Secure FTP Issues

Keywords: 	  secure ftp

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Question:

Is there currently a way to do Secure FTP via Winbatch? I am familiar with the FTP commands but not with SFTP. SFTP uses SSH. There are some utilities out there but I need to create a custom utility for my users.

Answer:

Sorry, no direct way to do it. All WinBatch can do here is to automate a third party utility.

I looked at doing something along the lines of an extender based on the OpenSSH source code, but there are some legal issues involved for companies here in the USA who try to release programs based on OpenSSH. Basically, you end up having to deal with the Bureau of Export Administration and we have to track who all the people & companies that purchase/download the software and where they are located. There is a list of 7 countries as well as numerous individuals and corporations that are on a black-list and are not to be provided with cryptological technology by any software developers [either companies or individuals] working inside the USA.

It appears that the primary provider of DLL and Share Object library builds of OpenSSL [crypto socket library] is based in Finland, which has much more relaxed laws concerning the export of crypto-enabled software. IIRC, a lot of the executable builds of OpenSSH come from Finland, too.