FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Hacker Definition
A protocol
used to transfer files between systems over a network, particularly from a host (that is, server) to a remote computer (that is, client). Netscape as
well as other browsers provide built-in FTP capabilities. FTP was one of the
first widely used protocols on the Internet for sharing and distributing files.
Before the massive distribution of Web servers, FTP servers were, in fact, the
most widely used means of distributing public domain data. Because FTP was
developed in the days when the Internet was still considered to be a safe
space, only very weak security measures were implemented. Therefore, a number
of security flaws have been discovered over the years. Security professionals
consider FTP to be inherently insecure. The password to authenticate at an FTP
server, for example, is transmitted in clear-text and can be collected off the
network easily with any sniffing tool. More recently, security measures have
been taken to improve the security of the protocol by running it on top of an
encryption service, such as FTP over TLS and SFTP.
FTP Telecom Definition
- Foil Twisted Pair. Synonymous with shielded twisted pair (STP). See STP.
- File Transfer Protocol (FTP). An Application Layer protocol of the TCP/IP protocol suite, FTP supports the exchange of files between two host computers across the Internet. FTP also supports interactive user interface in which humans must interact with a remote host. The specifics of the file type and data format (e.g., ASCII, EBCDIC, or binary notation; and compressed or uncompressed) can be determined from client to server. FTP also requires clients to satisfy security authorization measures in the form of login and password. FTP makes use of TELNET for control messages between the hosts, and relies on connection-oriented Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) for data transfer. FTP is defined in IETF RFC 959 (1985). See also Application Layer, ASCII, binary notation, compression, connection-oriented, EBCDIC, host, IETF, Internet, login, password, protocol, protocol suite, TCP, TCP/IP, and TELNET.
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