How Is My Password Transferred from My Browser to the Web Server Securely?

Question

How is the password I enter in, say a Gmail login form, transferred to the web server securely?

• What does the browser or any client application do?
• What does the web server do?

Answer 1

By using SSL.

EDIT
A nice resource of information about security and encryption is the Security Now! podcast by Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte. Steve can explain very thouroughly how security works, so go check it out!

The latest episode (#183) is about Modes of Encryption (link to shownotes/podcast)