SSL and TLS are similar in many ways. You must have noticed they are configured together as “SSL/TLS” in most of the software applications. You want to secure your website and everything. But what is better? TLS or SSL or Both.
Transport Layer Security and Secure Sockets Layer; both are cryptographic protocols that offer authentication and data-in-motion encryption between servers, machines and applications running over a network. The 1st of TLS (TLS v 1.0) and the last of SSL, i.e., SSL v 3.0 are the closest to each other.
TLS uses stronger encryption algorithms and can work on different ports. The SSL1 was never let out publicly as it was broken pretty quickly and had cryptographic flaws. After SSL2, SSL3 came out and was termed as TLS.
“The War”
TLSv1.0 is the 1st Transport Layer Security version which is an upgrade of SSLv3. Netscape is the developer of the SSL protocol.
The Browser war started with the Microsoft and Netscape rivalry and competitiveness. Consequently, Microsoft revised the SSL version 2 and did some of its additions to it.
They thereby, they let out a protocol called “Private Communications Technology” or PCT. It was to compel Netscape into handing over the control of the SSL protocol to an open standards body.
Nevertheless, IIS and IE support PCT. Only one version came out and has been disabled since IE 5. Although, it’s still present in IIS and the Windows operating system libraries.
Although, it disables in Windows Server 2003 by default. Not much attention was given to TLS and has since been superseded by SSL version 3 of Netscape and TLS.
SSL and TLS
Netscape and Microsoft representatives negotiated a deal where both of them would back the Internet Engineering Task Force to take over the protocol & standardizing it in an open process.
As a result, they made some changes (evidently to justify the renaming, entry of IETF, et cetera) to the SSL version 3.0 protocol and called it the TLS 1.0.
So the bottom line is that TLS is the predecessor of the Secure Sockets Layer. Furthermore, if the deal may not take place between the two, the TLS v 1.0 may refer to as the SSL v3.1 and so forth.
Notably, the term SSL is still in use in regards to security certificates as it’s a more common term. But in reality, if you are buying any new SSL update, you are in actuality getting the up-to-date TLS certificates.
The latest standard version that is out and rolling is TLSv1.2, while the upcoming TLS v1.3 is still in the draft stage.
SSLv2 and SSLv3 have protocol weaknesses and are insecure so they are generally by default disabled. It hence recommends running the TLS 1.0, 1.1., or version 1.2 and by default enabling all major web browsers.
You May Also Like to Read:
The Future of Open Source Software