Secure Sockets Layer
(SSL) A {protocol} designed by {Netscape
Communications Corporation} to provide encrypted
communications on the {Internet}. SSL is layered beneath
application {protocols} such as {HTTP}, {SMTP}, {Telnet},
{FTP}, {Gopher}, and {NNTP} and is layered above the
connection protocol {TCP/IP}. It is used by the {HTTPS}
access method.
(1995-01-17)