mutual-transport-layer-security.md

title	status	category	tags
Mutual Transport Layer Security (mTLS)	Completed	Concept	security networking

What it is

Mutual TLS (mTLS) is a technique used to authenticate and encrypt messages sent between two services. Mutual TLS is the standard Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol but, instead of validating the identity of just one connection, both sides are validated.

Problem it addresses

Microservices communicate over a network and, just like your wifi network, communication in transit over that network can be hacked. mTLS ensures that no unauthorized party can listen in on or impersonate legitimate requests.

How it helps

mTLS ensures that traffic is secure and trusted in both directions between a client and server, providing an additional layer of security for users who log in to a network or applications. It also verifies connections with client devices that do not follow a login process, such as Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Attacks like on-path attacks, spoofing attacks, credential stuffing, brute force attacks, etc. can be prevented by mTLS.