TCP/IP is the primary transport protocol used in client/server computing, and governs the transmission of data over the Internet. TCP/IP uses intermediate computers to transport communications from sender to recipient. The intermediate computers introduce weak links to the communication system where data may be subjected to tampering, theft, eavesdropping, and impersonation.
An SSL-enabled client application uses standard techniques of public-key cryptography to authenticate a server’s certificate, and verify that the server certificate was issued by a trusted CA before sending private information, such as a credit card number, over the connection.
