It’s 2017, and it’s time to start making some serious changes around here. FTP, or the File Transfer Protocol, is one of the most popular transfer methods for sending files to — and downloading from — the cloud. Users like FTP is because it’s simple to use and efficient when you’re primarily working with local media servers.
But, the ease of FTP comes at a cost, and the security risks are simply not worth it.
According to a new report from Encoding.com, FTP and SFTP remain “a popular transit protocol for getting files to the cloud, primarily due to its ease and prevalence on local media servers.”
Yet FTP and SFTP — governed by the TCP/IP protocol — were never designed to handle large data transfers. Worse, they are just not as secure as what you could be using, especially if you’re a media company with proprietary content and materials.
One of the most egregious issues with FTP is that the servers can only handle usernames and passwords in plain text. FTPs’ inability to handle more than usernames and passwords is exactly why you’re advised not to use root accounts for FTP access. If someone were to discern your username and pass, they could …
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