# On secure SSL: The least every developer should know

DevFeed: [On secure SSL: The least every developer should know](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/on-secure-ssl-the-least-every-developer-should-know-32163.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://adambard.com/blog/the-new-ssl-basics/>)

Published: 2013-09-10T00:00:00Z

Content type: article

Language: en

Sources: [Adam Bard](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/adam-bard.md>)

Topics: [Cryptography](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/cryptography.md>), [SSL](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ssl.md>), [TLS (Transport Layer Security)](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/tls.md>), [browsers](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/browsers.md>), [Encryption](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/encryption.md>), [servers](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/servers.md>)

Tags: [browsers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/browsers.md>), [cryptography](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cryptography.md>), [encryption](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/encryption.md>), [security](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/security.md>), [servers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/servers.md>), [ssl](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ssl.md>), [tls](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/tls.md>)

## AI overview

This article explains the SSL/TLS basics developers should understand, focusing on cipher suites, the TLS handshake, and Suite B recommendations. It describes elliptic-curve key exchange, digital signatures, AES encryption, and SHA-based authentication hashes, while noting uncertainty about the security of NIST elliptic curves.

## Source excerpt

The NSA, besides playing the role of Big Brother in the unfolding dystopian saga revealed by Snowden's leaks, is at the forefront of cryptography research. Being in the business of secrecy, the NSA also has recommendations for keeping things secret. The first of these, Suite A is naturally a secret, and apparently recommends a mysterious list of algorithms known only to the NSA. However, their Suite B recommendation for general national security use is published as an RFC, and suggests technologies available today in browsers and web servers.