What is the function of TLS/SSL protocols?

What is the function of TLS/SSL protocols?

• A. Provide application-layer authentication only
• B. Encrypt data at rest
• C. Compress data for transmission
• D. Encrypt data in transit

Answer: (D)

TLS/SSL is about protecting data as it travels between client and server. Its main function is to encrypt data in transit so that anyone intercepting the communication cannot read it. It also authenticates the server (and optionally the client) so you know you’re talking to the right party, and it provides integrity checks to detect if the message has been tampered with. This is different from encrypting data at rest, which protects stored information. Compression is not the primary purpose and, in modern versions, is not relied upon due to security concerns. So the best description is encrypting data in transit.

TLS/SSL is about protecting data as it travels between client and server. Its main function is to encrypt data in transit so that anyone intercepting the communication cannot read it. It also authenticates the server (and optionally the client) so you know you’re talking to the right party, and it provides integrity checks to detect if the message has been tampered with. This is different from encrypting data at rest, which protects stored information. Compression is not the primary purpose and, in modern versions, is not relied upon due to security concerns. So the best description is encrypting data in transit.