1. The FTP client with SSL encryption support. ftp is the user interface to the ARPANET standard File Transfer Protocol. The program allows a user to transfer files to and from a remote network site. ftp-ssl replaces normal ftp using SSL authentication and encryption. It interoperates with normal ftpd. It checks if the other side is also talking SSL, if not it falls back to normal ftp protocol. Advantages over normal ftp(d): Your passwords and the data you send will not go in cleartext over the line. Nobody can get it with tcpdump or similar tools. From Debian 3.0r0 APT