What is OpenSSL?

OpenSSL is an open-source software library that provides cryptographic functions to secure communications over computer networks against eavesdropping or need to identify the party at the other end. It is widely used for implementing the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocols.

The primary reasons why the industry uses OpenSSL include:

1. Security: It offers robust encryption, which is essential for protecting sensitive data in transit. OpenSSL includes implementations of a wide range of secure cryptographic algorithms.

2. Flexibility: OpenSSL is highly configurable, allowing it to be adapted for many different environments and use cases, from small devices to large servers.

3. Compliance: Using OpenSSL can help organizations meet regulatory and compliance requirements for data protection and privacy.

4. Community and Support: As an open-source project, it benefits from contributions from a large community of developers, which helps in the rapid identification and fixing of security vulnerabilities.

5. Interoperability: It is widely compatible with various operating systems and platforms, ensuring that secure communication can be established between disparate systems.

6. Cost-effectiveness: Being free and open-source, it allows organizations to implement encryption without licensing fees, reducing the overall cost of deploying secure systems.

The combination of these factors makes OpenSSL a key component in securing network communications for businesses, governments, and other entities across various industries.

OpenSSL is a key reason why it was so important for us to establish a continuous update policy for IguanaX because of zero day vulnerabilities.