Transmission control protocols (TCP) allow data to be sent, received, and reconstructed accurately between devices. Considering its common use in devices and applications, healthcare organizations often come face to face with TCP without even knowing it.
What are transmission control protocols?
TCP is used in activities where accuracy and reliability are necessary like web browsing (HTTP/HTTPS), email (SMTP, IMAP, and POP3), and file transfers (FTP). According to Rfc 9293: Transmission control protocol, “CP provides a reliable, in-order, byte-stream service to applications…reliability consists of detecting packet losses (via sequence numbers) and errors (via per-segment checksums), as well as correction via retransmission.”
The commonality of its use stems from reliability despite sharing workloads with other protocols in some applications. It breaks data into packets, assigns them sequence numbers, and verifies their successful delivery. TCP can request lost or corrupted packets to ensure data integrity.
How it works
- TCP breaks data into small packets for easy transmission.
- Each packet gets a sequence number for proper ordering.
- Packets are sent to the destination device over the network.
- The receiving device checks if all packers arrived correctly.
- If packers are missing or damaged, TCP requests a resend.
- Once all packets are received, TCP reassembles them into the original data.
- The process ensures reliable and error-free communication.
TCP and email accounts
TCP provides reliable transmission of data between devices during email communication. When emails are sent TCP ensures that it is delivered correctly and checks for errors. The reliability is a basic step towards the encryption (taking the form of TLS) used by HIPAA compliant email platforms like Paubox.
Emails sent are protected firstly by TCP which acts as a base layer of protection for many applications. Further encryption provided by HIPAA compliant email ensures that the information sent by healthcare organziations is also unreadable without a description key. This allows for the security of protected health information (PHI) through transmission.
Related: Top 12 HIPAA compliant email services
FAQs
What are firewalls?
A firewall acts as a security guard for your computer or network. The firewall protects against hackers or harmful software on the internet.
What is encryption?
A code used to secure information like emails, medical devices, and text messages.
What are cybersecurity threats?
Cybersecurity threats are dangers to your online safety including hackers trying to steal data.
Kirsten Peremore
