Which of the following protocols uses the X.509 certificates for authenticating a connection and exchanging the symmetric keys over a network?

The protocol that uses X.509 certificates for authenticating a connection and exchanging symmetric keys over a network is TLS (Transport Layer Security). TLS is designed to provide secure communication over a computer network. It employs X.509 certificates as a part of its process to establish the identity of the parties involved in the communication securely.

When a client and server communicate over TLS, the server presents its X.509 certificate to the client during the handshake process. This certificate contains the server's public key and is signed by a trusted certificate authority (CA), which helps ensure that the client can verify the server's identity. If the client trusts the CA that issued the certificate, it can proceed to establish a secure session.

Following the successful authentication using the X.509 certificate, TLS negotiates a symmetric session key that will be used for the remainder of the session. This process ensures confidentiality and integrity of the data transmitted.

On the other hand, protocols like DNS (Domain Name System), Kerberos, and TCP do not utilize X.509 certificates in this manner. DNS is primarily used for translating domain names to IP addresses, while Kerberos focuses on authentication in a network environment without relying on such certificates. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) is a foundational layer for establishing