Which protocol is the successor to SSL and is used to encrypt network traffic?

The appropriate choice is Transport Layer Security (TLS) as it is the direct successor to Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). TLS is a cryptographic protocol designed to provide secure communication over a computer network. It ensures the privacy and integrity of data exchanged between clients and servers by encrypting the traffic, thus protecting it from eavesdropping, tampering, and forgery.

TLS operates in a similar manner to SSL, but it incorporates enhanced security features and improvements over the older SSL protocol. With its updated mechanisms for authentication, key exchange, and message integrity, TLS has become the standard for securing network communications, particularly in web browsing, email, and other internet services.

In contrast, the other options do not serve as successors or alternatives to SSL for network traffic encryption. Dynamic Host Control Protocol pertains to the dynamic allocation of IP addresses, Secure File Transfer Protocol is used for secure file transfer rather than general network communications, and File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a standard network protocol used for transferring files but lacks built-in encryption features.