September 1st, 2009 Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a secure version of the HTTP. Using HTTPS, the computers agree on a “code” between the systems they communicates, and then they scramble the messages using that “code” so that no one in between can read them. This keeps your information safe from hackers.
They use the “code” on a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), sometimes called Transport Layer Security (TLS) to send the information back and forth. Thus HTTPS allows secure ecommerce transactions, such as online banking.
HTTPS uses port 443 instead of HTTP port 80 in its interactions with the lower layer, TCP/IP.Web browsers such as Internet Explorer and Firefox display a padlock icon to indicate that the website is secure, as it also displays https:// in the address bar.
With HTTPS if anyone in between the sender and the recipient could open the message, they still could not understand it. Only the sender and the recipient, who know the “code,” can decipher the message.
Humans could encode their own documents, but computers do it faster and more efficiently. To do this, the computer at each end uses a document called an “SSL certificate” containing character strings that are the keys to their secret “codes.” SSL certificates contain the computer owner’s “public key.”
The owner shares the public key with anyone who needs it. Other users need the public key to encrypt messages to the owner. The owner sends those users the SSL certificate, which contains the public key. The owner does not share the private key with anyone.
