Secure File Transfer: Pros and Cons of Popular Protocols

Check out the pros and cons of the most popular secure file transfer protocols so you can find the right one for your needs.

Ever needed to send sensitive files to colleagues or clients and worried about security? You’re not alone. With data breaches happening all too frequently these days, securely transferring files has become a must for any business. But with so many options out there like SFTP, FTPS, HTTPS, how do you choose?

This article breaks down the pros and cons of the most popular secure file transfer protocols so you can find the right one for your needs. Whether ease of use, platform compatibility or tight security are top of mind, we’ve got you covered. Read on to find out which protocol is the best fit for your data needs.

Introduction to Secure File Transfer Protocols

Secure file transfer protocols are methods of transferring files over a network in a secure and reliable way. They help protect files from being tampered with, corrupted or intercepted by unauthorized parties. There are different types of secure file transfer protocols, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Some of the most common ones are:

1. FTP (File Transfer Protocol): This is the oldest and most widely used protocol for file transfer. It allows users to upload and download files from a remote server using a username and password.
2. SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol): This is a protocol that uses SSH (Secure Shell) to establish a secure connection between the client and the server. It encrypts both the data and the credentials, making it more secure than FTP.
3. FTPS (FTP over SSL): This is a protocol that uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) to encrypt the data and the credentials during the FTP session. It can use either implicit or explicit mode.
4. HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure): This is a protocol that uses SSL or TLS (Transport Layer Security) to encrypt the data and the credentials during the HTTP session. It is commonly used for web-based file transfer, such as uploading or downloading files from a website.

Let’s take a deep dive into each protocol and highlight their pros and cons.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

FTP is a protocol that allows users to transfer files between a client and a server over a network. For example, a user can use FTP to upload a file from their computer to a website or download a file from a website to their computer. To use FTP, the user needs an FTP client software and an FTP server software, as well as a username and password to access the server.

Some of the pros of FTP are:

• It is easy to use.
• It supports various types of files, such as text, images, audio, video, etc.
• It can handle large files and multiple file transfers.

Some of the cons of FTP are:

• It is not secure by itself, as it does not encrypt the data or the credentials. Anyone who can intercept the network traffic can see the files and the login information.
• It does not have features such as file synchronization, compression or the ability to resume interrupted transfers.
• It can be slow and inefficient, as it uses separate control and data channels.

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol)

SFTP is widely used for transferring files between different systems, such as Linux, Mac and Windows. For example, a web developer can use SFTP to upload files from their local machine to a remote server, or a researcher can use SFTP to download data from a university server to their laptop. Most Linux and Mac systems come with an SFTP server and client pre-installed. For Windows, numerous commercial and free options are available.

Some of the pros of SFTP are:

• It helps protect your files and credentials from unauthorized access, as it encrypts the data and uses public-key authentication. This means that even if someone intercepts the network traffic, they cannot see or modify your files or login information.
• It verifies the identity of the server before connecting, so you know you’re sending files to the right place. This helps to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks, where a malicious third party pretends to be the server and steals your data.
• It allows you to manage your files and directories on the server, such as creating, deleting, renaming and changing permissions. It also lets you resume interrupted transfers, which can save time and bandwidth.

Some of the cons of SFTP are:

• It requires SSH access and configuration on both the client and the server side, which can be difficult or costly depending on the hosting provider. Some providers may not allow SSH access or charge extra for it.
• It may be slightly slower than regular FTP, as it encrypts and decrypts your data. However, for most needs, the speed difference is negligible compared to the security benefits.
• It does not have browser support, so you cannot directly access your files using a web browser. You need to use a dedicated SFTP client software or a command-line tool.

FTPS (FTP Over SSL)

FTPS is a secure version of FTP that uses SSL encryption to better protect your data during file transfers. This helps prevent unauthorized parties from seeing or tampering with the files you send or receive over FTPS. FTPS is especially useful if you need to transfer sensitive data over the internet.

To use FTPS, you need to have an SSL certificate on your FTP server, which verifies the identity of the server and enables encryption. You can either buy a certificate from a trusted authority or generate a self-signed certificate for free. However, self-signed certificates may not be accepted by some FTP clients and may trigger security warnings.

