Secure Socket Layer


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Secure Socket Layer is abbreviated as SSL, is a standard security technology to establish an encrypted link in between the server and a client that is a web server and a browser or in between the mail server and a mail client for example outlook.

It allows the sensitive information such as login credentials, social security numbers and credit card numbers to be transmitted securely. The data can be sent in between the browsers and the web servers in the form of plain text. The SSL allow client server applications to communicate across a network in the way that is designed to prevent the damaging and eavesdropping. It has an ability to keep the message or data confidentially and the message authentication codes for message reliability.

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What is Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)?

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a security protocol that determines the variables of the encryption for both the data and the link which are going to be transmitted. It secures millions of people’s data on internet daily, especially at the time of online transactions or when the user wants to transmit the confidential information.

SSL Fundamentals:

There are 3 important elements such as the protocol for communications that is SSL, credentials to establish identity that is SSL certificate and the 3rd party that the vouches for credentials that is the certificate authority.

  • Many of the computers use protocols to allow the various systems to work. The web browsers and the web servers rely on the SSL protocol to enable the encrypted communications.
  • The credentials are useful to establish an identity. The SSL certificate is one type of digital certificate that assists as a credential in online world. Each SSL certificate is identified with a specific domain and a web server.
  • The certificate authorities have a variety of the methods to verify the information that is provided by the organizations or individuals. The established certificates authorities such as the Thawte as well as trusted by the browser vendors.

What is Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate?

The certificate of the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) consists of key pair that is public key and a private key. Both keys (public key and a private key) work together to create an encrypted connection. It also contains the subject that gives identification to the certificate or website owner. In order to get the certificate the user need to create a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) on the server. This process establishes a public key and a private key on the server. CSR data file that the user send to the SSL certificate issuer that contains a public key. The certification Authority never sees the private key and uses the CSR data file to establish the data structure to match the private key without any compromising the key itself.

Once the user receives the SSL certificate then they install it on the server. They can also install the pair of intermediate certificates that create the credibility of the SSL certificate by binding it to the CA’s root certificate.

How it works?

First the browser attempts to connect to the web site that is secured with SSL. The browser send request to the web server for the identity itself. Then the server sends a copy of the SSL certificate to the browser. After that the browser checks whether it trusts an SSL certificate and then it sends a message to the server. Then the server sends return a digitally signed acknowledgement to begin the SSL encrypted session. The encrypted data is shared in between the browser and the server and the HTTPS appears.


The Secure Sockets Layer and the Transport Layer are an integral part of web browsers and web servers. The Web server is enabled with the use of Netscape’s SSLRef program library that can be downloaded for the noncommercial purpose or licensed for commercial purpose. It is a commonly used protocol that can be used to manage the security of the message transmission on network.

Monitor Network Traffic

One of the main advantages of monitoring network traffic is to identifying the unauthorized network and internet usage. Another one is that is to ensure that the company controlled connection is secure and monitoring for malicious activity. Real time monitoring, coupled with extensive logging of activity within the network ensures that the capability of a supervisor to stop nuisances and to trace activity due to unrelated events.

Every day, many secure connections are compromised for one or more reasons. Due to this, the secrecy and highly sensitive affairs are being compromised of security, due to some malicious individuals taking help of illegal attacks. Therefore all important defense organizations and big corporate houses beef up their security systems to prevent illegal, potentially dangerous and exploitable resource usage, penetration and theft.

The list of  network traffic monitoring software is large, but they all vary in performance, versatility and functionality. They can be differentiated into various groups, based on the functionality of the program. For example, a pocket sniffer is a network traffic analysis tool designed to intercept, capture and/or back trace systems that can or might lead to the malicious attackers or hackers. Other software are designed to monitor network bandwidth data and to produce alarms on occasions of even the slightest unexpected or abnormal network traffic conditions, which may hint unauthorized transfer of data. More widely used software such as operating system or hard ware fire walls, can filter and keep a log of the usage of computers, and filtering and letting only authorized signals to pass or rerouting packets to specific computers.

Network monitoring tools software is often the simple and cheap solutions for organizations with sensitive data, which need to protect the data and monitor their traffic. However, not all organizations can afford big time paid high security options. There are lots of smaller companies and organizations who would instead opt for free and / or really cheap services. Though they are not as powerful as paid commercial software, but free traffic monitoring software does exist. They increase the security to somewhat extent and thus, expand the capabilities of a network administrator. Anyways, the purchase of commercial software is always recommended. They are more secured, more user-friendly and richly featured, and will pay for themselves in case of a network attack. The capacity of the software to monitor, identify and back trace illicit activity can be the difference between a lost cause and a lawsuit or a copyright that takes care of the legal matters.

Now to sum up the advantages and benefits of network traffic monitoring:

  • Prevents server and system performance bottlenecks
  • Discovers harmful or potentially dangerous or malicious activities and takes respective effective actions against them.
  • Determine and logs application according to their use of bandwidth.
  • Easily tracks down network issues and fixes them accordingly.
  • Logs incoming data packets and traces their source down.
  • Reports and trends network traffic.

Thus we can completely supervise the network activities with the network traffic monitor software. After all, tight security and proper maintenance helps in the long run.

Internet Traffic Monitor Tools

Internet is one of the most necessary elements of our life nowadays, and is literally and virtually a part of our life. It plays a very significant role in our urban life, whether we are a student, a doctor or an engineer, or even movie stars, the World Wide Web has distinct importance in everyone’s life.
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Internet traffic is the amount of information that flows through a local area network or internet in a specific amount of time. Internet traffic also controls many factors like bandwidth, speed etc. Now as mentioned above, internet is such an important part of our lives that most people and businessmen tend to use websites to market and showcase their products or other options too. Now creating a website is the foremost part, but maintenance is always hard to keep. Managing a website is not easy and much more than improving designs, making it more interactive and putting up offers. It is the security and the glitch free long run that counts the most.
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So one of the most important ways to manage and maintain a website is to watching and monitoring the internet traffic. By doing this, one is able to determine and devise the best possible ways to improve the site as proved by the upward scaling statistics of the network traffic.
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To monitor the network traffic and calculate the size of incoming and outgoing data, there are two possible ways:

  • The first and the foremost way is to run a traffic monitoring software. Nowadays these are available very easily and in most cases, absolutely free of cost. Now as the name suggests, it enable an online merchant to monitor and oversee his local area network’s traffic and bandwidth uses. The primary feature of traffic monitoring software is tracking the usage of one’s local area network as well as to keep a record of downloads and uploads which are done on the web site. Of course both are intended to watch or monitor and then log the exchange of data between the World Wide Web, i.e. the internet and one’s local area network. The software also enables it’s user with a choice of checking the real time traffic data with any new connections which log on, checked and monitored. Later, the data would become useful while keeping track of the upload and download activities on any computer and may even be used for creation of a traffic accounting system. Now a question might pop that how does the software work? Well it works by collecting and gathering the most recent information on the network interface and then recording the download and upload activities, performed on each network interface. This type of software also sends an automated email notification to the concerned authorities if there is any glitch in the current status. Often it puts up a substitute site when the server is down.
  • Another way to monitor traffic is by using a website stat program. On the likes of Google analytics, which is said to be the best free stat program. It supplies the owner with much valuable data such as number of visitors, page views, entry and exit pages etc. It also provides geographical locations sometimes.

Thus it’s profitable and somewhat mandatory for the internet site owners to get to monitor their sites, for better results. At NM Tools, you will get all kinds of internet traffic monitoring solutions with precision.