Many people want to know about security functions on FTP. You may be aware of SFTP, a more recent transfer protocol that was developed with increased security in mind. This is because macOS FTP is not the most secure transfer protocol around. It does provide a level of security by requiring you to use a username and password. However, these are easily hacked. On top of that, FTP does not make use of any kind of encryption or tunnelling.
The key difference between FTP vs SFTP is the level of security. Unlike FTP, SFTP provides enhanced security features and uses a secure SSH chanel to transfer data and files.
To increase the level of protection, you have to:
- Use secure versions of FTP. There are two secure versions available - FTPS and SFTP.
- Strong authentication. To protect your FTP accounts, it is recommended to use strong and unique passwords. You can also add an extra layer of security by utilizing two-factor authentication. However, it's only available in SFTP.
- Use a VPN. A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts all your traffic, including FTP connections.