Corporate SMTP Server v1.4 serial key or number

Transport Layer Security (TLS), and its now-deprecated predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL),^[1] are cryptographic protocols designed to provide communications security over a computer network.^[2] Several versions of the protocols find widespread use in applications such as web browsing, email, instant messaging, and voice over IP (VoIP). Websites can use TLS to secure all communications between their servers and web browsers.

The TLS protocol aims primarily to provide privacy and data integrity between two or more communicating computer applications.^[2]:3 When secured by TLS, connections between a client (e.g., a web browser) and a server (e.g., manicapital.com) should have one or more of the following properties:

• The connection is private (or secure) because symmetric cryptography is used to encrypt the data transmitted. The keys for this symmetric encryption are generated uniquely for each connection and are based on a shared secret that was negotiated at the start of the session (see §&#;TLS handshake). The server and client negotiate the details of which encryption algorithm and cryptographic keys to use before the first byte of data is transmitted (see §&#;Algorithms below). The negotiation of a shared secret is both secure (the negotiated secret is unavailable to eavesdroppers and cannot be obtained, even by an attacker who places themselves in the middle of the connection) and reliable (no attacker can modify the communications during the negotiation without being detected).
• The identity of the communicating parties can be authenticated using public-key cryptography. This authentication can be made optional, but is generally required for at least one of the parties (typically the server).
• The connection is reliable because each message transmitted includes a message integrity check using a message authentication code to prevent undetected loss or alteration of the data during transmission.^[2]:3

In addition to the properties above, careful configuration of TLS can provide additional privacy-related properties such as forward secrecy, ensuring that any future disclosure of encryption keys cannot be used to decrypt any TLS communications recorded in the past.^[3]

TLS supports many different methods for exchanging keys, encrypting data, and authenticating message integrity (see §&#;Algorithms below). As a result, secure configuration of TLS involves many configurable parameters, and not all choices provide all of the privacy-related properties described in the list above (see the § Key exchange (authentication), § Cipher security, and § Data integrity tables).

Attempts have been made to subvert aspects of the communications security that TLS seeks to provide, and the protocol has been revised several times to address these security threats (see §&#;Security). Developers of web browsers have also revised their products to defend against potential security weaknesses after these were discovered (see TLS/SSL support history of web browsers).^[4]

The TLS protocol comprises two layers: the TLS record and the TLS handshake protocols.

TLS is a proposed Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) standard, first defined in , and the current version is TLS defined in RFC&#; (August ). TLS builds on the earlier SSL specifications (, , ) developed by Netscape Communications^[5] for adding the HTTPS protocol to their Navigator web browser.

Description[edit]

Client-server applications use the TLS protocol to communicate across a network in a way designed to prevent eavesdropping and tampering.

Since applications can communicate either with or without TLS (or SSL), it is necessary for the client to indicate to the server the setup of a TLS connection.^[6] One of the main ways of achieving this is to use a different port number for TLS connections, for example port for HTTPS. Another mechanism is for the client to make a protocol-specific request to the server to switch the connection to TLS; for example, by making a STARTTLS request when using the mail and news protocols.

Once the client and server have agreed to use TLS, they negotiate a stateful connection by using a handshaking procedure.^[7] The protocols use a handshake with an asymmetric cipher to establish not only cipher settings but also a session-specific shared key with which further communication is encrypted using a symmetric cipher. During this handshake, the client and server agree on various parameters used to establish the connection's security:

• The handshake begins when a client connects to a TLS-enabled server requesting a secure connection and the client presents a list of supported cipher suites (ciphers and hash functions).
• From this list, the server picks a cipher and hash function that it also supports and notifies the client of the decision.
• The server usually then provides identification in the form of a digital certificate. The certificate contains the server name, the trusted certificate authority (CA) that vouches for the authenticity of the certificate, and the server's public encryption key.
• The client confirms the validity of the certificate before proceeding.
• To generate the session keys used for the secure connection, the client either:
  • encrypts a random number with the server's public key and sends the result to the server (which only the server should be able to decrypt with its private key); both parties then use the random number to generate a unique session key for subsequent encryption and decryption of data during the session
  • uses Diffie–Hellman key exchange to securely generate a random and unique session key for encryption and decryption that has the additional property of forward secrecy: if the server's private key is disclosed in future, it cannot be used to decrypt the current session, even if the session is intercepted and recorded by a third party.

This concludes the handshake and begins the secured connection, which is encrypted and decrypted with the session key until the connection closes. If any one of the above steps fails, then the TLS handshake fails and the connection is not created.

