CSC8419: OpenSSL Toolkit and Digital Certificate Security

Desklib provides past papers and solved assignments. This report explores OpenSSL toolkit for digital certificate security.

CSC8419 - ASSIGNMENT 2

Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Report..............................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

Introduction
SSL is also known as Secure Socket Layer is an advanced version of security technique used by
various companies, business and organization for their online websites and application in order
to provide security and encrypted channel for the communication done in-between web server
and the web browser used by those companies, organizations, and businesses. It is also known as
a networking protocol designed for the security of network connections and communications.
Here, in this report, the use of OpenSSL toolkit has been discussed for the generation of digital
certificates for the security purpose of websites, web applications and other network connections.
The main aim of this report is to enhance the basic understanding of an individual about
OpenSSL toolkit and their usage for digital security.
Figure 1: OpenSSL
(Source: Numedia Web, 2017)

Report
OpenSSL tool is a type digital security tool developed to provide advanced security for a digital
system which acts as a cryptographic tool including SSL and protocol for the security of the
transport layer in order to generate digital certificates. It provides different commands as well as
arguments on the basis of provided instruction by the user which makes it’s a tool which strictly
follows high command line codes and instructions (Beattie, 2016). With the development and
advancement of latest technologies in the field of IoT as well as web application resulted in
revolutionary changes in the internet usage as well as access of different data and information
provided online by various users and visitors using the internet across the world. In order to
provide better digital security for different communications in between web bowers and web
server, a new system required to provide security with latest digital security definitions which
resulted in the implementation of SSL for digital certificates. OpenSSL toolkit is an open source
tool to provide a digital certificate for the security of communications in between web browser as
well as network connectivity with the web server. Different new approaches and technologies
such as “AEAS” has been introduced by the professionals in order to enhance the efficiency and
level of encryption for the connections with the help of digital certificates (Xiao et al., 2018).
Figure 2: OpenSSL Toolkit
(Source: Anicas, 2014)

In the current world, everything has been digitalized in order to provide high flexibility for the
user along with easy management and access for anywhere and at any time. Due to increase in
flexibility and access methods, security issues such as the identity of the digital document,
authentication, etc. have been also increased which cannot be solved using the handwritten
signature as they can be copied easily and can be transferred from one file or data to other over
the internet. In order to fix this, digital signature has been introduced using OpenSSL toolkit to
provide advanced security for the digital files and data attached with a proper digital signature
(consisting codes, secure bits and information of devices and system requirement) linked with
them for authenticity and other security factors (Banday, 2018).
With latest modifications and advancement for the management of SSL toolkits for the for
implementation and management of different certificates developed using OpenSSL toolkit,
different new approaches have been developed. One of the approaches has been stated by Vargas
and others (2018). A dynamic library has been developed for the management of different SSL
certificates developed in order to provide proper security channel connecting the client with the
server along with the security of communication link used between them. It can be done using
OpenSSL toolkit built with communication environment in-between client & server developed
using different programming languages such as C, C++, Java, and others (Vargas et al., 2018).
All these methods and approaches have a significant impact on the development and
management of digital certificates for the security of communication network as well as
communication between client & server along with digital data and files transferred in between
client and server over the internet.

Figure 3: How SSL work in digital certificate
(Source: Smith, 2015)

Conclusion
OpenSSL toolkit and their usage for the security of communication in between client and server
over inter has been explained in this report along with different techniques for the development
of SSL certificates and their management at different communication networks to enhance the
knowledge and understanding of an individual about OpenSSL tool used for the digital
certificates for the security of digitals files and data concluded in successful completion of this
report.

References
Xiao, C., Xie, Y. and Zhang, L., 2018, May. AEAS-Towards High Energy-efficiency Design for
OpenSSL Encryption Acceleration through HW/SW Co-design. In Proceedings of the 2018 on
Great Lakes Symposium on VLSI (pp. 171-176). ACM.
Banday, M.T., 2018. Applications of Digital Signature Certificates for Online Information
Security. In Cyber Security and Threats: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp.
756-803). IGI Global.
Vargas, J., Mayorga, F., Guevara, D. and Martinez, H.D., 2018, August. Management of SSL
Certificates: Through Dynamic Link Libraries. In International Conference on Technology
Trends (pp. 29-40). Springer, Cham.
Beattie, D., 2016, Latest SSL/TLS Certificate Trends and Your Summer Tune-Up, Globalsign,
viewed 5 May 2019, <https://www.globalsign.com/en/blog/ssl-certificate-summer-trends-2016/
>.
Numedia Web 2017, Install SSL TLS in your development machine, Numediaweb, viewed 5
May 2019, <https://numediaweb.com/install-ssl-tls-development-machine/1516>.
Anicas, M., 2014, OpenSSL Essentials: Working with SSL Certificates, Private Keys and CSRs,
Digitalocean, DigitalOcean, viewed 5 May 2019,
<https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/openssl-essentials-working-with-ssl-
certificates-private-keys-and-csrs>.
Smith, J., 2015, How SSL security works, Crukz, viewed 5 May 2019,
<http://www.crukz.com/how-ssl-security-works/>