History of OpenSSL Foundation
The heartbeat of the internet
Milestone moments
From the early days of encryption to today
1998
Open-source encryption emerges
The internet is slow and expensive. Most people browse the web with Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer 4, if they even have internet access at all. Shopping online is novel and risky, as very few websites use encryption. But the internet’s vast potential – and its risks – are coming into focus. The OpenSSL Library is one of the first open source projects to provide highly reliable data privacy and security tools that are available to anyone, anywhere.
2014
Heartbleed watershed moment
Usage of the OpenSSL Library has grown exponentially, but the software is still being maintained by just a few developers. They receive a worrisome email: a bug has been discovered. A half-million websites using OpenSSL are vulnerable. Government records are compromised, banking systems are impacted, user accounts on popular email platforms are hacked, and companies race to install patches before their most critical data is stolen.
This bug – a few lines of errant code that slipped into OpenSSL unnoticed – sends such shockwaves through the internet community that the bug is given its own name: Heartbleed.
2014
Founding of OpenSSL Foundation
The world was starting to realize how much of our global data infrastructure was reliant on the OpenSSL Library and a handful of people working on it, with almost no funding support. It was a defining moment in internet history and the impetus for creating OpenSSL Foundation.
2023
OpenSSL Project Mission established
The OpenSSL Library's project team members gathered together in-person to establish the overarching OpenSSL Mission.
2024
Re-launch of OpenSSL Foundation
OpenSSL Foundation is re-launched as an independent entity with its own staff and programs. With this governance reform, the Foundation can focus exclusively on its non-profit mission.
Today
Serving everyone, everywhere
OpenSSL Foundation has grown and evolved since its founding in 2014. Today, with 5.5 billion people online, it is helping to provide data privacy and security tools that benefit more people than ever before.
We believe everyone should have access to security and privacy tools.
Join our mission to protect global digital infrastructure