TLS and SSL do not fit neatly into any single layer of the OSI model or the TCP/IP model.^[8][9] TLS runs "on top of some reliable transport protocol (e.g., TCP),"^[10] which would imply that it is above the transport layer. It serves encryption to higher layers, which is normally the function of the presentation layer. However, applications generally use TLS as if it were a transport layer,^[8][9] even though applications using TLS must actively control initiating TLS handshakes and handling of exchanged authentication certificates.^[10]

History and development[edit]

Secure Data Network System[edit]

The Transport Layer Security Protocol (TLS), together with several other basic network security platforms, was developed through a joint initiative begun in August , among the National Security Agency, the National Bureau of Standards, the Defense Communications Agency, and twelve communications and computer corporations who initiated a special project called the Secure Data Network System (SDNS).^[14] The program was described in September at the 10th National Computer Security Conference in an extensive set of published papers. The innovative research program focused on designing the next generation of secure computer communications network and product specifications to be implemented for applications on public and private internets. It was intended to complement the rapidly emerging new OSI internet standards moving forward both in the U.S. government's GOSIP Profiles and in the huge ITU-ISO JTC1 internet effort internationally. Originally known as the SP4 protocol, it was renamed TLS and subsequently published in as international standard ITU-T X| ISO/IEC

Secure Network Programming[edit]

Early research efforts towards transport layer security included the Secure Network Programming (SNP) application programming interface (API), which in explored the approach of having a secure transport layer API closely resembling Berkeley sockets, to facilitate retrofitting pre-existing network applications with security measures.^[15]

SSL , , and [edit]

Netscape developed the original SSL protocols, and Taher Elgamal, chief scientist at Netscape Communications from to , has been described as the "father of SSL".^{[16][17][18][19]} SSL version was never publicly released because of serious security flaws in the protocol. Version , released in February , contained a number of security flaws which necessitated the design of version ^[20][18] Released in , SSL version represented a complete redesign of the protocol produced by Paul Kocher working with Netscape engineers Phil Karlton and Alan Freier, with a reference implementation by Christopher Allen and Tim Dierks of Consensus Development. Newer versions of SSL/TLS are based on SSL The draft of SSL was published by IETF as a historical document in RFC&#;

SSL was deprecated in by RFC&#; In , SSL was found to be vulnerable to the POODLE attack that affects all block ciphers in SSL; RC4, the only non-block cipher supported by SSL , is also feasibly broken as used in SSL ^[21] SSL was deprecated in June by RFC&#;

TLS [edit]

TLS was first defined in RFC&#; in January as an upgrade of SSL Version , and written by Christopher Allen and Tim Dierks of Consensus Development. As stated in the RFC, "the differences between this protocol and SSL are not dramatic, but they are significant enough to preclude interoperability between TLS and SSL ". Tim Dierks later wrote that these changes, and the renaming from "SSL" to "TLS", were a face-saving gesture to Microsoft, "so it wouldn't look [like] the IETF was just rubberstamping Netscape's protocol".^[22]

TLS includes a means by which a TLS implementation can downgrade the connection to SSL , thus weakening security.^[23]:1–2

The PCI Council suggested that organizations migrate from TLS to TLS or higher before June 30, ^[24][25] In October , Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Mozilla jointly announced they would deprecate TLS and in March ^[11]

TLS [edit]

TLS was defined in RFC&#; in April ^[26] It is an update from TLS version Significant differences in this version include:

TLS [edit]

TLS was defined in RFC&#; in August It is based on the earlier TLS specification. Major differences include:

• The MD5-SHA-1 combination in the pseudorandom function (PRF) was replaced with SHA, with an option to use cipher suite specified PRFs.
• The MD5-SHA-1 combination in the finished message hash was replaced with SHA, with an option to use cipher suite specific hash algorithms. However, the size of the hash in the finished message must still be at least 96 bits.^[27]
• The MD5-SHA-1 combination in the digitally signed element was replaced with a single hash negotiated during handshake, which defaults to SHA
• Enhancement in the client's and server's ability to specify which hashes and signature algorithms they accept.
• Expansion of support for authenticated encryption ciphers, used mainly for Galois/Counter Mode (GCM) and CCM mode of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption.
• TLS Extensions definition and AES cipher suites were added.^[23]:2

All TLS versions were further refined in RFC&#; in March , removing their backward compatibility with SSL such that TLS sessions never negotiate the use of Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) version

TLS [edit]

TLS was defined in RFC&#; in August It is based on the earlier TLS specification. Major differences from TLS include:^[28]

• Separating key agreement and authentication algorithms from the cipher suites
• Removing support for weak and less-used named elliptic curves
• Removing support for MD5 and SHA cryptographic hash functions
• Requiring digital signatures even when a previous configuration is used
• Integrating HKDF and the semi-ephemeral DH proposal
• Replacing resumption with PSK and tickets
• Supporting 1-RTT handshakes and initial support for 0-RTT
• Mandating perfect forward secrecy, by means of using ephemeral keys during the (EC)DH key agreement
• Dropping support for many insecure or obsolete features including compression, renegotiation, non-AEAD ciphers, non-PFS key exchange (among which are static RSA and static DH key exchanges), custom DHE groups, EC point format negotiation, Change Cipher Spec protocol, Hello message UNIX time, and the length field AD input to AEAD ciphers
• Prohibiting SSL or RC4 negotiation for backwards compatibility
• Integrating use of session hash
• Deprecating use of the record layer version number and freezing the number for improved backwards compatibility
• Moving some security-related algorithm details from an appendix to the specification and relegating ClientKeyShare to an appendix
• Adding the ChaCha20 stream cipher with the Poly message authentication code
• Adding the Ed and Ed digital signature algorithms
• Adding the x and x key exchange protocols
• Adds support for sending multiple OCSP responses
• Encrypts all handshake messages after the ServerHello

