Transport Layer Security

(TLS). A cryptographic protocol that provides secure communications on the Internet for such things as web browsing, e-mail, Internet faxing, instant messaging and other data transfers. There are slight differences between its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), and TLS, but the protocol remains substantially the same.

The TLS protocol allows applications to communicate across a network in a way designed to prevent eavesdropping, tampering, and message forgery. TLS provides endpoint authentication and communications privacy over the Internet using cryptography.

See also

• Hypertext Transfer Protocol, Secure
• Secure Sockets Layer