ColdFusion 4.5 and 5: The CFHTTP Tag Supports 56-Bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Encryption
Due to United States export limitations that were in effect when ColdFusion Server 4.5 and 5 were released, the CFHTTP tag only supports 56-bit encryption. If you try to use 128-bit encryption you will get a communication failure error. Below is a short note explaining the background and technicalities behind this limitation.
ColdFusion 4.5 and 5: The CFHTTP Tag Supports 56-Bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Encryption