Protecting Data in Transit: Choosing the Right Protocol

Introduction File transfer security has become more critical than ever, and older protocols that lack encryption no longer meet modern security standards. FTP, once a common method for transferring files, was designed in an era when security wasn’t a primary concern. Today, transmitting data in plain text presents serious risks, leaving information vulnerable to interception and attacks. To address these security challenges, SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) and FTPS (FTP Secure over SSL/TLS) have been widely adopted, offering encryption and stronger authentication. But how secure are these alternatives? Do they fully mitigate security risks, or do they introduce new complexities? This post will cover:

Apr 4, 2025 - 10:04

Protecting Data in Transit: Choosing the Right Protocol

Introduction

File transfer security has become more critical than ever, and older protocols that lack encryption no longer meet modern security standards. FTP, once a common method for transferring files, was designed in an era when security wasn’t a primary concern. Today, transmitting data in plain text presents serious risks, leaving information vulnerable to interception and attacks.

To address these security challenges, SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) and FTPS (FTP Secure over SSL/TLS) have been widely adopted, offering encryption and stronger authentication.

But how secure are these alternatives? Do they fully mitigate security risks, or do they introduce new complexities? This post will cover: