What Is Secure Socket Layer Encryption (SSL Encryption)?

SSL encryption is like that guy who sits in the corner of the bar with his dark hoodie, drinking a martini and trying to look cool. Yet he's not cool. He's just a sad man who has tragically mistaken his ability to drink martinis for the ability to be remarkable. SSL encryption is the same: an unhappy man thinks encrypting data makes him cool. SSL encryption is a cryptographic protocol that protects data during transmission. It creates a private communication link between the client and the server, ensuring that third parties cannot intercept their communication. The Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol is a standard security technology. The SSL protocol helps secure communications between your browser and the host server, with confidence that all data passed between the two remains private and cannot be read or altered by anyone else. It is essential when sending sensitive information such as credit card numbers or passwords over the Internet. SSL encryption works through SSL certificates containing a key pair and verified user identification information. When a Web client connects to a secure server following SSL protocols, the server shares a public key and unique session key with the client to establish the encryption method for a secure connection. The client then needs to acknowledge that it recognizes and trusts the server who issued the certificate. It is called the "SSL handshake" and signals the start of the secure session, which protects message privacy, integrity, and server security. Encryption strength can be as low as 40-bit or up to 128-bit, and above.128-bit encryption has 288 times as many combinations as 40-bit encryption—over a trillion times more muscular. Using a brute-force attack, a motivated hacker with the proper tools would require at least a billion years to break the encryption. So next time you're surfing the web, remember: that your data is safe because of the strength of your encryption!