Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is a file protocol for transferring large files over the web. It builds on the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and includes Secure Shell (SSH) security components.
Secure Shell is a cryptographic component of internet security. SSH and SFTP were designed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for greater web security. SFTP transfers files security using SSH and encrypted FTP commands to avoid password sniffing and exposing sensitive information in plain text. Since the client needs to be authenticated by the server, SFTP also protects against man-in-the-middle attacks.
SFTP can be handy in all situations where sensitive data needs to be protected. For example, trade secrets may not be covered by any particular data privacy rule, but it can be devastating for them to fall into the wrong hands. So a business user might use SFTP to transmit files containing trade secrets or other similar information. A private user may want to encrypt their communications as well.
This term is also known as Secure Shell (SSH) File Transfer Protocol.