FTPS has two modes of operation: explicit and implicit. In explicit mode, the FTP client and server negotiate the encryption level, and the client can decide whether or not to trust the server’s certificate. In implicit mode, the FTP client and server assume that the connection is always encrypted, and the client must accept the server’s certificate without any choice. Explicit mode is more flexible and compatible with regular FTP, while implicit mode is more secure and reliable.

FTPS has many advantages over regular FTP such as:

• It better protects your data from eavesdropping, interception and modification by unauthorized parties.
• It helps to prevent “man in the middle” attacks, where someone pretends to be the FTP server or client and steals your data.
• It improves data integrity and authenticity by verifying that the files you receive are the same as the ones you sent and that they come from a legitimate source.

However, FTPS also has some drawbacks, such as:

• It requires more configuration and maintenance than regular FTP, since you need to obtain and renew an SSL certificate and set up the encryption parameters.
• It may not work well with some firewalls or routers since it uses different ports and commands than regular FTP, and it may need additional settings to allow the encrypted traffic.
• It may affect your FTP performance to some extent, since it adds some overhead to the data transfer, and may slow down the connection speed. However, this depends on various factors and may not be noticeable in most cases.

HTTPS: Secure Web-Based File Transfer

HTTPS uses a cryptographic protocol suite called SSL/TLS to secure the communication and verify the identity of the server. When you connect to an HTTPS server, it will present an SSL/TLS certificate that proves its identity. Your device will then use the public key in the certificate to exchange a secret with the server and use that secret to generate a session key. The session key will be used to encrypt and decrypt all the data for that connection.

Some of the pros of HTTPS are:

• HTTPS helps protect your data from being intercepted, modified or stolen by hackers or malicious actors.
• The SSL/TLS certificate helps confirm that you are connecting to a legitimate server.
• Most web services and applications support HTTPS file transfers, and most devices and browsers have built-in support for HTTPS.
• For basic file transfers, HTTPS is simple and convenient to use. You just need to enter the HTTPS URL or click on a link.

Some of the cons of HTTPS are:

• The encryption and decryption processes involved in HTTPS can reduce the speed of file transfers compared to unencrypted protocols like FTP.
• Setting up HTTPS on your own server requires getting an SSL/TLS certificate and configuring the web server correctly. This can be more difficult and costly than setting up FTP.

Other Options: AS2, OpenPGP, MFT

If SFTP, FTPS and HTTPS don’t meet your needs, there are a few other secure file transfer protocols to consider.

AS2, or Applicability Statement 2, is a standard for exchanging data securely over the internet using HTTP or HTTPS. It is widely used for business-to-business transactions, especially for transferring EDI and XML data. AS2 uses TLS or SSL to encrypt the communication channel, and digital certificates to authenticate the sender and receiver. AS2 also supports compression to reduce file size and digital signatures to verify data integrity and provide non-repudiation.

OpenPGP is a standard for encrypting and signing data using public key cryptography. It allows you to better protect your data from unauthorized access and tampering, and to prove your identity and authenticity. OpenPGP is not a specific software product, but rather a set of specifications that can be implemented by various software applications. It can be used to encrypt and sign files, messages and other types of data.

Managed file transfer, or MFT, solutions are platforms that automate and streamline more secure transfer of files within and between organizations. MFT products typically offer features such as a web interface, automation, alerting, auditing and reporting. MFT can help you improve compliance, reduce errors and boost efficiency for your file transfer processes. MFT products usually support multiple file transfer protocols, such as FTP, SFTP, FTPS, HTTPS and AS2.

Concluding Thoughts

When evaluating secure file transfer solutions, consider your organization’s specific needs relating to security, compliance, efficiency and ease of management. While some of the traditional protocols may appear to get the job done, don’t fall into the trap of thinking SFTP, FTPS and HTTPS are on par with MFT. In this blog, the fundamental differences were called out, and MFT is the only suitable approach for modern businesses that need to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to regulatory-driven data management. MFT is the superior choice for organizations of all sizes that deal with highly sensitive data, use complex workflows and have reliability as a strategic pillar.

As you evaluate MFT solutions, remember they are not all created equal. Consider factors like ease of use, scalability, encryption methods and available integrations. A good starting point is to request a free trial of Progress MOVEit. MOVEit is recognized as a G2 leader for best usability, best results and fastest implementation. Along with these high accolades, MOVEit is backed by a reputable company and helps customers meet various compliance standards, such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS and GDPR.

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