Which of the following protocols uses TLS/SSL to ensure secure transmission of data over the Internet?

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is the protocol designed to secure communications over a computer network. It is essentially the standard HTTP protocol layered on top of a security protocol, either Transport Layer Security (TLS) or its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). This layering encrypts the entire HTTP session, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of data exchanged between the user's browser and the website. The primary purpose of HTTPS is to prevent eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks, making it the standard for transmitting sensitive data online.

B. SCTP: Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) is a transport-layer protocol, not an application protocol that inherently uses TLS/SSL. It can be secured using DTLS, but this is not its default state.
C. FTP: File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is an insecure protocol by default, transmitting credentials and data in cleartext. Its secure variant is FTPS (FTP over SSL/TLS), which is a distinct implementation.
D. HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the foundation of data communication for the World Wide Web. It is an insecure protocol that does not use any encryption like TLS/SSL.

1. Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) RFC 2818, "HTTP Over TLS":

Section 1, Introduction, Paragraph 1: "This memo describes how to use Transport Layer Security (TLS) to secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) connections. The HTTP protocol is identified as 'http' and is used on TCP/IP port 80. This memo describes a new identifier, 'https', which refers to HTTP over TLS on TCP/IP port 443."

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17487/RFC2818

2. MIT OpenCourseWare, 6.857 Computer and Network Security, Fall 2017:

Lecture 15 Notes, Section 2, "Transport Layer Security (TLS)": The notes explicitly state, "HTTPS = HTTP on top of TLS. Browser connects to server’s port 443 (instead of 80). Browser and server run TLS protocol. Then they speak HTTP over the TLS connection."

3. NIST Special Publication 800-52 Rev. 2, "Guidelines for the Selection, Configuration, and Use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) Implementations":

Section 1.1, Purpose and Scope, Page 1: "TLS is the primary protocol for protecting the confidentiality and integrity of network traffic. It is widely used in applications such as web browsing (HTTPS), electronic mail, and voice over IP (VoIP)."