Tls Glossary

Browse 35 tls terms defined in plain English, from the cultural dictionary of computing.

35 Tls Terms

Certbot
An open-source tool that automates obtaining and renewing TLS certificates, commonly with Let's Encrypt.
Certificate
A digital document issued by a Certificate Authority that binds a public key to an identity, enabling encrypted communication and authentication. X.509...
Certificate Authority
A trusted entity that issues digital certificates, verifying that the holder of a certificate is who they claim to be. The trust anchors of HTTPS — when a CA...
Certificate Chain
The ordered set of certificates linking an end-entity certificate back to a trusted root through one or more intermediate issuers. Correct certificate chains...
Certificate Pinning
Certificate Pinning is a trust strategy that restricts which certificate or public key a client will accept for a service. Security teams use it to enforce...
Certificate Transparency
A system of public, append-only logs that record all TLS certificates issued by certificate authorities. Enables domain owners to detect unauthorized...
Cipher Suite
Cipher Suite is the negotiated set of cryptographic algorithms and parameters used by a secure communication session. Security teams use it to enforce trust,...
Client Certificate
A digital certificate presented by a client to authenticate itself to a server, most commonly in mutual TLS setups. Client certificates are often used in...
DANE
DANE is a DNSSEC-backed mechanism that binds TLS certificates or public keys to DNS records for a domain. Security teams use it to enforce trust, reduce...
DNS over HTTPS
DNS over HTTPS is a method of transporting DNS queries over HTTPS to improve privacy and resist straightforward interception. Security teams use it to enforce...
DNS over TLS
DNS over TLS is a protocol for sending DNS queries over TLS so intermediaries cannot easily read or modify them. Security teams use it to enforce trust, reduce...
DTLS
DTLS is a transport-layer security protocol adapted for datagram traffic such as UDP-based voice, video, and tunnel traffic. Security teams use it to enforce...
Forward Secrecy
Forward Secrecy is the property that compromise of a long-term private key does not expose past session plaintext. Security teams use it to enforce trust,...
Heart Bleed
A common misspelling or informal reference to Heartbleed, the critical 2014 OpenSSL vulnerability that allowed attackers to read unintended portions of server...
HPKP
Short for HTTP Public Key Pinning, a deprecated web security mechanism that let sites tell browsers which public keys were valid for future TLS connections....
HTTPS
HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) is the encrypted version of HTTP, the protocol used for transferring data between web browsers and servers. HTTPS...
HTTPS Inspection
HTTPS Inspection is the controlled decryption and inspection of TLS traffic by an authorized intermediary for policy enforcement. Security teams use it to...
Let's Encrypt
Let's Encrypt is a public certificate authority that automates issuance and renewal of domain-validated TLS certificates. Security teams use it to enforce...
Man-in-the-Middle Attack
Man-in-the-Middle Attack (MITM) is a cyberattack where an attacker secretly intercepts and potentially alters the communication between two parties who believe...
mTLS
Mutual TLS — an extension of standard TLS where both the client and server present certificates to authenticate each other (standard TLS only authenticates the...
Multi-Domain Certificate
A digital certificate that covers more than one domain name, usually by listing multiple subject alternative names in the certificate. Multi-domain...
Mutual TLS
Mutual TLS is a TLS mode in which both client and server present certificates and authenticate each other. Security teams use it to enforce trust, reduce...
OCSP
OCSP is the online certificate status protocol used to check whether a certificate has been revoked. Security teams use it to enforce trust, reduce exposure,...
OCSP Stapling
OCSP Stapling is a TLS optimization where the server includes a recent signed OCSP response during the handshake. Security teams use it to enforce trust,...
OpenSSL
OpenSSL is a widely used cryptographic library and TLS toolkit for certificates, keys, and secure transport. Security teams use it to enforce trust, reduce...
OpenSSL Security
The security posture of systems that rely on the OpenSSL cryptographic library, including patch level, supported ciphers, certificate handling, and...
Peer Certificate
The digital certificate presented by the other side of a secure connection, such as a server certificate shown to a client or a client certificate shown to a...
Perfect Forward Secrecy
A cryptographic property where compromise of a long-term key does not expose previously captured session traffic. It shows up in application security,...
PFS
Short for perfect forward secrecy, a property in which compromise of a long-term private key does not let an attacker decrypt previously captured sessions...
Public Certificate
A certificate issued by a publicly trusted certificate authority so standard browsers and clients will accept it without custom trust configuration. Public...
SNI
Server Name Indication -- a TLS extension that lets the client specify which hostname it's connecting to during the handshake, before encryption begins....
SSL
SSL, or Secure Sockets Layer, is a deprecated cryptographic protocol originally developed by Netscape in the 1990s to encrypt communications between web...
SSL Pinning
A client-side trust technique that accepts only a specific certificate or public key for a remote service. It shows up in application security, identity,...
TLS Mutual Authentication
A TLS mode in which both client and server present certificates and verify each other. It shows up in application security, identity, infrastructure, or...
Transport Layer Security
The cryptographic protocol family used to secure network sessions such as HTTPS, SMTP, and VPN traffic. It shows up in application security, identity,...

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