FTP Servers and Security - Three methods that Secure FTP Servers use
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) has been the basis for file transfer since the dawn of the internet. The truly remarkable feature about FTP was that it was operating system independent. Files could be smoothly transferred between Unix, Windows and any other operating system. The other cool feature about FTP was that a simple validation mechanism consisting of a username and a password could be used to limit access to files. However, the actual data itself was transferred unencrypted and it was easy to intercept and listen in on an FTP connection. The internet itself had very minimal security built into it. Consisting of many smaller independent networks that stretched across the globe, the path that a data packet took to get from point A to point B was unpredictable. With the popularity of the internet, it became essential to be able to transmit many types of critical data with some amount of security. Netscape Communications solved the security problem on the internet by developing the Secure Sockets Layer Protocol (SSL) which used public key cryptography to encrypt data transmitted over the internet. This is still the widely accepted security mechanism and is implemented by all web browsers. FTPS Secure File Transfer Modifications to the FTP protocol were proposed to incorporate the use of SSL for encrypting file transfers over the internet. The modified mechanism is referred to as FTPS. In order to maintain backwards compatibility with the original file transfer protocol, an FTPS connection could either be explicit, where the connection between the client connection and the server starts out as regular FTP and then negotiates a secure connection, or implicit where the connection starts out being encrypted. HTTPS Secure File Transfer Since a web browser is already capable of public key cryptography, simple downloads and uploads can be performed directly through a web browser using the HTTPS protocol. This means that special FTP Client software is not required. SFTP Secure File Transfer The Secure Shell protocol also known as SSH was developed by Tatu Ylonen to enable secure access to remote shells using public key cryptography and replace Telnet and other non secure shells. This protocol has since evolved to also support a file transfer mechanism known as SFTP. The main advantage of this mechanism is that it did not require the opening of an additional data channel connection for transferring files. All of these three methods of secure file transfer are based on public key cryptography and all of them are equally capable of securing the transfer of critical files across the internet. The only drawback of these methods is that there is a data overhead associated with encrypting files. There is also a performance overhead associated with encrypting the files at the source and decrypting them at the destination. Because of this, system administrators sometimes use regular FTP for file transfers within a secured internal network. However, for transferring files over the internet, this is a small price to pay in exchange for the guarantee that sensitive files reach their destination without being intercepted or tampered with.Okay, you now know about the three types of secure ftp servers. If you are looking for a secure FTP server to run on your windows system that can support all three secure file transfer mechanisms, be sure to visit <a href ="http://www.sysax.com/">http://www.sysax.com/</a> and download <a href ="http://www.sysax.com/download.htm?c=48#sysaxserv">Sysax FTP Server</a>
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How The New Computer User Can Reduce Spam
Every computer user gets spam in their email almost daily. There is just no way to avoid junk email unless you want to delete it without reading it. Yes, you can compare it to those telemarketers who call you at dinnertime (or any other time). There is no way to avoid having an email address on the computer because if you have an account, you must have an email address to do business on the Internet. Someone will find a way to contact you either by phone, snail mail or email to try to “sell” you an idea, plan, or a product. There is just no escaping junk email if you have an account on the Internet, and this unwanted email can become annoying at times. Spam filters are used by most of the Internet Service Providers such as American Online. The computer user fills out a list of overused spam words in the email settings filter and saves it. After the settings go into effect, any any future email containing the spam word that you inserted into the filter will not make it into your email account. You may get spam in your spam folder, but some of it may be email you may want to read. If you want the email in your regular email , you can whitelist the email address in your address book so that the email is sent directly to your email account. Be cautious in revealing your personal email address, for privacy or for safety reasons as well as avoiding spam. Do not let fear of spammers limit your time on the Internet forums or groups, as you can use a free email address or a disposable email account such as those on Hotmail, Mail.com, and Yahoo. Addresses from these accounts are often used by people to guard their privacy on forums and groups on the Web. When you feel that you know someone trustworthy, you can give them your personal email address. But have at least one or two different free disposable email addresses to cut the spamming in the personal email account. Avoid responding to unsolicited spam as it will confirm your address to the spammer which could, in turn, send you even more spam than you will ever want to see. Also if you answer or complain about the offensive emails it may only come back to your email address as undeliverable or may be sent to some other annoyed computer user’s address. You can call or email your Internet Service Provider and ask what their procedure is in blocking spam. Several years ago, I remember sending manually a few hundred junk emails back to the Report Abuse team at my free email account. This worked very well as it has not happened again. Find out from your Internet Service Provider how they can help you end the onslaught of spam. Usually the spammer’s account will be terminated or shut down if there are enough complaints from consumers. Check with Spam Cop and Network Abuse Clearninghouse’s resources and information for people who receive spam. These informative resources can contact the Internet Service Providers so that the spammer is made aware of complaints, although at times they may not always be accurate. Remember that the spam will continue if people remain complacent or just too lazy to report it. Reducing the level of spam in your mailbox may take a little time and effort on your part. What you can also do is start blocking certain email addresses that come from repeated spammers. The junk emails are then blocked before they even reach your mailbox address. Again, set up the spam filter to block emails containing certain spam words so that you will not receive them. These two techniques alone will reduce the onslaught of unwanted junk emails in your personal email account. The computer user must be careful of not clicking on email attachments from unknown senders as they can contain various types of viruses and infectious worms that can harm your computer or files. If you did not request a email to be sent to you, do not open an attachment as it could be a worm. You do not want to pay for expensive computer repairs. These problems, in turn, can be avoided if you have a strong firewall and good antivirus software in place on your computer. Do not be indifferent and believe that it will not happen to you. Be cautious, and try to research on protecting your computer. your online and offline privacy, and your Internet account. John Chan is a writer and researcher who has a an interest in the Internet. His website is <a href="http://www.theantispamguide.com" title="http://www.theantispamguide.com" target="_blank">http://www.theantispamguide.com</a> and <a href="http://www.ezantispam.com" title="http://www.ezantispam.com" target="_blank">http://www.ezantispam.com</a>
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