...
QWS3270 Secure supports SSL 2 and 3 and TLS 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 (Transport Layer Security), sometimes referred to as SSL version 3.1.
What is SSL?
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. It was developed by Netscape Communications for use between clients and servers.
...
See also below for: How do I know if my connection is secure?
What is Cryptography?
Cryptography is, in broad terms, the science of concealing data. Nowadays the term has come to mean something more precise. There are at least three approaches to concealing data:
...
When people talk about cryptography, they usually mean the study and use of ciphers.
How do Ciphers Work?
Different ciphers work in different ways, but all (good) ciphers have the following things in common:
...
If you want to send a secure message to someone else, you must find a way of transmitting the key securely. Well-known symmetric ciphers include DES, Triple DES, RC2, RC4and IDEA. The strength of a symmetric cipher is roughly measured by its key length. A 40 bit key is considered to be weak, whereas a 128 bit key is strong.
What is the SSL Protocol?
The SSL protocol was originally developed by Netscape Communications Corporation. The SSL protocol evolved to version 3.0 which has not been altered since November 1996, so it can be considered fairly stable. SSL has since evolved into the IETF TLS 1.0 protocol (for compatibility reasons, known as SSL 3.1), standardized as IETF RFC (Request for Comments) 2246 The TLS Protocol Version 1.0, dated January 1999.
How do I know if my connection is secure?
After your connection to the host has been established, check the left lower corner of the status bar. You will see either this icon for a
...