A secure, private connection. TLS protocol uses symmetric cryptography to encrypt the transmitted data. The keys for the symmetric encryption are generated uniquely for each connection and are based on a shared secret negotiated at the start of the session. The server and client negotiate the details of which encryption algorithm, or cypher, and cryptographic keys to use before any data is transmitted. The negotiation of a shared secret is secure, because the negotiated secret is unavailable to eavesdroppers and cannot be obtained, even by an attacker who places themselves in the middle of the connection. Attackers cannot modify the communications during the negotiation without being detected.

Identification of the communicating parties. The identity of the communicating parties can be authenticated using public-key cryptography. This authentication can be optional, but it is generally required for at least one of the parties, typically the server.

Integrity during data transmission. Each message transmitted includes a message integrity check that uses a message authentication code to prevent undetected loss or alteration of the data during transmission.

A cipher suite. A cipher suite is a named combination of authentication, encryption, message authentication code (MAC), and key exchange algorithms. It is used to negotiate the security settings for a network connection using the TLS/SSL network protocol.