A cipher suite is a collection of encryption algorithms that work together to secure a network connection. When clients and servers connect during Transport Layer Security (TLS), they agree on a cipher suite. The cipher suite helps the client and server follow the same steps to keep data safe when it passes between them.
A cipher suite typically includes a few different protocols:
Key exchange — this protocol establishes how the client and server will exchange cipher keys that decrypt the encrypted data once it arrives
Authentication — the authentication protocol, often RSA/SecurID, adds a layer of security
Cipher — a cipher is an algorithm that does the actual encrypting and decrypting
Hash-based message authentication code (HMAC) — HMAC is an extra layer of security that uses keys to authenticate transferred data
Websites need cipher suites to gain trust and authentication on the internet. Without them, browsers might not include websites on results pages or be able to warn users about low security. Webflow lets you build secure websites and troubleshoot security issues to avoid this problem.
