What is SSL Offloading? How does it Work?

What is SSL Offloading?

SSL offloading is a method by which the responsibility of SSL/TLS processing is distributed from web servers to a higher tier device or system, a load balancer, reverse proxy, or an SSL offloading appliance.

It entails blocking secure HTTPS traffic from clients, negotiating the SSL/TLS channel, and decoding the message traffic before passing the plain text stream to the backend servers for further processing.

This offloading of work performed via SSL/TLS means that web servers are no longer tasked with the computationally intensive work involved in encryption and decryption while freeing the device performing the tasks on other work that it can perform such as application logic.

How SSL Offloading Works?

SSL offloading is a process through which the SSL/TLS processing, which is mostly done on the web server, is done on another device like a load balancer or an SSL offloading device.

This is a request from a client seeking to establish a secure connection with a web application by using an HTTPS request; instead of passing this request directly to the web server, it has to go through an SSL offloading device.

It then initiates the SSL/TLS handshake with the client and provides for a secure communication in the form of encrypted communication using the SSL certificate.

After the installation of the SSL connection, a secure SSL offloading device then decrypts the data that is encrypted from the client and transforms it into plain text.

The decrypted data is transmitted over simple HTTP connection to the web server to process the request, then produces its response and sends it back to the SSL offloading device.

The response data is then encrypted through the SSL/TLS connection which was earlier set and transmitted back to the client with the data being safe.

The SSL offloading device controls the SSL/TLS session and hence the secure connection with the client during the interaction.

These operations are offloaded to the client, thus freeing up the web servers to handle more traffic than they would be able to handle in a situation where they would have to encode and decode the messages.

This setup also provides a centralized way for managing SSL certificates including updates, renewals and configurations with extra security measures for strengthening measures.

Types of SSL Offloading

SSL Termination

SSL termination refers to the process of switching off SSL/TLS at the load balancer or at an SSL offloading apparatus. When the data gets to the device it is decrypted before being transported to the back end servers under an unsecured channel.

This method minimizes load on web servers in that more traffic can be managed compared to traditional methods.

However, on the downside the data could be vulnerable while in transfer between the offloading device and the servers and this is a security aspect to consider.

SSL Bridging

SSL bridging addresses the issue of providing security and at the same time getting high performance since the incoming SSL/TLS traffic is decrypted at the load balancer or SSL offloading device. It gets inspected before being re-encrypted as it is forwarded to the backend servers.

This method helps in ensuring that the data is encrypted all the way to the end thus making it very secure and at the same time the method also partially offloads some SSL processing to the web servers.

It also means that the decrypted traffic can be inspected for security or content policies in case that is needed.

SSL PassThrough

As to the SSL/TLS connections, the load balancer or offloading communicates them to the backend servers without decrypting the connections. The servers perform the encryption and decryption functions of the SSL/TLS security protocol.

SSL Passthrough maintains end to end encryption through the entire process hence guaranteeing the security of the data passed through the communication network.

However, the proposed system does not decrease the SSL processing load on the servers and complicates SSL certificate management for the servers.

SSL Offload with Re-Encryption

It differs from other SSL offloading in that it decrypts the arriving traffic at the load balancer or offloading device, processes it.

This is to decide where to send it, or to check for possible threats—and then re-encrypts that traffic before forwarding it through to actual backend servers.

This gives a secure communication both outside and inside the cloud, blending the terminations of SSL and also the bridging of SSL.

Importance of SSL Offloading

To understand the importance of SSL offloading let’s discuss a bit about the web servers’ performance and security.

SSL encryption and decryption usually take a stinging load off the CPU and thus by offloading this operation to another device or server web servers can instead invest more effort in accepting and processing user requests and applications.

This leads to quicker page load rates, better user satisfaction, and enhanced server utilization that allows for serving more simultaneous users at the same time as these users do not have to wait for others to load their pages.

Also, SSL offloading provides better security controls since most organizations decentralize the SSL termination process.

This makes it possible to efficiently manage the SSL certificates and the encryption standards with little effort and challenges since updates can be conducted efficiently and regularly in an organization.

It also minimizes security threats that are likely to occur since when the termination of SSL is centralized, this will mean that there is a centralized security to monitor occurrences of threats such as data leaks and cyber warfare.

Advantages of SSL Offloading

Improved Server Performance

SSL processing offloading frees web servers and leaves them to handle client requests and applications since the load of encrypting and decrypting SSL data will be borne by another device or service.

This leads to quicker serve times and better utilization of server bandwidth to create efficient servers that can handle large traffic.

Enhanced Security Management

This is because SSL termination centralization also simplifies the process of making changes to the SSL certificate and the encryption algorithm as a whole.

This means that only the current security policies are implemented, so that one does not have to search for the acceptable security policies in a network, which will in turn minimize the security loopholes.

Scalability

SSL offloading is important to cater the large amount of SSL traffic without much burden on the Web server.

This scalability comes in handy because as the number of users increases, the infrastructure to support the user traffic is ready to deal with this without having to worry about performance or security issues.

This is good for any business that is experiencing growth in its user base or regularly experiences spikes in traffic.

Reduced Latency

Redirecting SSL processing to a device other than the WLAN controller has been shown to help lower the latencies inherent in SSL handshake and encryption/decryption.

This in turn results in quicker downloading of the pages on one’s browser and an enhanced user experience especially when it comes to issues of security and especially when dealing with personal information.

