SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, a legacy protocol for securing communications. It is no longer safe to use: modern secure connections use TLS (Transport Layer Security), the protocol that replaced SSL. People still say “SSL” or “SSL certificate,” but a certificate helps authenticate a connection; it is not the encryption protocol itself.
What does SSL stand for?
SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. It was a family of protocols intended to protect data exchanged between applications, such as a web browser and a website. The name remains familiar in hosting dashboards, product descriptions and everyday speech, even though SSL is obsolete.
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When someone says a site “uses SSL” today, they usually mean that it uses TLS to secure its connection. The terms are often used interchangeably in casual conversation, but they do not name the same protocol generation.
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No. SSL version 3.0 (SSLv3) is not sufficiently secure and must not be used. The IETF says this explicitly in RFC 7568, published in June 2015.
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TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 are also formally deprecated. RFC 8996, published in March 2021, explains that TLS 1.0 and 1.1 were superseded by TLS 1.2, which was later superseded by TLS 1.3. For current connections, the relevant protocol family is TLS, not SSL.
What does TLS do?
The IETF’s current TLS 1.3 specification, RFC 9846, describes TLS as allowing client/server applications to communicate over the Internet in a way designed to prevent eavesdropping, tampering and message forgery. That is the protocol’s security aim—not a guarantee that every device, account, website or transaction is safe.
The handshake sets up the connection
At the start of a TLS connection, the peers perform a handshake. It authenticates the communicating parties, negotiates cryptographic modes and parameters, and establishes shared keying material. Think of it as the setup and identity-checking phase before protected traffic begins.
The record protocol protects exchanged traffic
After the handshake, TLS uses its record protocol to protect traffic between the peers. TLS operates beneath higher-level application protocols, so an application can use a secured connection without exposing every protocol detail to the user. The exact way an application starts TLS and interprets certificates can depend on that application’s protocol and implementation.
What is an SSL certificate?
An “SSL certificate” is the common name for a certificate used to support authentication in a modern TLS connection. The certificate is not SSL, and it is not the protocol that encrypts the connection. TLS is the protocol; the certificate helps establish identity as part of using it.
A certificate or a padlock indicator should not be treated as proof that a website is honest, safe to buy from, free of malware, or trustworthy in every other respect. TLS protects the connection according to its protocol goals; it does not certify all of a site’s content or business practices.
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Do you need to buy SSL to browse securely?
No. Ordinary users do not need to purchase a product called “SSL” just to visit websites over HTTPS. “SSL” is often legacy terminology for the TLS-secured connection. If you manage a website or server, follow the current instructions from your hosting provider and platform, and do not enable SSLv3, TLS 1.0 or TLS 1.1.
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Which TLS version is current?
The current TLS 1.3 specification identified here is RFC 9846, an Internet Standards Track document published in March 2025. It updates the earlier TLS 1.3 specification, RFC 8446, while retaining the TLS 1.3 version number. Version names can be confusing because the specification was updated without changing that number.
Quick Recap
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| Protocol generation | Status | Specification reference |
|---|---|---|
| SSLv3 | Not sufficiently secure; must not be used. | RFC 7568 (June 2015) |
| TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 | Deprecated. | RFC 8996 (March 2021) |
| TLS 1.2 | Superseded by TLS 1.3. | RFC 8996 (March 2021) |
| TLS 1.3 | Current TLS 1.3 specification is RFC 9846, which updates RFC 8446 without changing the version number. | RFC 9846 (March 2025) |
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