecated
TLS 1.1 (2006): Added protection against cipher block chaining attacks
TLS 1.2 (2008): Current widely-adopted version with strong security
TLS 1.3 (2018): Latest version with simplified handshake and enhanced security

TLS Security Features

TLS provides comprehensive security through multiple mechanisms including strong encryption algorithms, digital certificates for authentication, message authentication codes for integrity verification, and perfect forward secrecy to protect past communications. Modern TLS implementations automatically negotiate the strongest supported security parameters between client and server.