2 #use "ssl_template.inc" title="Glossary" tag=gloss num=7
4 <page_prev name="F.A.Q. List" url="ssl_faq.html">
6 <quotation width=300 author="Richard Nixon">
7 ``I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you
8 realize that what you heard is not what I meant.''
13 <dt><div id="term">Authentication</div>
14 <dd>The positive identification of a network entity such as a server, a
15 client, or a user. In SSL context the server and client
16 <em>Certificate</em> verification process.
18 <dt><div id="term">Access Control</div>
19 <dd>The restriction of access to network realms. In Apache context
20 usually the restriction of access to certain <em>URLs</em>.
22 <dt><div id="term">Algorithm</div>
23 <dd>An unambiguous formula or set of rules for solving a problem in a finite
24 number of steps. Algorithms for encryption are usually called <em>Ciphers</em>.
26 <dt><div id="term">Certificate</div>
27 <dd>A data record used for authenticating network entities such
28 as a server or a client. A certificate contains X.509 information pieces
29 about its owner (called the subject) and the signing <em>Certificate
30 Authority</em> (called the issuer), plus the owner's public key and the
31 signature made by the CA. Network entities verify these signatures using
34 <dt><div id="term">Certification Authority (CA)</div>
35 <dd>A trusted third party whose purpose is to sign certificates for network
36 entities it has authenticated using secure means. Other network entities
37 can check the signature to verify that a CA has authenticated the bearer
40 <dt><div id="term">Certificate Signing Request (CSR)</div>
41 <dd>An unsigned certificate for submission to a <em>Certification Authority</em>,
42 which signs it with the <em>Private Key</em> of their CA <em>Certificate</em>. Once
43 the CSR is signed, it becomes a real certificate.
45 <dt><div id="term">Cipher</div>
46 <dd>An algorithm or system for data encryption. Examples are DES, IDEA, RC4, etc.
48 <dt><div id="term">Ciphertext</div>
49 <dd>The result after a <em>Plaintext</em> passed a <em>Cipher</em>.
51 <dt><div id="term">Configuration Directive</div>
52 <dd>A configuration command that controls one or more aspects of a program's
53 behavior. In Apache context these are all the command names in the first
54 column of the configuration files.
56 <dt><div id="term">CONNECT</div>
57 <dd>A HTTP command for proxying raw data channels over HTTP. It can be used to
58 encapsulate other protocols, such as the SSL protocol.
60 <dt><div id="term">Digital Signature</div>
61 <dd>An encrypted text block that validates a certificate or other file. A
62 <em>Certification Authority</em> creates a signature by generating a
63 hash of the <em>Public Key</em> embedded in a <em>Certificate</em>, then
64 encrypting the hash with its own <em>Private Key</em>. Only the CA's
65 public key can decrypt the signature, verifying that the CA has
66 authenticated the network entity that owns the <em>Certificate</em>.
68 <dt><div id="term">Export-Crippled</div>
69 <dd>Diminished in cryptographic strength (and security) in order to comply
70 with the United States' Export Administration Regulations (EAR).
71 Export-crippled cryptographic software is limited to a small key size,
72 resulting in <em>Ciphertext</em> which usually can be decrypted by brute
75 <dt><div id="term">Fully-Qualified Domain-Name (FQDN)</div>
76 <dd>The unique name of a network entity, consisting of a hostname and a domain
77 name that can resolve to an IP address. For example, <code>www</code> is a
78 hostname, <code>whatever.com</code> is a domain name, and
79 <code>www.whatever.com</code> is a fully-qualified domain name.
81 <dt><div id="term">HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)</div>
82 <dd>The HyperText Transport Protocol is the standard transmission protocol used
83 on the World Wide Web.
85 <dt><div id="term">HTTPS</div>
86 <dd>The HyperText Transport Protocol (Secure), the standard encrypted
87 communication mechanism on the World Wide Web. This is actually just HTTP
90 <dt><div id="term">Message Digest</div>
91 <dd>A hash of a message, which can be used to verify that the contents of
92 the message have not been altered in transit.
94 <dt><div id="term">OpenSSL</div>
95 <dd>The Open Source toolkit for SSL/TLS;
96 see <a href="http://www.openssl.org/">http://www.openssl.org/</a>
98 <dt><div id="term">Pass Phrase</div>
99 <dd>The word or phrase that protects private key files.
100 It prevents unauthorized users from encrypting them. Usually it's just
101 the secret encryption/decryption key used for <em>Ciphers</em>.
103 <dt><div id="term">Plaintext</div>
104 <dd>The unencrypted text.
106 <dt><div id="term">Private Key</div>
107 <dd>The secret key in a <em>Public Key Cryptography</em> system, used to
108 decrypt incoming messages and sign outgoing ones.
110 <dt><div id="term">Public Key</div>
111 <dd>The publically available key in a <em>Public Key Cryptography</em> system, used to
112 encrypt messages bound for its owner and to decrypt signatures made by its
115 <dt><div id="term">Public Key Cryptography</div>
116 <dd>The study and application of asymmetric encryption systems, which use one
117 key for encryption and another for decryption. A corresponding pair of
118 such keys constitutes a key pair. Also called Asymmetric Crypography.
120 <dt><div id="term">Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)</div>
121 <dd>A protocol created by Netscape Communications Corporation for
122 general communication authentication and encryption over TCP/IP networks.
123 The most popular usage is <em>HTTPS</em>, i.e. the HyperText Transfer
124 Protocol (HTTP) over SSL.
126 <dt><div id="term">Session</div>
127 <dd>The context information of an SSL communication.
129 <dt><div id="term">SSLeay</div>
130 <dd>The original SSL/TLS implementation library developed by
131 Eric A. Young <eay@aus.rsa.com>;
132 see <a href="http://www.ssleay.org/">http://www.ssleay.org/</a>
134 <dt><div id="term">Symmetric Cryptography</div>
135 <dd>The study and application of <em>Ciphers</em> that use a single secret key
136 for both encryption and decryption operations.
138 <dt><div id="term">Transport Layer Security (TLS)</div>
139 <dd>The successor protocol to SSL, created by the Internet Engineering Task
140 Force (IETF) for general communication authentication and encryption over
141 TCP/IP networks. TLS version 1 and is nearly identical with SSL version 3.
143 <dt><div id="term">Uniform Resource Locator (URL)</div>
144 <dd>The formal identifier to locate various resources on the World Wide Web.
145 The most popular URL scheme is <code>http</code>. SSL uses the
146 scheme <code>https</code>
148 <dt><div id="term">X.509</div>
149 <dd>An authentication certificate scheme recommended by the International
150 Telecommunication Union (ITU-T) which is used for SSL/TLS authentication.