FTPS (FTP over TLS)
Security+ 🏆 • Protocols 🔗 • Network Security 🌐 • Cryptography 🔒
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Difficulty: premium
Definition
FTPS is FTP that is secured using TLS to encrypt authentication and data transfer. It keeps the FTP model and commands but adds encryption and certificate-based trust to protect credentials and files in transit.
Examples
- A partner requires an FTP-style workflow, so an organization uses FTPS with enforced TLS and certificate validation instead of plain FTP.
- A company configures an FTPS server for file exchanges and restricts access to allowlisted IP addresses and specific user accounts.
Discover 🔎
Plain FTP was designed without encryption, which means usernames, passwords, and file contents can be read by anyone who can observe the network traffic. FTPS improves this by layering TLS on top of FTP. The goal is simple: keep the familiar FTP approach while protecting the session with encryption so the transfer is safe on untrusted networks.
Remember: FTPS is not SFTP. FTPS is FTP plus TLS. SFTP is a different protocol that runs over SSH.
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