A sequence of operations that ensure protection of data. Used with a communications protocol, it provides secure delivery of data between two parties. The term generally refers to a suite of components that work in tandem (see below). For example, the 802.11i standard provides these functions for wireless LANs.
TLS, which superseded SSL, is widely used to provide encryption between a user's browser and a website. Following are the primary functions that a security protocol may support. See
cryptography,
information security,
PCT and
IPsec.
Access Control
Authenticates user identity. Authorizes access to specific resources based on permissions level and policies. See
access control and
authentication.
Encryption Algorithm
The cryptographic cipher combined with various methods for encrypting the text. See
encryption algorithm,
HTTPS and
TLS.
Key Management
Create, distribute and maintain the keys. See
key management.
Message Integrity
Ensures that the encrypted message has not been tampered with. See
message integrity.