You may have observed that many resources refer to SSL certificates using TLS certificates. However, they both are the backbone of secure communication across an unsecured network.
Both SSL and TLS certificates are
cryptographic technologies that offer authentication and data encryption over a
network between servers, machines, and applications.
In this article, we will discuss
the key differences between SSL and TLS certificates, along with their meaning.
Before we get into the fundamental
differences, let's first define SSL and TLs certificates.
What
is SSL Certificate?
Secure Socket Layer (SSL) is a
cryptographic technique for establishing safe encrypted internet connections.
The most well-known application of SSL is when web browsers connect to websites
and use SSL on top of “HTTP” to establish an “HTTPS” connection.
It was first created in the mid-90s
to provide better security across the web. However, it was never released because
of significant security issues.
Later, in 1995 and 1996, Netscape introduced
SSL 2.0 and SSL 3.0 to secure internet connections across networks. However,
both versions of SSL certificates were found to have many security flaws. This
leads to the introduction of the TLS (Transport Layer Security) certificate.
What
is TLS Certificates?
Although SSL was a game-changer in
internet encryption, it was full of flaws. The first version, namely SSL 1.0,
was introduced in the year 1994 but never made a public appearance because of
security issues. Similarly, SSL 2.0 and 3.0 were also released with the
improvised versions, but they were far from perfect.
So, to bridge the gap of these
security flaws, the first version of TLS protocol, TLS 1.0, was released in the
year 1999.
After that, subsequent TLS protocols
were developed with improved security features. The most recent version of the
TLS certificate, TLS 1.3, was approved in the year 2018, which includes more
complex capabilities than its predecessors.
It includes the following
information:
- The domain name
- Organization’s name
- Name of the certifying authority (CA) responsible for issuing the certificate.
- Any additional domain or sub-domain
- Date of publication
- Expiration date
- Digital signature of the certifying authority
- The public or private key
Nowadays, TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3 are
the most extensively used cryptographic protocols.
However, the Internet Engineering
Task Force (IETF) discouraged the use of the final version of SSL 3.0 in 2015.
In a nutshell, TLS is an improved
version of SSL.
Now that we’ve covered both the cryptographic
protocols, i.e. SSL Certificate and TSL Certificate, let have a look at how
they differ.
Difference
between SSL and TLS certificates
The distinction between SSL and TLS
certificates is so subtle that only a technically savvy individual can tell
them apart. However, for a layman with limited technical knowledge, the
difference between the two can be observed in how they establish secure
connections.
Both SSL and TLS do so via a
procedure known as “the handshake,” which is used by the server and client to
authenticate each other before establishing an encrypted connection.
However, the SSL handshake is not
the same as the TLS handshake.
The SSL version requires the use of
a port to establish an explicit
connection. On the other hand, TLS uses a protocol to establish what is
known as an implicit connection. The
procedure of both SSL and TLS handshakes are governed by cipher suites, which outline
the sequence of steps required to perform a cryptographic function.
Conclusion:
Even though SSL certificates have declined in
value over time and TLS has taken their place, SSL has become the brand and is
the most commonly used name for digital certificates.
The abrupt shift in names from SSL
to TLS certificate may cause considerable confusion among clients, particularly
those who aren’t familiar with Internet protocols. However, they are employed
for the same goal, but their mechanisms are different.
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