In this case, it is not enough to simply encrypt the traffic being sent. The Web server must also be able to identify the user and the data she has access to. These two processes are referred to as authentication and authorization, respectively. Web servers usually support authentication using a technique called basic authorization. This results in the Web browser popping up a log-in window.
Web servers are usually less sophisticated with regard to authorizing the viewing of data.
Most Web servers merely allow the restriction of the reading of directories and files within a directory by group or user. Corp. All Rights Reserved.