Cost Efficiency

Through offloading of SSL, resources bound to servicing SSL connections are relinquished, thereby freeing up the servers and minimizing need for extra servers or infrastructure.

This allows organizations to be in a position of optimizing their hardware investments and reducing costs of operation, but at the same time ensuring that the performance and security are meeting the expected industry standards.

Difference between SSL Decryption and SSL Offloading

Aspect	SSL Decryption	SSL Offloading
Definition	The process of converting encrypted SSL/TLS traffic into plaintext for inspection or further processing.	The process of handling SSL/TLS encryption and decryption operations on a separate device or load balancer, removing the burden from web servers.
Primary Purpose	To inspect and analyze encrypted traffic for security or performance reasons.	To improve web server performance by transferring SSL/TLS workload to a specialized device.
Where It Happens	Typically at security devices such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, or dedicated SSL decryption appliances.	Typically at load balancers, dedicated SSL offloading appliances, or reverse proxies.
Traffic Handling	Decrypts traffic for analysis and re-encrypts it before forwarding it to its destination.	Decrypts incoming SSL/TLS traffic and forwards it to backend servers as plaintext, re-encrypting responses before sending them back to clients.
Impact on Web Servers	Minimal direct impact as decryption is handled by security devices.	Reduces the load on web servers by offloading SSL/TLS processing.
Use Case	Network security monitoring, data loss prevention, and performance analysis.	Improving web application performance, scalability, and simplifying SSL/TLS management.
Encryption Handling	Focuses on decryption for inspection; re-encryption is secondary.	Focuses on both decryption and re-encryption to manage secure client-server communication.
Performance Benefit	Does not directly improve web server performance; aids in security.	Directly improves web server performance by offloading encryption tasks.
Management	May require separate management and integration with security infrastructure.	Centralized SSL/TLS management, simplifying certificate handling and encryption policies.

Difference Between SSL Bridging & SSL Offloading

Aspect	SSL Bridging	SSL Offloading
Definition	SSL forwarding is a process that involves decrypting traffic, inspecting or modifying it as needed, and then re-encrypting the traffic and sending it through to the back-end servers.	SSL offloading is the termination of SSL connections at some dedicated device (i.e. load balancer or reverse proxy) which handles decryption of the SSL traffic.  This process offloads the intensive process from the back-end servers.
Process	– SSL termination occurs at an intermediary device. – Traffic is decrypted for inspection/modification. – Traffic is then re-encrypted and sent to the back end server.	– SSL terminated at load balancer. – Traffic remains decrypted until it reaches the back-end server.
Performance Impact	Moderate: The process is adding additional processing due to the decryption and re-encryption which can make a negative impact on performance.	Increased efficiency for back-end servers since they do not perform SSL decryption.
Security Level	Higher: The SSL traffic is being decrypted and inspected which can be nice for security policies and content filtering.	Less secure compared to bridging because the decrypted traffic is being sent to the back-end server. This could create a potential security issue when the internal network is compromised.
Use Case	Best for environments that require either deep packet inspection or content modification.	This is a good option for reducing the load on back-end servers and providing better application performance overall.
Complexity	More complex due to the need to do re-encryption and maintain SSL certificates at multiple points.	Less complex since SSL termination all occurs at one device, and you have one point for certificate management.
Resource Utilization	Higher resource utilization in the intermediary device as it has to perform both encrypt and decrypt processes.	This configuration shows a lower resource utilization because most the processing of SSL is being done by the offloading device and not the back-end server.
Examples of Devices	Application delivery controllers, or some types of load balancers.	Load balancers, reverse proxies, dedicated SSL offloading appliances.

Difference between SSL Proxy and SSL Offloading

Feature	SSL Proxy	SSL Offloading
Definition	An SSL proxy acts as an intermediary between clients and servers, decrypting and re-encrypting SSL traffic.	SSL offloading refers to the process of handling SSL encryption and decryption on a dedicated device separate from the web server.
Purpose	To inspect and filter SSL traffic for security and performance purposes.	To improve web server performance by offloading the resource-intensive SSL operations.
Functionality	Intercepts SSL traffic, decrypts it for inspection or modification, and then re-encrypts it before forwarding.	Decrypts SSL traffic before passing it to the web server, which handles the unencrypted data, and re-encrypts responses if needed.
Security	Provides deep packet inspection, content filtering, and security policy enforcement.	Offloads SSL processing, allowing the web server to focus on handling application logic, potentially reducing the attack surface.
Performance	May introduce some latency due to double encryption/decryption process.	Enhances web server performance by freeing it from the SSL encryption/decryption workload.
Use Cases	Ideal for environments requiring detailed inspection of SSL traffic for security and compliance.	Suitable for high-traffic websites looking to improve performance and reduce server load.
Implementation	Deployed as an intermediary device or service within the network.	Typically implemented on dedicated hardware (SSL offloaders) or as a feature within load balancers.
Impact on Server Load	Can increase server load due to additional processing requirements.	Reduces server load by handling SSL tasks on separate devices.
Configuration Complexity	Requires careful configuration to manage certificates and trust relationships.	Generally simpler to configure, focusing mainly on SSL certificate management.
Cost	Can be more costly due to the need for additional devices and licenses.	Can be cost-effective by reducing the need for powerful servers, but may require investment in SSL offloading hardware.

Conclusion

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