Final answer:
TLS replaced SSL, which was officially deprecated in 2015. The correct answer is A) SSL, as TLS is the newer, more secure protocol that succeeded SSL.
Step-by-step explanation:
TLS replaced SSL, which was officially deprecated in 2015. The correct answer to the question is A) SSL, which stands for Secure Sockets Layer. SSL was a widely-used protocol for securing network communications. TLS, or Transport Layer Security, is the successor protocol that provides improved security and is widely in use today for securing Internet communication. SSL versions 3.0 and earlier have been deprecated due to various security vulnerabilities that were found over time.