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How does SSL work?

SSL is a security technique, which creates an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. This technology is used by millions of e-commerce and other websites to prevent fraudulent activities, such as credit card frauds, user info leakage, and so on. It runs over the TCP/ IP and below higher-level protocols- HTTP and IMAP.

SSL Certificates have a pair of keys, i.e. a public and a private key that works in conjunction to establish an encrypted connection. The certificate also contains the subject which is the identity of the certificate/website owner.

To get a certificate for your website, you need to create a certificate signing request (CSR) on your server. Thereafter, the CSR creates the private key and a CSR data file, which you need to send to the SSL Certificate issuer. The CA will make use of the CSR data file to create a public key to match your private key.

At the time, when a browser accesses a website that is secured by an SSL, the browser and the web server establish an SSL connectivity using a process, known as "SSL Handshake".

Importantly, three keys are used to establish the SSL connection, i.e. public key, private key, and a session key. Any information encrypted with the public key can only be decrypted with the private key. Once the secure connection is established, the session key is utilized to encrypt all the transmitted data.