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layout: default
tabtitle: An Examination of TLS, Part 2
title: An Examination of TLS, Part 2
tags: tech
---
<article>
<h1>TLS: An examination into the Security of the Internet, Part 2</h1>
<p>TLS, more often referred to as SSL, is the means by which a secure
connection is established over a computer network. Part 1 examines how to
establish a secure connection using TLS. This article examines further the
techniques and technology that makes TLS secure. Specifically, a brief
examination of certificates, cipher suites, and public-key
authentication.</p>
<h2>Certificates</h2>
<p>A certificate is a vessel for a server to provide authentication
information. </p>
<h2>Cipher Suites</h2>
<p>A cipher is the algorithm used to encrypt the information
to be transmitted.</p>
<h2>Public-Key Authentication</h2>
<p>Big topic, very important!</p>
<h3>Sources</h3>
<ol>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography">
Wikipedia: Public-key Cryptography</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/6290/how-is-it-possible-that-people-observing-an-https-connection-being-established-w">Stack
Exchange: How is it possible that people observing an HTTPS
connection being established wouldn't know how to decrypt
it?</a></li>
<li><a
href="https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/20803/how-does-ssl-tls-work">
Stack Exchange: How Does SSL/TLS work?</a></li>
</ol>
<br /><h4>[Bill Niblock][2015-05-][Technology]</h4>
</article>
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<!-- Notes (because why remove them?)
Asymmetric Key Authentication:
- Relies on two keys: Public key, Private key
- Both keys are related, but impossible (computationally infeasable) to
identify the private key based on the public key [1][2]
- The public key can be distributed publicly
- Used to encrypt message to the owner of the private paired key
- Used to verify signatures from the private key
- The private key is kept secret
- Used to decrypt message from the public paired key
- Used to as a digital signature
Basics of an Asymmetric Key handshake:
1. Client reaches out to server, requesting a secure connection
2. Server acknowledges request, sends back it's public key
- This is commonly known as a certificate. Often signed by a
third-party to ensure it is what it's supposed to be.
3. Client uses this public key to encrypt a secret, and sends the package
back to the server.
4. The server then uses it's private key to decrypt the public-key
encrypted secret, and uses that secret hence forth to encrypt all traffic.
5. A private connection is now established.
Basics of Certificates
1. A certificate is a vessel for a server to provide authentication
information.
2. Typically a certificate will contain the following information:
- A UUID of the certificate itself
- The subject of the certificate
- The signature, and signature algorithm used
- The issuer of the certificate, as well as dates when it is valid
- The purpose of the key
- The thumbprint, and algorithm, used to hash the key
- The public key itself
3. Certificate Authorities act as a third part to verify the integrity of
public keys.
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