What is a Secure Socket Layer (SSL)?
The SSL handshake protocol was developed by Netscape Communications Corporation to provide security and privacy over the Internet. The Protocol supports server and client authentication. The SSL Protocol is application independent, allowing protocols like HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol), FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and Telnet to be layered on top of it transparently. The SSL Protocol is able to negotiate encryption keys, as well as to authenticate the server before data are exchanged by the higher-level application. The SSL Protocol maintains the security and integrity of the transmission channel by using encryption, authentication and session keys.
