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title>Apache
SSL/
TLS Encryption: Glossary</
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SSL/
TLS Strong Encryption: Glossary</
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2N/A``I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you
2N/Arealize that what you heard is not what I meant.''
2N/A<
dt>Authentication</
dt>
2N/A<
dd>The positive identification of a network entity such as a server, a
2N/A client, or a user. In SSL context the server and client
2N/A <
em>Certificate</
em> verification process.
2N/A<
dt>Access Control</
dt>
2N/A<
dd>The restriction of access to network realms. In Apache context
2N/A usually the restriction of access to certain <
em>URLs</
em>.
2N/A<
dd>An unambiguous formula or set of rules for solving a problem in a finite
2N/A number of steps. Algorithms for encryption are usually called <
em>Ciphers</
em>.
2N/A<
dd>A data record used for authenticating network entities such
2N/A as a server or a client. A certificate contains X.509 information pieces
2N/A about its owner (called the subject) and the signing <
em>Certificate
2N/A Authority</
em> (called the issuer), plus the owner's public key and the
2N/A signature made by the CA. Network entities verify these signatures using
2N/A<
dt>Certification Authority (CA)</
dt>
2N/A<
dd>A trusted third party whose purpose is to sign certificates for network
2N/A entities it has authenticated using secure means. Other network entities
2N/A can check the signature to verify that a CA has authenticated the bearer
2N/A<
dt>Certificate Signing Request (CSR)</
dt>
2N/A<
dd>An unsigned certificate for submission to a <
em>Certification Authority</
em>,
2N/A which signs it with the <
em>Private Key</
em> of their CA <
em>Certificate</
em>. Once
2N/A the CSR is signed, it becomes a real certificate.
2N/A<
dd>An algorithm or system for data encryption. Examples are DES, IDEA, RC4, etc.
2N/A<
dd>The result after a <
em>Plaintext</
em> passed a <
em>Cipher</
em>.
2N/A<
dt>Configuration Directive</
dt>
2N/A<
dd>A configuration command that controls one or more aspects of a program's
2N/A behavior. In Apache context these are all the command names in the first
2N/A column of the configuration files.
<
dd>A HTTP command for proxying raw data channels over HTTP. It can be used to
encapsulate other protocols, such as the SSL protocol.
<
dt>Digital Signature</
dt>
<
dd>An encrypted text block that validates a certificate or other file. A
<
em>Certification Authority</
em> creates a signature by generating a
hash of the <
em>Public Key</
em> embedded in a <
em>Certificate</
em>, then
encrypting the hash with its own <
em>Private Key</
em>. Only the CA's
public key can decrypt the signature, verifying that the CA has
authenticated the network entity that owns the <
em>Certificate</
em>.
<
dd>Diminished in cryptographic strength (and security) in order to comply
with the United States' Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
Export-crippled cryptographic software is limited to a small key size,
resulting in <
em>Ciphertext</
em> which usually can be decrypted by brute
<
dt>Fully-Qualified Domain-Name (FQDN)</
dt>
<
dd>The unique name of a network entity, consisting of a hostname and a domain
name that can resolve to an IP address. For example, <
code>www</
code> is a
<
dt>HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)</
dt>
<
dd>The HyperText Transport Protocol is the standard transmission protocol used
<
dd>The HyperText Transport Protocol (Secure), the standard encrypted
communication mechanism on the World Wide Web. This is actually just HTTP
<
dd>A hash of a message, which can be used to verify that the contents of
the message have not been altered in transit.
<
dd>The Open Source toolkit for
SSL/
TLS;
<
dd>The word or phrase that protects private key files.
It prevents unauthorized users from encrypting them. Usually it's just
<
dd>The unencrypted text.
<
dd>The secret key in a <
em>Public Key Cryptography</
em> system, used to
decrypt incoming messages and sign outgoing ones.
<
dd>The publically available key in a <
em>Public Key Cryptography</
em> system, used to
encrypt messages bound for its owner and to decrypt signatures made by its
<
dt>Public Key Cryptography</
dt>
<
dd>The study and application of asymmetric encryption systems, which use one
key for encryption and another for decryption. A corresponding pair of
such keys constitutes a key pair. Also called Asymmetric Crypography.
<
dt>Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)</
dt>
<
dd>A protocol created by Netscape Communications Corporation for
general communication authentication and encryption over
TCP/
IP networks.
The most popular usage is <
em>HTTPS</
em>,
i.e. the HyperText Transfer
Protocol (HTTP) over SSL.
<
dd>The context information of an SSL communication.
<
dd>The original
SSL/
TLS implementation library developed by
Eric A. Young <eay@aus.rsa.com>;
<
dt>Symmetric Cryptography</
dt>
<
dd>The study and application of <
em>Ciphers</
em> that use a single secret key
for both encryption and decryption operations.
<
dt>Transport Layer Security (TLS)</
dt>
<
dd>The successor protocol to SSL, created by the Internet Engineering Task
Force (IETF) for general communication authentication and encryption over
TCP/
IP networks. TLS version 1 and is nearly identical with SSL version 3.
<
dt>Uniform Resource Locator (URL)</
dt>
<
dd>The formal identifier to locate various resources on the World Wide Web.
The most popular URL scheme is <
code>http</
code>. SSL uses the
scheme <
code>https</
code>
<
dd>An authentication certificate scheme recommended by the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) which is used for
SSL/
TLS authentication.