Cisco HTTPS
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is the secure version or an extension of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). It is the most common protocol used for sending data securely between a web browser (client) and a website (server).
Ensuring website authentication and safeguarding the confidentiality and integrity of the data during transmission are the main reasons HTTPS is used.
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Essential Features and Supporting Technology
In order to encrypt communication, HTTPS combines a security protocol with regular HTTP requests and responses.
- The goal of HTTPS is to keep transactions between a web browser and a server safe by offering security protections for web communication. Form completion, login, authentication, and encrypting HTTP messages for online transactions (such as booking a reservation, logging into a bank, or completing a purchase) all require it.
- Security Protocols: Transport Layer Security (TLS), the replacement for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), is used by HTTPS. HTTP over TLS and HTTP over SSL are other names for the protocol.
- Protocol Layer: In the TCP/IP paradigm, HTTP functions at the application layer. HTTPS refers to the use of standard HTTP over an encrypted SSL/TLS connection rather than being a distinct protocol.
- Port: To create a secure connection, HTTPS by default utilizes TCP Port 443, as opposed to HTTP’s default use of Port 80.
- URL Format: HTTPS-enabled web addresses start with the https:// Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) scheme.
How HTTPS Provides Security (The TLS Handshake)
Using an asymmetric public key architecture, HTTPS creates a secure connection by depending on the cryptographic operations carried out by the TLS protocol. The TLS/SSL Handshake is a common name for this procedure.
Encryption and Key Management
Two primary key types supplied by a digital certificate are necessary for HTTPS to function:
- Public Key: Anyone communicating with the server can access this key. Only the corresponding private key can decrypt data encrypted with the public key.
- Private Key: The owner of the website controls this key, which is safely kept on the server side. It is employed to unlock data that the public key has encrypted.
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The Handshake Process
A number of actions are taken to build trust and exchange keys when a client (browser) accesses an HTTPS website:
- Certificate Request: The browser asks for the server’s SSL/TLS certificate in an effort to confirm the legitimacy of the website.
- Delivery of the Certificate: The SSL certificate, which includes the public key, is sent by the server.
- Authentication: By examining the digital signature from the Certificate Authority (CA), domain, issuer, and expiration, the browser confirms the legitimacy of the certificate.
- Key Exchange: After being satisfied, the browser transmits this message to the server by encrypting a secret session key using the public key of the server.
- Session Establishment: The web server decrypts the message and obtains the session key using its private key.
- Encrypted Communication: To securely exchange messages, the browser and server switch to using this shared symmetric session key. Within this secure channel, every HTTP communication that comes after is completely encrypted.
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HTTP Vs HTTPS
Because HTTPS adds security and trust elements that HTTP does not, it completely changes web communication.
| Feature | HTTP | HTTPS |
|---|---|---|
| Data Protection | Data is transmitted as plaintext, easily intercepted and read by third parties. | Data is transmitted in encrypted form using SSL/TLS. |
| Authentication | No website identity verification. | Validates site identity using SSL/TLS certificates issued by a trusted CA. |
| Data Integrity | No protection against tampering. | Cryptographic hashing ensures data integrity, preventing content alteration in transit without detection. |
| Vulnerability | Vulnerable to man-in-the-middle and eavesdropping attacks. | Designed to withstand such attacks, providing reasonable protection. |
| Visibility | Browsers may display a “Not Secure” warning. | Browsers display a padlock icon next to the URL, signaling a secure connection. |
Extra Advantages:
- Trust and Authority: The padlock emblem denotes authenticity and security, and customers prefer HTTPS websites.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): HTTPS websites are preferred by search engines like Google, which utilize them as a ranking indication. This can result in improved search results.
- Modernization: The use of contemporary, high-performance HTTP versions like HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 is made possible by the deployment of HTTPS.
- Management: Frequently chosen over unencrypted protocols like HTTP or Telnet, HTTPS is a popular encrypted management protocol for network devices.
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Limitations and Further Security Measures
Although HTTPS is essential for security, it is not a complete defence:
Metadata Visibility: Even with HTTPS, eavesdroppers may be able to deduce the web server’s IP address, port number, and occasionally the domain name, as well as the volume of data moved and the length of the conversation.
Website Content: Although HTTPS encrypts the connection, it does not ensure that the website is safe or reliable; a website may still be fraudulent or contain harmful content.
SSL Stripping Attacks: A man-in-the-middle attack known as SSL stripping can defeat HTTPS by tricking the client into utilising the unsecure protocol by changing the https: link to a http: one. HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) is a countermeasure that compels the browser to use HTTPS even when the user tries to connect via HTTP.
HTTPS functions as a safe, fortified data transit pipeline. External observers can still see the pipeline’s endpoints (IP address and port) and the volume of traffic passing through it (data amount and duration), even though the material passing through the pipeline is completely jumbled and secured (encryption and data integrity).