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Everyone assumes the S in SFTP means FTP with security added. It does not. SFTP is a different protocol that happens to share three letters. SFTP stands for SSH File Transfer Protocol. It runs inside an SSH (Secure Shell) connection on port 22. There is one connection, one port and one encrypted tunnel. Your login,…
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FTPS is ordinary FTP wearing a trench coat. Underneath, it is the same old protocol. On top, it has TLS, the same encryption your browser uses for HTTPS. There are two styles. Explicit FTPS connects on port 21 in plain text, then sends the command AUTH TLS to upgrade the connection. Implicit FTPS starts encrypted…
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Imagine reading your password aloud in a crowded cafe, then being surprised when someone uses it. Plain FTP does exactly that, only with fewer chairs. When you log in over plain FTP, the commands USER and PASS travel as readable text. Anyone who can capture the traffic, such as someone on the same shared Wi-Fi,…