Download files more securely without risk of losing progress

From a security perspective, data in transit is always data at risk since data in transmission presents an opportunity for interception. Unauthorized access can also occur when data is stored at rest for download on a file transfer server. This is why using tools like Google Drive or Dropbox are worrisome to IT teams and compliance officers.

IT ultimately doesn't have full control over who has which data. File transfers expose sensitive data to high risks due to many common occurrences:. Given that InfoSec teams are always under pressure to allocate limited time and resources, businesses need to focus their investments on technologies that provide protection over processing activities that pose the greatest risk to sensitive data.

If you rely on the FTP server transfer method, attempting to upgrade your FTP environment to provide sufficient security and comply with various regulations may not work as well as you want it to. Another function to add is AES encryption to make sure all upload processes protect data while at rest. But even these critical improvements are not enough. Achieving secure file transfers is even more difficult if your organization has experienced FTP sprawl.

When sprawl occurs, you likely have a mix of FTP servers—with different software on different platforms, different software revisions, OS revisions, and security patches. This creates vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit to access personal data. Scripts are also often undocumented. The programs listed in this category have been designed specifically for so-called file hosting services. They download files from sites such as Mediafire or Mega.

Note : Programs listed in this category may contain offers adware when you install them. It is highly recommended to pay attention to the installation dialog and select custom when possible to stay in control.

Free Rapid Downloader - The program requires Java to run. It supports more than sites according to the feature list on the developer website. JDownloader - The program supports hundreds of file hosting services but requires Java to run. It monitors the clipboard and will add downloads automatically to its queue if they are hosted on a supported server.

The cross-platform program supports many extra features such as support for premium accounts, browser integration, OCR modules or the automatic extraction of password protected archives. MiPony - The program supports hundreds of file hosting services and extra features just like JDownloader does.

PyLoad - The program does not support as many hosters as JDownloader or MiPony, but it may make up for it in other ways. It has been designed with low hardware requirements in mind, and while it makes sure of that, it does not sacrifice core functionality for it. With that said, it is difficult to set up as you need to run a configuration script first on the command line and run a core program first before you can connect clients to it. There is no definitive answer to that question.

It depends on what you require more than anything else. Do you want integration into web browsers or is clipboard monitoring or manual pasting of download links sufficient? Do you require features such as support for authentication or proxy servers, scheduling or support for protocols such as Bittorrent or ftp? Commercial Alternative : Internet Download Manager. I miss GNU Wget from the list. I would also like to request that you take a look at Download Ninja and compare it to others.

Please let me know if you would like any information or have any comments :. I have been using Freedownloadmanager for more than a decade now and I firmly recommend it too. Flashget has started bundling unnecessary toolbars in its software in the last years. Thanks for the article. It works perfectly and I finaly get the Gegeek toolkit. The quality of this article is unbecoming my expectations from a ghack article. You should take the time to structure your article and review it thoroughly before you post.

An open frank no judgmental assessment of various computer programs, sites and hardware. That seems a bit rude. Only two things were noted: 1 A number of users had problems downloading a large file from a site; 2 The users needed some type of understanding about why they were encountering the problem and several solutions to solve the problem. The author listed four requirements for the programs he was introducing. The author warned, again as he always does , that many of the programs may have adware bundled within the setup file and how to avoid possible inadvertent installation of an unwanted program.

They have accumulated several serial numbers that have been used in giveaway promotions. I have tried two of them and IDM successfully registered with both. FDM has an option within the program to create a portable version.

The download available from FDM is an installer and has no options to create it as portable during install, either. While most of the portables I use are direct, some are from PortableApps.

While I could create a FDM portable version by installing it first.. Track and report on every single transfer. Encryption in-transit and at-rest and advanced security features keep sensitive information out of harm's way. Enable your team with programming-free automation of multi-step, logic-based workflows. Services By Product By Type. Managed File Transfer Software Secure File Transfer and Automation Software for the Enterprise Guarantee the reliability of core business processes and transfer sensitive data between partners, customers and systems the secure and compliant way with MOVEit.

I'm sure the files are of a proprietary format and are validated by the software before being loaded. I imagine they are in some way signed and would be rejected by McAfee if tampered with in transit prior to loading. You could test this by modifying a dat file and see if you get an error about loading the definition file.

How would you know if this was happening? The fact they are available to everyone publically means authentication doesn't really matter to you. I was thinking exactly same thing — Insecured. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. The download over HTTP is not a problem by its own but it depends on what you do with the file after the download is relevant: If you just delete the file: no problem. If you download an executable from a seemingly trusted site and run it: bad idea since it might have been manipulated during the transit or the attacker made you access a different server than intended.

If you know from a secure source that the file has a specific hash or signature and verify it successfully after download: the problem of manipulation in transit or wrong server is gone.

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