SocketTools Secure Visual Edition is a collection of controls that supports secure data connections over the Internet or a local network. It includes client interfaces for Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) compliant versions of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS), File Transfer Protocol (FTPS), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTPS) and other popular application protocols PLUS all the standard Visual Edition components. Almost all details of the standard SSL protocol are hidden within the controls, enabling developers to produce secure client applications with only small additional considerations beyond those needed for non-secure versions of those same applications. All versions of Visual Basic from 5.0 and later are supported, and the ActiveX controls can be used with any 32-bit development tool that supports COM and the ActiveX control specification.

The following protocols are supported by the SocketTools Secure Visual Edition: Domain Name Service (DNS), File Encoding and Compression, File Transfer Protocol (FTPS), Finger Protocol, Gopher Protocol, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTPS), Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP), Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAPS), Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME), Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTPS), Network Time Protocol, Post Office Protocol (POP3S), Remote Access Services (RAS), Remote Command Protocol, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTPS), Terminal Emulation, Telnet Protocol, Whois Porotocol, Windows Sockets (SocketWrench).