6.8 Summary
In this chapter, we looked into the motivation behind TLS, how it evolved to address the security needs of the WWW, and how it works from a 10,000-feet perspective.
In the course of this high-altitude overview, we introduced the TLS subprotocols, especially the handshake protocol and the record protocol, and looked into TLS 1.3 and 1.2 handshakes in somewhat more detail. Finally, we saw several examples of cryptographic good practices introduced in TLS 1.3. However, the ultimate reasons for some of the design choices in TLS 1.3 will only become clear once we look at some of the earlier attacks on TLS in Part IV, Bleeding Hearts and Biting Poodles.
This chapter also finishes the Getting Started part of this book. In the next part, Shaking Hands, we will cover the TLS handshake protocol and its underlying cryptographic building blocks in detail, and explain how and why they work to allow Alice and Bob to securely communicate with each other.