At which OSI layer does a TLS connection primarily operate?
A CISSP practice question covering Domain 4: Communication and Network Security. Try answering before reading the explanation below.
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Why "Layer 4 (Transport) — between Transport and Application, sometimes described as session/presentation" is the right answer
TLS sits above TCP and below the application protocol. Different references map it to layer 4 plus parts of 5 and 6, but on CISSP it is most often described as operating between Transport and Application — the right answer here is the transport-adjacent option, not pure Layer 7 or Layer 3.
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