CompleteFTP 3.3.0 released

CompleteFTP 3.3.0 has just been released, and has added some very useful features.

WinSCP is now supported for the SCP protocol. Most people would use WinSCP with the SFTP protocol, but for those wishing to use SCP only, CompleteFTP has not supported this mode until now. This is because WinSCP assumes a Unix shell is available, and sends a number of Unix commands to the server to provide directory navigation, creation and listing.

CompleteFTP nows supports the required Unix commands (even though it is a Windows server), and so WinSCP can now be used in SCP only mode.

Another important feature that has been added for 3.3.0 is auto-banning of IP addresses. It works by automatically banning IP addresses from connecting (for a period of time) if they have failed to authenticate a certain number of times within a time period.

For example, using the default settings, if a rogue client is attacking from a given IP address, and fails to guess a password correctly 10 times within a 60 second period, their IP address is banned from connecting for the next hour. After an hour has elapsed, the ban is automatically lifted. The auto-banning settings are configurable in the Professional Edition, although it is generally advisable to use the defaults.

Auto-banning significantly enhances the server security, preventing dictionary attacks that rapidly guess passwords in succession.