Last week, we published the blog post 'The Ultimate Guide To Hardening Your Secure File Transfer Server', where we shared several tips on how you could take advantage of the large selection of file transfer security features on JSCAPE MFT Server.

While inherently secure file transfer servers like JSCAPE MFT Server are packed with lots of security features, many of those features need to be activated first. In addition, some functions need to be configured and, in some cases, disabled, to ensure optimal protection. Unless you implement those changes, you won't be able to realize the full (security) potential of your secure file transfer server.

Overview

This post is for those of you who want to dive right into the steps of setting up a SFTP server. I'm sure some of you have been resourceful enough to go through the documentation and sift through all the relevant pages in there. But for those who just want one place for it all, this is the article for you.

For this tutorial, I'll be using JSCAPE MFT Server, our managed FTP server that supports SSH FTP as well as a number of other secure file transfer protocols. Since this managed file transfer server is built from Java, it can run on different platforms, including Microsoft Windows (32 and 64 bit), Linux/UNIX, Solaris, AIX, IBM z/OS and Mac OS, with support for SSL and TSL.

If you want to follow this tutorial, you may download a free evaluation edition of JSCAPE MFT Server by clicking here. 

This is a continuation of Part 1. To preserve confidentiality in secure file transfers, public keys are given to end users while the private key is kept inside the managed file transfer server. Get a look into how it works with the JSCAPE platform by requesting your free trial.

Overview

[Last updated on Feb 2019] Secure file transfers typically employ public key cryptography. This cryptographic system involves the use of two different keys: a public key and a private key. In JSCAPE MFT Server, such keys can be easily generated, imported, and exported in the Key Manager. But some first-time users find it hard to even start using the Key Manager. One reason for that is because they fail to see the difference between server keys and client keys.

This is a video version of the tutorial "How To Block Suspicious IP Addresses When MFT Server Is Behind MFT Gateway". Here, you'll learn how to configure MFT Server so that it blocks IP addresses at MFT Gateway.

If you've been using JSCAPE MFT Server, you probably already know it has a built-in feature that enables it to block suspicious IP addresses. However, if your MFT Server instance is placed behind a NAT or reverse proxy like JSCAPE MFT Gateway, there can be a bit of a problem.

JSCAPE MFT Server encrypted file transfer protocols like SFTP and those secured through TLS (e.g. HTTPS, FTPS, AS2, OFTP, and WebDAVS) can be configured for FIPS compliance. Since this is a function that isn't switched on by default, you might wonder if it's necessary to enable it at all.

On its own, AS2 already comes with a nice set of features that enable it to secure EDI transactions. It's got encryption. It's got non-repudiation. It even has data integrity checks as well as a form of server and client authentication. So, even if you run AS2 over HTTP, your data can already get a good amount of protection. Still, it wouldn't hurt to add more layers of protection. And you can do that if you run your AS2 transactions over HTTPS.

Overview

There will be times when you'll want to transfer files over a secure connection. One option is to use FTPS (FTP over SSL) which provides data-in-motion encryption through SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). When you setup an FTPS service in JSCAPE MFT Server, you'll notice that you actually have 3 modes to choose from explicit SSL, forced explicit SSL and implicit SSL.

This post was originally published on May 6, 2012 but was updated and republished on November 4, 2018.