ContentsSecure Transfer Methods
TrueUpdate contains two methods for transferring files securely. A description of each of these methods can be found below:
The secure hypertext transfer protocol (HTTPS) is a communications protocol designed to transfer information securely between computers over the World Wide Web. HTTPS is simply HTTP using a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to perform the client-server communication. The secure socket layer ensures that the information transmitted over HTTPS is encrypted so it cannot be intercepted on the way to its destination.
SFTP, or secure File Transfer Protocol, is a transfer method that uses SSH to transfer files using AES, DES, and BLOWFISH encryption. Unlike standard FTP, SFTP encrypts the data and commands that are sent to the server. This prevents passwords and sensitive information from being transmitted over the network in an unsecure way. Although SFTP is functionally similar to FTP, it is a different protocol; in order to transfer files to a server using SFTP, the server must support the SFTP protocol. You can't use a standard FTP client to send files to an SFTP server, nor can you connect to an FTP server with a client that supports only SFTP. TrueUpdate's implementation of SFTP uses SSH2.
The SSH (Secure Shell) protocol is a secure replacement for telnet and the Berkeley r-utilities (rlogin, rsh, rcp, and rdist). It provides an encrypted channel for logging into another computer over a network, executing commands on a remote computer, and moving files from one computer to another. SSH provides strong host-to-host and user authentication as well as secure encrypted communications over an insecure Internet.
SSH2 is a more secure, efficient, and portable version of SSH.