Glossary

authentication

See client authentication.

block cipher

a type of encryption algorithm that divides a message into blocks and encrypts each block. See also stream cipher.

Certificate Revocation List (CRL)

a list of revoked digital certificates. CRLs are published by Certification Authorities (CAs), and a CRL contains only the revoked digital certificates that were issued by a specific CA.

Certification Authority

a commercial or private organization that provides security services to the e-commerce market. A Certification Authority creates and maintains digital certificates, which help to preserve the confidentiality of an identity. Microsoft, VeriSign, and Thawte are examples of commercial Certification Authorities.

ciphertext

unintelligible data. See also encryption.

client authentication (authentication)

the process of verifying the identity of a person or process for security purposes.

credentials

evidence that is submitted to support a claim of identity (for example, a user ID and password) or privilege (for example, a passphrase or encryption key).

CRL

See Certificate Revocation List.

cryptography

the science of encoding and decoding information to protect its confidentiality. See also encryption.

data security technology

a set of software features that protect data that is exchanged in client/server data transfers across a network.

DER

See Distinguished Encoding Rules.

digital certificate

an electronic document that binds a public key to an individual or an organization. A digital certificate usually contains a public key, a user's name, an expiration date, and the name of a Certification Authority.

digital signature

a digital code that is appended to a message. The digital signature is used to verify to a recipient that the message was sent by a particular business, organization, or individual, and that the message has not been changed en route. The message can be any kind of file that is transmitted electronically.

Distinguished Encoding Rules (DER)

a format that is used for creating SSL files in Windows operating environments.

encryption

the conversion of data by the use of algorithms or other means into an unintelligible form in order to secure data (for example, passwords) in transmission and in storage.

PEM

See Privacy Enhanced Mail.

PKCS #12

See Public Key Cryptography Standard #12.

plaintext

information that a sender wishes to transmit to a receiver, and that is used as input to an algorithm for the purpose of encryption. See also ciphertext.

port forwarding

See tunneling.

Privacy Enhanced Mail (PEM)

a format that is used for creating OpenSSL files.

private key

a number that is known only to its owner. The owner uses the private key to read (decrypt) an encrypted message. See also public key, encryption.

public key

a number that is associated with a specific entity such as an individual or an organization. A public key can be known by everyone who needs to have trusted interactions with that entity. A public key is always associated with a single private key, and can be used to verify digital signatures that were generated using that private key.

Public Key Cryptography Standard #12 (PKCS #12)

a personal information exchange syntax standard. It defines a file format that is used to store private keys with accompanying public-key certificates. See also Secure Sockets Layer.

public-key cryptography

the science that uses public and private key pairs to protect confidential information. The public key can be known by anyone. The private key is known only to the owner of the key pair. The public key is used primarily for encryption, but it can also be used to verify digital signatures. The private key is used primarily for decryption, but it can also be used to generate a digital signature.

SASProprietary algorithm

a fixed encoding algorithm that is included with Base SAS software. The SASProprietary algorithm requires no additional SAS product licenses. It provides a medium level of security.

Secure Shell (SSH)

a network protocol that enables users to access a remote computer via a secure connection. SSH is available through various commercial products and as freeware. OpenSSH is a free version of the SSH protocol suite of network connectivity tools.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

an encryption protocol for securely communicating across the Internet. SSL uses encryption algorithms RC2, RC4, DES, TripleDES, and AES.

SSH

See Secure Shell.

SSL

See Secure Sockets Layer.

stream cipher

a type of encryption algorithm that encrypts data one byte at a time. See also block cipher.

TLS

See Transport Layer Security.

Transport Layer Security (TLS)

the successor to Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), a cryptographic protocol that is designed to provide communication security over the Internet. TLS uses asymmetric cryptography for authentication and confidentiality of the key exchange, symmetric encryption for data/message confidentiality, and message authentication codes for message integrity. Several versions of the protocols are in widespread use in applications such as web browsing, electronic mail, Internet faxing, instant messaging and voice-over-IP (VoIP). See also Secure Sockets Layer.

trust list

a file created by a user that contains the digital certificates for Certification Authorities, if more than one Certification Authority is used.

tunneling (port forwarding)

a secure, encrypted connection between the SSH client, which runs on the same computer as a SAS client, and an SSH server, which runs on the same computer as a SAS server. The SSH client and server act as agents between the SAS client and the SAS server, tunneling information via the SAS client's port to the SAS server's port. See also Secure Shell.