PASSPORT Knowledge Base
Configuration

Date Published: November 19, 2008
Date Updated: May 31, 2011

Title

SSL Security Overview

Product

PASSPORT PC to Host, PASSPORT Web to Host

Emulation Types

TN3270, TN5250

Issue

What is SSL Security and does PASSPORT support it?

Solution

PASSPORT uses Microsoft Schannel and supports the following SSL/TLS protocols listed here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa374757(v=vs.85).aspx

 

PASSPORT implements advanced security features using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Version 3.0 and 2.0.  Server authentication and encryption provides secure data access across TCP/IP networks.  With the built-in security of SSL, your TN3270E and TN5250 terminal emulation sessions are now protected from eavesdropping, tampering, or message forgery over TCP/IP.  This feature can be critical for those organizations that use TN3270E or TN5250 for remote access across the Internet to access sensitive data on corporate mainframes.

 

The SSL protocol was developed by Netscape Communications Corporation to provide security and privacy over the Internet.  Due to the widespread use of SSL, it can already be considered a "de facto standard".

 

PASSPORT uses server authentication to make sure that you are authorized to connect to a specific TN3270E or TN5250 communication server.  In this phase the server sends a digital certificate to PASSPORT.  After authentication is validated using a combination of public and private keys, subsequent data transmissions are encrypted using one of the following supported cryptographic algorithms: RC2, RC4, RC5, DES, or Triple-DES.  The public key certificates follow the X.509 syntax.

 

Non-secure Telnet sessions typically use TCP Port 23.  Secure Telnet sessions using SSL typically use TCP Port 992, but may be re-configured to any available TCP Port desired.

More Information

Keywords

ssl, secure, security, encryption