SSL/TLS operates at the ________ layer.

• A. Internet
• B. Transport
• C. Application
• D. None of the above

Answer: (B)

SSL/TLS is a security wrapper that protects data as it moves over a reliable transport channel, typically TCP. It sits above the transport layer to secure the stream of bytes before they reach the application, negotiating keys and algorithms in a handshake and then encrypting all subsequent data as TLS records. This means applications like HTTPS, SMTP with TLS, or FTPS can use TLS to secure their traffic, while the underlying data is still transported by TCP. It’s not part of the Internet layer (which handles IP routing) and it isn’t itself an application protocol; instead, it provides the encryption and integrity for the transport connection. So the layer where SSL/TLS operates is the transport layer.