The adoption of TLS version 1.3 for internet traffic encryption has provided a multitude of benefits for network security and consumer privacy. The vulnerabilities that were present in TLS version 1.2 have been eliminated. The newer TLS 1.3 version supports increased communication speed and the stronger encryption ciphers required for Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS). The latency required for the initial TLS connection’s handshake process has been significantly reduced which has resulted in faster web page browsing for internet users.
In addition, the implementation of TLS 1.3 is relatively simple. The same encryption key that is used for client and server negotiation can be reused to renegotiate subsequent TLS handshakes. By default, TLS 1.3 leverages PFS for stronger levels of encryption. This encryption technique adds another layer of security to encrypted data. PFS makes it difficult for attackers to decrypt HTTPS-encrypted traffic, effectively improving internet privacy.
TLS 1.2 can still be used to provide secure communications although several vulnerabilities have been exploited over time and most of its cyphers are outdated. TLS 1.3 has eliminated many of these problematic features and has limited vulnerabilities to date.
The TLS 1.3 standard removed the renegotiation function from the network traffic encryption process. Renegotiation allows a server and client with a known TCL connection to negotiate new communications parameters. This was a major flaw in TLS 1.2 as the handshake process involved several round trips and added significant latency. However, TLS 1.3 requires just a single round trip for the initial handshake prior to allowing information to be exchanged. This improved mechanism in the TLS 1.3 protocol provides additional security and reduced latency when using standard internet browsers.
What Challenges Does TLS 1.3 Raise and How Can Network Security Teams React?
To improve the security of information that traverses the internet, the networking community has improved the existing TLS protocol––a strict security protocol known as PFS that protects the secrecy of historical data. It does so even if the server’s private key is compromised.
The improved data protection mechanisms introduced by modern encryption protocols such as TLS 1.3 or Google QUIC have raised some concerns from network security teams and present significant challenges for cyber applications requiring network visibility.
Encrypting network data using the TLS 1.3 protocol creates new blind spots for threat analysis tools. As a result, significant portions of the network have gone dark for network security teams, significantly increasing the cyber risk from malware, botnet campaigns, and other threat vectors.
As cybercriminals constantly evolve their tactics and take advantage of stronger network encryption protocols, new security vulnerabilities are detected. To eliminate threats as quickly as possible, security teams must evolve and generate new methodologies for analyzing traffic on their network.
New mechanisms for analyzing encrypted traffic are being regularly introduced and evaluated. Behavioral-based techniques analyze network communications by searching iteratively through millions of flows while simultaneously comparing with multiple threat intelligence feeds to leverage machine learning techniques and identify anomalous traffic. Traffic fingerprinting, such as JA3/JA3S signatures, is another modern approach that uses the information communicated clearly in the TLS handshake to identify indicators of compromise (IoC) for assisting threat hunting tasks.
Conclusion:
The privacy features offered by TLS 1.3 help protect in-flight data and provide significant benefits for individual consumers and businesses. Yet, this additional security increases the collective exposure to organized cyber threats for federal governments and enterprises. Fortunately, the cyber community is reacting swiftly and effectively.
To stay ahead of hackers and cybercriminals, organizations must continue to find ways to analyze traffic and mitigate threats. Regardless of the TLS version, network security teams must find ways to visualize the traffic going in and out of their network. Various encrypted traffic analysis approaches such as JA3 fingerprinting can be used to identify indicators of compromise and help mitigate threats. But the threat hunting community will need to continue to innovate and evolve in order to keep their networks safe.
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