Which mechanism enables the secure version HTTPS to protect traffic?

• A. SSL or TLS encryption
• B. DNSSEC
• C. IPsec
• D. MD5 hashing

Answer: (B)

HTTPS protects traffic by using TLS encryption to create a secure channel between the client and the server. During the TLS handshake, the server presents a certificate to prove its identity, and the two ends agree on a way to generate a shared session key. This session key then encrypts all HTTP data with fast symmetric encryption, while a separate mechanism ensures the data can’t be tampered with and that you’re really talking to the intended server. In short, the encryption and authentication provided by TLS are what keep the contents of the connection private and trustworthy.

DNSSEC, by contrast, secures the integrity of DNS responses so you get the correct IP address for a domain, but it does not encrypt the actual web traffic. IPsec operates at a different layer to protect IP packets for networks or VPNs, not the typical browser-based HTTPS connection. MD5 is a hashing algorithm, not an encryption method, and isn’t used to protect HTTPS payloads.