**TLS (Transport Layer Security)** is a cryptographic protocol designed to provide secure communication over a computer network. It is widely used to secure connections between web browsers and servers, ensuring that data transferred between them remains private and unaltered. ### Key Features of TLS: - **Encryption:** TLS encrypts the data transmitted between two parties, such as a web browser and a web server, preventing eavesdropping and ensuring data confidentiality. - **Authentication:** TLS provides authentication, typically using certificates, to verify the identities of the communicating parties, ensuring that data is sent to the correct endpoint. - **Data Integrity:** TLS ensures that the data transferred is not tampered with during transmission, using message authentication codes (MACs) to check data integrity. ### Common Uses of TLS: - **HTTPS:** TLS is the foundation of HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure), which secures communication between a web browser and a web server. - **Email Security:** TLS is also used to secure email communications between mail servers and between clients and servers. - **VPNs:** Some VPN (Virtual Private Network) protocols use TLS to secure connections over public networks. TLS has evolved over time, with the latest versions offering stronger security features compared to its predecessor, SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), which is now considered outdated and insecure. ![[Pasted image 20240823001232.png]]