Computer Networks MCQs with explanation

Which of the following establishes a secure communication between the client and the server?

1. HTTP and FTP
2. Only HTTPs
3. Only SSH
4. Both HTTPs and SSH

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Answer:

Option d: Both HTTPs and SSH

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• HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) used for transferring HyperText documents such as web pages. It is not secure by default.
• HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure) is a secure version of HTTP that uses Transport layer security (TLS) or Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to encrypt communication between the client and server.
• SSH (Secure shell) is a protocol used for secure remote login and file transfer. SSH uses encryption to protect the data being transferred.
• FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a standard network protocol used to transfer files between computers over a TCP/IP network, such as the Internet. FTP is not a secure protocol, meaning that the data being transferred can be intercepted and read by anyone.

Therefore, both HTTPs and SSH can be used to establish a secure communication between the client and the server. However, HTTPs is typically used for web browsing, while SSH is typically used for remote login and file transfer.

In order to make FTP more secure, a secure version of FTP called FTPS (File Transfer Protocol Secure) was developed. FTPS uses SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or TLS (Transport Layer Security) to encrypt the data being transferred, making it much more difficult for anyone to intercept and read.