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What Is an SSL/TLS Certificate?

Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), its predecessor, are both protocols that enable an authenticated and encrypted connection between computers in a network. TLS and its predecessor SSL are encryption protocols that are often referred to as SSL or SSL/TLS. TLS 1.3, the latest version, was released in August 2018. SSL/TLS certificates bind the identity of a website to a cryptographic key pair, which includes a public and private key. The public key, which is part of the certificate, allows a web browser to establish a secure, encrypted communication session with a web server over TLS and HTTPS. The private key is kept on the server and is used to digitally sign web pages, images, JavaScript files, and other documents.

What Is the Difference Between HTTP and HTTPS?

The letter "S" in "HTTPS" stands for "secure." HTTPS is an enhanced version of HTTP that utilizes SSL/TLS encryption. Websites with HTTPS addresses have been issued a legitimate SSL certificate by an authorized certificate authority. This ensures that traffic between the site and its users is authenticated and encrypted with the SSL/TLS protocol. To encourage the use of HTTPS, many web browsers are beginning to label HTTP websites as "not secure" or "unsafe." Therefore, not only is HTTPS necessary for keeping users and user data safe, it is also essential for building trust with users. You can test a website for any SSL/HTTPS issues.

How Does SSL Encryption Work?

To understand how SSL/TLS works, it is essential to grasp the following principles:

1. The TLS Handshake, which establishes a secure connection between the two communicating parties and involves exchanging public keys.
2. The generation of session keys during the TLS Handshake, which are used to encrypt and decrypt all communications after the Handshake.
3. The use of different session keys for each new session.
4. TLS authentication of the server, ensuring that the website the user is interacting with is who they claim to be.
5. TLS also includes a Message Authentication Code (MAC) to ensure that data has not been altered.
6. Lastly, TLS encrypts both HTTP data sent from the user to the website (e.g. clicking, filling out forms, etc.) and the HTTP data sent from the website to the user, which must be decrypted using the appropriate key.

How Does the TLS Handshake Work?

A TLS handshake is the start of a TLS communication session and uses asymmetric encryption, meaning two different keys are used at each end of the conversation. This is possible due to public key cryptography, which involves two keys: a public key, which the server makes available publicly, and a private key, which is kept secret and only used by the server. Data that has been encrypted with the public key can only be decrypted with the private key. During the TLS handshake, the client and server use the public and private keys to exchange randomly generated data. This random data is then used to generate new keys for encryption, called the session keys.

Is it Safe to Use A Free SSL Certificate?

Yes, it is safe to use a free SSL certificate. However, it is important to note that there may be limitations to the security and encryption that a free SSL certificate can provide. It is safe to use free SSL as additional service from your trusted web hosting provider.