To Terminate or Not to Terminate Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Traffic at the Load Balancer

The concepts of terminating or not terminating Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) at the load balancer have always generated intriguing conversations. In this paper, the author explains the pros and cons of such concepts in a simplistic manner and also provides suggested recommendations to help organizations understand the security implications associated with unencrypted traffic flowing from the Load Balancer to the App Servers. Keywords: Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Load Balancer, App Server, Man-in-the-Middle Attack (MITM),End to End Encryption (E2EE)