Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is a combination of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol with the SSL/TLS protocol to provide encrypted communication and secure identification of a network web server. HTTPS connections are often used for payment transactions on the World Wide Web and for sensitive transactions in corporate information systems. HTTPS should not be confused with Secure HTTP (S-HTTP) specified in RFC 2660
Difference from HTTP
As opposed to HTTP URLs which begin with "http://" and use port 80 by default, HTTPS URLs begin with "https://" and use port 443 by default.
HTTP is unsecured and is subject to man-in-the-middle and eavesdropping attacks which can let attackers gain access to website accounts and sensitive information. HTTPS is designed to withstand such attacks and is considered secure against such attacks (with the exception of older deprecated versions of SSL).
Network layers
HTTP operates at the highest layer of the OSI Model, the Application layer; but the security protocol operates at a lower sublayer, encrypting an HTTP message prior to transmission and decrypting a message upon arrival. Strictly speaking, HTTPS is not a separate protocol, but refers to use of ordinary HTTP over an encrypted Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) or Transport Layer Security (TLS) connection.
Everything in the HTTP message is encrypted, including the headers, and the request/response load. With the exception of the possible CCA cryptographic attack described in limitations section below, the attacker can only know the fact that a connection is taking place between the two, known to him, parties; the domain name and IP addresses.
Server setup
To prepare a web server to accept HTTPS connections, the administrator must create a public key certificate for the web server. This certificate must be signed by a trusted certificate authority for the web browser to accept it. The authority certifies that the certificate holder is indeed the entity it claims to be. Web browsers are generally distributed with the signing certificates of major certificate authorities so that they can verify certificates signed by them.
Acquiring certificates
Authoritatively signed certificates may be freeor cost between US$13and $1,500 per year.
Organizations may also run their own certificate authority, particularly if they are responsible for setting up browsers to access their own sites (for example, site
s on a company intranet, or major universities). They can easily add copies of their own signing certificate to the trusted certificates distributed with the browser.
There also exists a peer-to-peer certificate authority, CACert
.
Use as access control
The system can also be used for client authentication in order to limit access to a web server to authorized users. To do this, the site administrator typically creates a certificate for each user, a certificate that is loaded into his/her browser. Normally, that contains the name and e-mail address of the authorized user and is automatically checked b
y the server on each reconnect to verify the user's identity, potentially without even entering a password.
In case of compromised private key
A certificate may be revoked before it expires, for example be
cause the secrecy of the private key has been compromised. Newer versions of popular browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox,Opera,and Internet Explorer on Windows Vista implement the Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) to verify that this is not the case. The browser sends the certificate's serial number to the certificate authority or its delegate via OCSP and the authority responds, telling the browser whether or not the certificate is still valid.
History
Netscape Communications created HTTPS in 1994 for its Nets
cape Navigator web browser.Originally, HTTPS was used with SSL encryption. As SSL evolved into Transport Layer Security (TLS), the current version of HTTPS was formally specified by RFC 2818 in May 2000.
The new Google secured service includes a modified logo to help indicate that you’re searching using SSL and that you may encounter a somewhat different Google search experience, but as always, remember to check the start of the address bar for “https” and your browser lock indicators.
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a protocol that provides secure communications on the Internet for such things as web browsing, e-mail, instant messaging and other data transfers. If you enable SSL connections, Google will force HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) when your users access most services in Google Apps. SSL varies by service and is available for Email, Chat, Calendar, Docs, and Sites. Please note that SSL access is not available for Google Video for Business or the Google Talk desktop client.
The advantage of SSL is added security for your users. If your users access Google Apps on a non-secure Internet connection, such as a public wireless or non-encrypted network, your users' accounts may be more vulnerable to hijacking. A secure connection prevents hijacking by protecting the cookie session. Cookie session hijacking refers to a situation where an impostor gains unauthorized access to cookies and seizes control of a legitimate session while it is still in progress.
However, forcing HTTPS for your users can make Gmail a little slower. Also, please note that, if you enable SSL, you will not be able to see your mail in the Gmail gadget on the Google Apps Start Page since it is not served over SSL. If you trust the security of your network, you can turn this feature off at any time. When the feature is disabled, your users will access Google Apps via HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol).
To enable this feature:
- Sign in to the Google Apps administrator control panel.
- Click Domain settings.
- Under the General tab and in the SSL section, check the box next to Enable SSL.
- Click Save changes.
Note: If you force HTTPS, your users won't be able to disable HTTPS on an individual basis. However, if you don't force HTTPS, your users can enable HTTPS when necessary but only if you also have enabled the Enable pre-release features check box in your Google Apps control panel.
0 comments:
Post a Comment