{{tag>english irc mirc tls}}
====== mIRC with SSL ======

===== 1. what is SSL and why should I use it? =====

[[wp>SSL]] SSL is a protocol that transmits data in encrypted form. All
data that is sent from [[wp>Server]] to [[wp>Client]] and elsewhere through the Internet
are normally unencrypted, i.e. you could use a network sniffer to
all relevant data such as passwords etc. with a network sniffer.

Here is a small example of a recording that has not been encrypted:
<code text>
.0ñ¦¿¶.0ñ¶@z..E.
.u%ý@.7..mÙ.xøÀ¨
.d...G®~¹ֻq.P.
. Ⱦ..:SpaceVamp
ire!hamwanet@shi
-294F82D6.******
****.de PRIVMSG 
#palast :was hie
r..
</code>
In this example we can see that it must be an IRC channel.
You can see the nickname, the host (in this case made unrecognisable), the type of message
message and what exactly has been written.
If a connection is encrypted with SSL, you can no longer see anything at all. Only 
a jumble of characters that is difficult to decode.
This would make it clear that SSL is indispensable for protecting privacy.

===== 2. how can I now use the whole thing with mIRC? =====

<del>Quite simply! The 2 files [[http://ftp.hellhost.de/mIRC-Security/mIRC.mit.SSL/mircssl-Psy.rar|libeay32.dll and ssleay32.dll]] into the mIRC
main directory, restart mIRC. Then you are ready to go:</del>

Newer mIRC versions already include SSL support. For older versions, the [[https://kb.firedaemon.com/support/solutions/articles/4000121705|Binaries]] still need to be installed.

To test, simply enter once at startup:
<code test>
/server irc.server.tld +6697
</code>

Possible servers are e.g:

  * irc.dal.net:+6697
  * irc.libera.chat:+6697
  * irc.indymedia.org:+6697
  * irc.oftc.net:+6697
  * irc.rizon.net:+6697

You should receive a message about the certificate. Accept this and you will be
encrypted connection. Important is the '+' sign in front of the port, which indicates
that you want to establish an SSL connection. The whole thing can of course also be transferred to the
way in the Perform (it is advisable to tick the certificate message at the bottom 
with a tick at the bottom so that it is not shown at every start).
is shown at every start).