For the geeky types, this is old news. FTP has long been known to be insecure and it is even more so today when people hijack web sites that aren’t even that popular.

Image by sanja gjenero

I am bringing this up because many in Internet Marketing are still relying on good old fashioned FTP to manage their web sites.

For your benefit, I’m letting you know that FTP is insecure because your username and password is sent to your web site using plain text. In other words, any script kiddie who is listening or sniffing out connections can see the logins plain as day.

Once they get a hold of that they can of course wreak all kinds of havoc on your site. One of the most damaging – in my opinion- is uploading files that loads malware onto your visitors’ computers. It can get you delisted on Google and give you a black mark on sites like WebofTrust.com (WOT).

Thankfully, you can solve this very easily. When you set up your FTP program to connect to your web site, instead of choosing FTP connection, choose SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) or FTPS (Secure FTP).

Everything else remains the same. You don’t even need to download new software – unless your software cannot handle secure FTP, then it’s time to get another. The free Filezilla does support SFTP and FTPS.

Next time you connect, make sure you’re using FTPS or SFTP. Tape a reminder up on your screen if you have to. It is that important.