FTPS is a protocol for transferring files using SSL to secure the commands and data being transferred between the client and server. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and its successor Transport Layer Security (TLS) are cryptographic protocols that provide secure communications on the Internet for such things as web browsing, email, FTP, and other data transfers. The SSL protocol was developed by Netscape Communications Corporation to provide security and Internet privacy. Due to widespread use of SSL can be considered as a "de facto standard.

FTPS support encryption of the channel as defined in RFC 2228. With FTPS, data transfers occur in a manner designed to allow both parties to authenticate each other and to prevent eavesdropping, manipulation, and counterfeiting in the messages exchanged.

How does FTPS

When establishing a secure SSL session, the following steps:

1. Authenticate the server to the client.

2. Allow the client and server to select the cryptographic algorithms, or ciphers, that much support.

3. Optionally authenticate the client to the server.

4. Public use the key encryption techniques to generate shared secrets.

5. Establish an encrypted SSL connection.

Authentication server allows a user to confirm the identity of a server. SSL-enabled client software can use standard techniques of public key cryptography to verify that a server certificate and public ID are valid and have been issued by a certification authority (CA) listed in the list of customers CAs trusted. This confirmation can be important if the user, for example, is sending a credit card through network and want to check the identity of the receiving server.

The client encrypts the secret premaster public key server. Only the corresponding private key can correctly decipher the secret, so that the client has some assurance that the identity is actually the server that the client is connected. Otherwise, the server can not decrypt the secret premaster and can not generate the symmetric keys required for the session and the session closes.

Cryptography Public key

Public key cryptography ensures private and secure data transmission through two processes: authentication and encryption. Authentication ensures that the data transmitter and that is exactly what it says. Encryption, the most effective way to achieve data security is the process of translating the data into a code secret.

To demonstrate the difference between 56-bit, 128-bit and 256-bit encryption, consider the following example: sending information without encryption is like send a postcard by mail – the contents are visible to anyone who wants to see it. Using this analogy, the 56-bit encryption is like sending the information in a plain white envelope, and 256-bit encryption is like that encloses the data in a lead-lined, Titanium 6-inch-thick security is being transported by an armored tank with a convoy of a hundred armed guards.

Public and private keys

Authentication and encryption codes used called digital "keys" – one public and one private key. The public key used to encrypt messages and the corresponding private key is used to decrypt them. Importantly, however, that despite their symbiotic association is virtually impossible to derive the private key if you know the audience. The public key has two main functions: validation and data encryption. As the name implies, this key is openly published to any party requesting one of these two functions. The key otherwise private, is necessary for data encryption (also called signature) and decoding.

Unlike public key, this key is closely guarded. Digital certificates Digital certificates are a standard way to bind a public key to a name. To provide a digital certificate, the data sender must request a digital certificate from a Certificate Authority (CA) such as VeriSign. Thus, the CA acts as an impartial third party to verify data from the sender is who or what they claim to be. Having verified this information, the CA may issue a certificate for the party to use. The most common standard used for digital certificates is X.509. A universal standard of this type is necessary because, in order to send encrypted data, know the recipient's public key.

Abstract

FTPS should be used when needed to transfer sensitive or confidential data between a client and a server that is configured to use SSL for secure transactions.

About the Author:

Zephyr Development Corporation is a highly respected developer of advanced terminal emulation and host integration solutions for Microsoft Windows. Zephyr is a Microsoft Certified Solution Partner, member of the Microsoft Developer Network, IBM Partner in Development, Cisco Enterprise Associate, and a Citrix Premier Partner. More about Zephyr’s PASSPORT and FTPS Secure SSL File Transfer

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