The Importance of Keeping Your TLS Up-to-Date: A Guide for Businesses and Consumers

HartStrand ®
3 min readJan 5, 2023
Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash

As the internet continues to grow and evolve, the importance of online security becomes even more paramount. One key aspect of this is ensuring that your website is using the latest version of Transport Layer Security (TLS), a protocol that helps to secure and encrypt data transmitted over the internet.

For businesses, using the latest version of TLS is crucial for maintaining the trust and confidence of your customers and clients. If your website is using an outdated version of TLS, it may be vulnerable to attacks and breaches, which can have serious consequences for your business, including financial losses and damage to your reputation.

Additionally, using the latest version of TLS can help to improve your search engine rankings, as Google and other search engines prioritize websites that prioritize online security. This can lead to increased traffic and revenue for your business.

Consumers also have a role to play in ensuring that their online interactions are secure. When shopping or conducting transactions online, be sure to check that the website you are using is using the latest version of TLS. You can do this by looking for the padlock icon in your browser’s address bar, which indicates that the website is using a secure connection.

It’s also important to keep your own devices and software up-to-date, as using outdated versions can leave you vulnerable to attacks and breaches. This includes keeping your operating system, browser, and other software up-to-date with the latest patches and security updates.

To check the version of TLS that your website is using, you can use the following code block:

openssl s_client -connect www.yourwebsite.com:443 -tls1_2

Simply replace “www.yourwebsite.com” with the domain of your website, and the code will check to see if your website is using TLS version 1.2. If it is, you should see a message indicating that the connection is using TLS 1.2. If it is not, you may need to update your TLS version to ensure that your website is secure.

In conclusion, using the latest version of TLS is crucial for businesses and consumers alike. By taking steps to ensure that your website and devices are secure, you can protect yourself and your customers from potential attacks and breaches, and help to foster a more secure online environment for all.

Questions to Ask a Cybersecurity Company:

  1. What is your experience with implementing and maintaining TLS protocols for businesses?
  2. How do you stay up to date with the latest developments in AI and its potential impact on cybersecurity?
  3. How do you educate your clients about the importance of using the latest version of TLS and other security protocols?
  4. What measures do you take to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of data transmitted over networks for your clients?
  5. Do you offer ongoing support and monitoring to ensure that TLS protocols are consistently updated and effective in protecting against cyber threats?

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HartStrand ®

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