29.19. Setting Up SSL

SSL is a protocol for making secure, authenticated connections across an insecure network like the Internet. It encrypts network traffic so an attacker cannot listen in on the network and capture sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers. It allows servers to authenticate themselves to clients, so that a web browser can be sure that it is connecting to the website that it thinks it is. It also allows clients to authenticate themselves to servers, which can be used to replace usernames and passwords with digital certificates.

The SSL protocol can be used to encrypt any kind of data that would normally travel over an unencrypted TCP connection. In this chapter, however, we are only concerned with the ...

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