What is Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) & Transport Layer Security (TLS) Certificates?

A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate is a technological standard used to enable a secure connection between a web server and client on the internet. SSL certificates are installed on a web server and scramble transmitted data through encryption algorithms in order to prevent malicious actors from being able to access data as it moves from one system to another. A Transport Layer Security (TLS) Certificate represents a recent, updated version of SSL with further enhanced security.