SSL or
Secure Sockets Layer is a security
protocol
created by Netscape that has become an
international standard on the
Internet for exchanging sensitive information between a website and the
computer communicating with it, referred to as the client.
SSL technology is embedded in all popular
browsers and engages automatically when the user connects to a web server that is
SSL-enabled. It's easy to tell when a server is using
SSL security because the address in the URL window of your browser will start with
https. The "
s" indicates a secure connection.
When your
browser connects to an
SSL
server, it automatically asks the server for a digital Certificate of
Authority (CA). This digital certificate positively authenticates the
server's
identity to ensure you will not be sending sensitive data to a hacker or imposter site. The
browser
also makes sure the domain name matches the name on the CA, and that
the CA has been generated by a trusted authority and bears a valid
digital signature. If all goes well you will not even be aware this
handshake has taken place.
However, if there is a glitch with the CA, even if it is simply out of date, your
browser
will pop up a window to inform you of the exact problem it encountered,
allowing you to end the session or continue at your own risk.
Once the handshake is completed, your
browser will automatically
encrypt all information that you send to the site, before it leaves your computer.
Encrypted
information is unreadable en route. Once the information arrives at the
secure server, it is decrypted using a secret key. If the server sends
information back to you, that information is also
encrypted at the server's end before being sent. Your
browser will decrypt it for you automatically upon arrival, then display it as it normally does.
For those running a secure server it is also possible to authenticate
the client connecting to the server to ensure, for example, that the
person is not pretending to be someone who has been granted restricted
access. Another feature of
SSL
technology is the ability to authenticate data so that an interceder
cannot substitute another transmission for the actual transmission
without being detected.
Though
SSL makes exchanging sensitive
information online secure, it cannot guarantee that the information
will continue to be kept secure once it arrives safely at the server.
For assurance that sensitive information is handled properly once it has
been received, you must read the site's
privacy policy. It does little good to trust your personal data to
SSL,
if the people who ultimately have it will be sharing it with third
parties, or keeping it on servers that are not bound by restricted
access and other security
protocols. Therefore it is always wise to read any site's
privacy policy, which includes security measures, before volunteering your personal information online.
Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (MPPE) is a protocol for encrypting data across Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) and virtual private network (VPN) links. It uses the RSA RC4
encryption algorithm. MPPE supports 40-bit, 56-bit and 128-bit session
keys, which are changed frequently to improve security. The exact
frequency that the keys are changed is negotiated, but may be as
frequent as every packet.
