What Is AUTH SSL?

"AUTH SSL" is a method of establishing a secure connection using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) with the cryptographic protocol Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). This process serves to authenticate servers and clients to one another and helps ensure that file sharing is safe.

Security

• FTP is a common method of sharing files. Employing the SSL protocol provides security for FTP by using a digital signature to authenticate the identities of clients and servers at the point they connect. SSL allows multiple applications to securely communicate across networks. The secured version of FTP is FTPS.

Commands

• FTP uses commands to establish the criteria for authentication. The "AUTH" command refers to the authentication/security mechanism. "AUTH SSL" refers to the method of invoking FTPS through the SSL protocol. When using a file-sharing application, the person establishing the file transfer can actively enable FTPS through "AUTH SSL" for a particular connection without enabling FTPS for all connections on a network.

Warning

• In terms of file sharing, Transport Layer Security (TLS) has superseded SSL, as it provides a more secure connection. Because of this, activating FTPS through the command "AUTH TLS" is preferred over "AUTH SSL." The latter command of running FTP security through SSL is no longer supported on some newer file-transfer applications.