What is TLS/SSL encryption?

Secure State Protocol (SSL) and it's more secure successor, Transport Layer Security (TLS) encryption, establish a secure, encrypted connection between the app and the server of the messaging service. This protects data sent via a network over the internet, enabling both the client app and the server to check that they communicate with trusted and intended parties.

TLS/SSL relies on the exchange of digital certificates, or certificate authority (CA), to verify a server’s authenticity. This helps to prevent spoofing and impersonation attacks. Next, it facilitates a “handshake process” that opens an encrypted communication tunnel using a public key contained in the digital handshake. Once established, the messaging app and the server maintain a continuous, secure connection for the duration of the session. Data is decrypted and encrypted transparently, which protects the confidentiality of exchanged messages.

To ensure the security and integrity of data, TLS/SSL supports a range of encryption algorithms and cipher suites. These include symmetric encryption, asymmetric encryption, and hashing algorithms. A cipher suite is a combination of ciphers used to determine the security settings of an HTTPS connection during the SSL/TLS handshake.

TLS/SSL encryption is a core security measure of in-app messaging ecosystems. It provides a secure tunnel for transmitting messages without worrying about tampering, interception, or interlopers. It should be combined with other high-level security practices like security testing.