What is the significance of an SSL inspection?

The significance of SSL inspection lies in its ability to allow firewalls to decrypt and inspect encrypted traffic. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption is widely used to protect the confidentiality and integrity of data transmitted over the internet. However, this encryption can also hinder the ability of security devices, such as firewalls, to monitor and analyze traffic for potential threats.

By performing SSL inspection, a firewall can decrypt the outbound and inbound HTTPS traffic, enabling it to inspect the contents for malicious activities, data exfiltration attempts, or policy violations. After inspection, the firewall can then re-encrypt the traffic before it continues to its destination. This process is crucial for maintaining security in environments where a significant portion of web traffic is encrypted.

While speeding up web browsing might seem like a potential benefit, the primary function of SSL inspection is not to enhance performance but to enhance security by allowing deeper visibility into encrypted traffic. Similarly, while safeguarding encrypted emails and filtering traffic based on user behavior are important functions in cybersecurity, they are not the key purposes of SSL inspection as it specifically addresses the challenge posed by encrypted web traffic.