Network Security Services (NSS), the cryptography library developed by Mozilla and used by its web browser Firefox, enabled TLS by default in February ^[29] TLS support was subsequently added — but due to compatibility issues for a small number of users, not automatically enabled^[30] — to Firefox , which was released in March TLS was enabled by default in May with the release of Firefox ^[31]

Google Chrome set TLS as the default version for a short time in It then removed it as the default, due to incompatible middleboxes such as Blue Coat web proxies.^[32]

During the IETF Hackathon which took place in Singapore in , The TLS Group worked on adapting open-source applications to use TLS ^[33][34] The TLS group was made up of individuals from Japan, United Kingdom, and Mauritius via the manicapital.com team.^[34] This work was continued in the IETF Hackathon in London, ^[35] and the IETF Hackathon in Montreal.^[36]

wolfSSL enabled the use of TLS as of version , released in May ^[37] As the first commercial TLS implementation, wolfSSL supported Draft 18 and now supports Draft 28,^[38] the final version, as well as many older versions. A series of blogs was published on the performance difference between TLS and ^[39]

In , the popular OpenSSL project released version of its library, in which support for TLS was "the headline new feature".^[40]

Enterprise Transport Security[edit]

The Electronic Frontier Foundation praised TLS and expressed concern about the variant protocol Enterprise Transport Security (ETS) that intentionally disables important security measures in TLS ^[41] ETS is a published standard known as the ETSI TS, "Middlebox Security Protocol, Part3: Enterprise Transport Security", and intended for use entirely within proprietary networks such as banking systems to enable detection of malware placement, unlawful data exfiltration, and compliance with regulatory auditing mandates.

Digital certificates[edit]

Example of a website with digital certificate

A digital certificate certifies the ownership of a public key by the named subject of the certificate, and indicates certain expected usages of that key. This allows others (relying parties) to rely upon signatures or on assertions made by the private key that corresponds to the certified public key.

Certificate authorities[edit]

TLS typically relies on a set of trusted third-party certificate authorities to establish the authenticity of certificates. Trust is usually anchored in a list of certificates distributed with user agent software,^[42] and can be modified by the relying party.

According to Netcraft, who monitors active TLS certificates, the market-leading certificate authority (CA) has been Symantec since the beginning of their survey (or VeriSign before the authentication services business unit was purchased by Symantec). As of , Symantec accounted for just under a third of all certificates and 44% of the valid certificates used by the 1 million busiest websites, as counted by Netcraft.^[43] In , Symantec sold its TLS/SSL business to DigiCert.^[44] In an updated report, it was shown that IdenTrust, DigiCert, and Sectigo are the top 3 certificate authorities in terms of market share since May ^[45]

As a consequence of choosing X certificates, certificate authorities and a public key infrastructure are necessary to verify the relation between a certificate and its owner, as well as to generate, sign, and administer the validity of certificates. While this can be more convenient than verifying the identities via a web of trust, the mass surveillance disclosures made it more widely known that certificate authorities are a weak point from a security standpoint, allowing man-in-the-middle attacks (MITM) if the certificate authority cooperates (or is compromised).^[46][47]

Algorithms[edit]

Key exchange or key agreement[edit]

Before a client and server can begin to exchange information protected by TLS, they must securely exchange or agree upon an encryption key and a cipher to use when encrypting data (see §&#;Cipher). Among the methods used for key exchange/agreement are: public and private keys generated with RSA (denoted TLS_RSA in the TLS handshake protocol), Diffie–Hellman (TLS_DH), ephemeral Diffie–Hellman (TLS_DHE), elliptic-curve Diffie–Hellman (TLS_ECDH), ephemeral elliptic-curve Diffie–Hellman (TLS_ECDHE), anonymous Diffie–Hellman (TLS_DH_anon),^[2]pre-shared key (TLS_PSK)^[48] and Secure Remote Password (TLS_SRP).^[49]

The TLS_DH_anon and TLS_ECDH_anon key agreement methods do not authenticate the server or the user and hence are rarely used because those are vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. Only TLS_DHE and TLS_ECDHE provide forward secrecy.

Public key certificates used during exchange/agreement also vary in the size of the public/private encryption keys used during the exchange and hence the robustness of the security provided. In July , Google announced that it would no longer use bit public keys and would switch instead to bit keys to increase the security of the TLS encryption it provides to its users because the encryption strength is directly related to the key size.^[4][50]

Cipher[edit]

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