SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology was first developed by Netscape in the mid-1990s as a way to secure online communications and protect against cyber threats such as hacking and data interception.
The first version of SSL, SSL 1.0, was never released to the public due to vulnerabilities that were discovered during testing. SSL 2.0 was released in 1995, but it was also found to have significant security flaws.
SSL 3.0 was released in 1996 and addressed many of the security issues present in the previous versions. It became the first widely used version of SSL and is still in use today, although it has been deprecated in favor of more secure alternatives.
In 1999, SSL was replaced by TLS (Transport Layer Security), which was based on SSL 3.0 but improved upon it in several ways. TLS has since become the standard protocol for establishing secure connections on the internet.
In recent years, SSL and TLS have continued to evolve and improve, with the release of TLS 1.1 in 2006 and TLS 1.2 in 2008. These newer versions of the protocol offer stronger security and improved performance compared to earlier versions.
Overall, the evolution of SSL and TLS technology has played a critical role in securing online communications and protecting against cyber threats. It has become an essential tool for protecting sensitive information such as login credentials, credit card numbers, and personal data as it is transmitted over the internet.