secure FTP (encrypted?)

[SagaLore]

I need to setup a way for clients to upload or download very large files (30mb+), and the data in these files are sensitive. I've tried various https upload scripts but they're really slow and unreliable. I think FTP is the only way for me to go. But, passwords/commands are transfered as plaintext and all the data is readable... I have to add some security to it...

The other stipulation is that the client can't install some kind of software. If there were a single file program they could run, that would work.

Any ideas?

 

[wedi42]

http://www.smartftp.com/features.php
says it supports SSL
not sure how it works.
try the support forums:
http://www.smartftp.com/phpBB2/

 

[IshmaelLeaver]

Carrier pigeons.

 

[GTaudiophile]

I use WINSCP.

 

[ViRGE]

What kind of a machine are you connecting to? If it's a *nix machine, you can just use one of many SSH clients(GUI and CLI), which offers an implementation of FTP that's secured via SSH. Otherwise, if it's a Windows machine, you're going to need to look in to a product like Secure FTP Wrapper, which encrypts a normal FTP server with SSL, which SmartFTP supports(as johngute notes).

 

[DaWhim]

the best ftp server is Raidenftpd

 

[FoBoT]

if its *nix, use ssh like virge said, if windows, use WebDAV

 

[DaveSimmons]

Got VC++?

You could whip up a custom FTP client using a TCP/IP toolkit from Dundas, Dart, IPWorks, etc., and make it zero-install by using either source code (Dundas) or statically-linked libraries instead of DLLs (not sure which of the others).

Of course cost might be an issue -- the Dundas secure toolkit is $2200.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: johngute
http://www.smartftp.com/features.php
says it supports SSL
not sure how it works.
try the support forums:
http://www.smartftp.com/phpBB2/

Can't use that, requires an installation on the client side. thanks though

 

[GigaCluster]

As two others mentioned, SFTP (Secure FTP) is the best for your purposes. It is a part of the OpenSSH suite which is included (and enabled) in all major distributions.

Two popular clients for it are PSFTP (a small console program, like Windows' bundled "ftp") and graphical FileZilla, which is mainly a front-end to PSFTP. Both are open-source.

edit: neither of them requires installation, as FileZilla can be downloaded as a zipped bundle, executed from wherever, and stores its settings in a local XML file.

 

[n0cmonkey]

Wrong forum.

Putty has an sftp client.

OpenSSH offers sFTP services.

Pretty simple.

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: SagaLore

Originally posted by: johngute
http://www.smartftp.com/features.php
says it supports SSL
not sure how it works.
try the support forums:
http://www.smartftp.com/phpBB2/

Can't use that, requires an installation on the client side. thanks though

If you can't have a client-side installation, then you going to have to use an HTTPS system; everything else is going to require additional software somehow, even something like PGP.

 

[FreshPrince]

Is it possible use a browser as a client to connect to sftp (ssh) servers?

 

[her209]

VPN?