Networking / Beginners

---

Transport Layer Security (TLS)

Transport Layer Security (TLS) is the next generation of SSL. It consists of two layers. The lower layer is the TLS Record protocol, which is layered on top of a reliable transport protocol such as TCP. The two main features of the Record protocol are private and reliable connections. The higher level is the TLS Handshake protocol. This layer provides connection security that authenticates using asymmetric cryptography, negotiates a secret key, and provides a reliable negotiation. Like SSL, TLS is independent and can use a range of ciphers. The overall goals of TLS include cryptographic security, interoperability, and extensibility.

Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS)

WTLS is the security layer defined in the WAP specification. It operates above the Transport Protocol Layer, making it suitable for a variety of underlying wireless protocols. It is similar to TLS, but is optimized for low-bandwidth networks with high latency. It also adds new features such as datagram support, optimized handshakes, and key refreshing. It also supports the use of WTLS certificates for server-side authentication, in contrast to SSL/TLS, which typically use X.509 certificates. Overall, WTLS has similar goals to both SSL and TLS, in that it aims to provide privacy, data integrity, and authentication between two communicating parties. (A more in-depth look at WTLS and its authentication models is provided in the WAP Security section later in this tutorial.)

IP Security (IPSec)

IPSec is different from the other protocols in that it does not operate on the application layer. Whereas SSL, TLS, and WTLS are aimed at providing secure communications over an inherently insecure network, IPSec is aimed at making the Internet itself secure. It does this by providing authentication, integrity, and privacy services at the IP datagram layer. While it is mainly targeted at laptop clients in the mobile space, IPSec-based virtual private network (VPN) products are starting to emerge for PDAs as well (see the upcoming section for more on VPNs). IPSec will become a more prominent solution when mobile devices start to support IP6, which includes IPSec as part of the standard. It is important to know that IPSec supports TCP/IP, not WAP.