Benefits of TLS

Both the SSL protocol and the TLS protocol manage secure communication in a similar way. However, TLS provides a more secure method for managing authentication and exchanging messages, using the following features:

• While SSL provides keyed message authentication, TLS uses the more secure Key-Hashing for Message Authentication Code (HMAC) to ensure that a record cannot be altered during transmission over an open network such as the Internet.
• TLS defines the Enhanced Pseudorandom Function (PRF), which uses two hash algorithms to generate key data with the HMAC. Two algorithms increase security by preventing the data from being changed if only one algorithm is compromised. The data remains secure as long as the second algorithm is not compromised.
• While SSL and TLS both provide a message to each node to authenticate that the exchanged messages were not altered, TLS uses PRF and HMAC values in the message to provide a more secure authentication method.
• To provide more consistency, the TLS protocol specifies the type of certificate that must be exchanged between nodes.
• TLS provides more specific alerts about problems with a session and documents when certain alerts are sent.
• If you are required to have a FIPS 140-2-validated solution, a FIPS-mode of operation is available in Sterling Connect:Direct® for the TLS protocol.