{"id":456,"date":"2012-11-05T21:22:53","date_gmt":"2012-11-06T02:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/2012\/11\/05\/disable-ftp-clear-plain-text-authentication\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T08:36:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:36:59","slug":"disable-ftp-clear-plain-text-authentication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/ftp\/disable-ftp-clear-plain-text-authentication\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Disable Plain Text FTP Authentication"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your Payment Card Industry (PCI) scan flagged \u201cFTP clear text authentication,\u201d or you want to stop your passwords from crossing the internet unencrypted. This guide shows you how to disable plain text FTP authentication on a VPS or Dedicated server, and what to do instead if you only have cPanel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FTP (File Transfer Protocol) sends your username and password as readable text, so anyone on the same network (open WiFi, for example) can capture them. If you have root access to WebHost Manager (WHM) on a VPS or Dedicated server, start with the next section. If you only have cPanel (Shared, Reseller, or no root access), skip to <a href=\"#cpanel-only\">If You Only Have cPanel<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"alert alert-warning wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Important:<\/strong> The WHM settings in this article apply to every account on the server. Log in to WHM as root to change them. See <a href=\"\/support\/amp\/obtain-root-access\/\">How to Obtain Root Access to Your Server with InMotion Hosting<\/a> if you do not have root access yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Require TLS to Disable Plain Text FTP Authentication in WHM<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This setting keeps FTP running but refuses logins that are not encrypted with Transport Layer Security (TLS). FTP clients that support FTP over TLS keep working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list article_list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/support\/edu\/whm\/log-into-whm\/\">Log in to WHM<\/a> as root.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the <strong>Search Tools<\/strong> box at the top of the left menu, type <strong>ftp<\/strong>. Under <strong>Service Configuration<\/strong>, click <strong>FTP Server Configuration<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"482\" height=\"710\" src=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-nav-search-ftp-entries.png\" class=\"optimized-lcp-image\" alt=\"WHM left menu search for ftp showing FTP Server Configuration and FTP Server Selection under Service Configuration\" loading=\"eager\" fetchpriority=\"high\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-nav-search-ftp-entries.png 482w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-nav-search-ftp-entries-204x300.png 204w\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list article_list\">\n<li>Open the <strong>TLS Encryption Support<\/strong> drop-down.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1120\" height=\"664\" src=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-ftp-server-configuration-tls-encryption-support-options.png\" alt=\"WHM FTP Server Configuration TLS Encryption Support drop-down showing Disabled, Optional, Required (Command), and Required (Command\/Data)\" class=\"wp-image-900661\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-ftp-server-configuration-tls-encryption-support-options.png 1120w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-ftp-server-configuration-tls-encryption-support-options-300x178.png 300w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-ftp-server-configuration-tls-encryption-support-options-1024x607.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-ftp-server-configuration-tls-encryption-support-options-768x455.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1360px) 876px, (min-width: 960px) calc(61.58vw + 51px), calc(100vw - 80px)\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ol start=\"4\" class=\"wp-block-list article_list\">\n<li>Select <strong>Required (Command)<\/strong> or <strong>Required (Command\/Data)<\/strong>. Both stop plain text logins; the difference is explained below.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scroll to the bottom of the page and click <strong>Save<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two \u201crequired\u201d options differ in what they encrypt:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Required (Command)<\/strong> encrypts the login and the commands, so usernames and passwords never travel in plain text.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Required (Command\/Data)<\/strong> also encrypts the file transfers themselves, which hides all FTP traffic. It is the stricter choice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The \u201cFTP clear text authentication\u201d scan finding is about unencrypted logins, so either required option addresses it. Choose <strong>Required (Command\/Data)<\/strong> if you also want the files you transfer encrypted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"alert alert-info wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> These four options appear when your server runs Pure-FTPd. If your server runs ProFTPD, the <strong>TLS Encryption Support<\/strong> drop-down lists only <strong>Optional<\/strong> and <strong>Required<\/strong>. Select <strong>Required<\/strong>, which encrypts both commands and data. The <strong>FTP Server Selection<\/strong> page shows which FTP server your server runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"alert alert-info wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> After you require TLS, FTP clients that connect with plain FTP can no longer log in. Set your client to require explicit FTP over TLS (in FileZilla, the <strong>Require explicit FTP over TLS<\/strong> encryption option), or switch to SFTP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To remove FTP completely and use only SFTP, the next section shows how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Turn Off FTP Entirely in WHM (SFTP Only)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Disabling the FTP server removes plain text logins altogether. Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) runs over Secure Shell (SSH), a separate service, so cPanel users with SSH access can still transfer files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"alert alert-danger wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Warning:<\/strong> This turns off the FTP server for every account on the server. Nobody can connect with FTP or FTPS until you turn it back on. FTP accounts created in cPanel lose file access completely, because FTP accounts cannot connect with SFTP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list article_list\">\n<li>Log in to WHM as root.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the <strong>Search Tools<\/strong> box, type <strong>ftp<\/strong>, then click <strong>FTP Server Selection<\/strong> under <strong>Service Configuration<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the <strong>FTP Server<\/strong> column, select <strong>Disabled<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click <strong>Save<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2333\" height=\"1094\" src=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-ftp-server-selection-setting.png\" alt=\"WHM FTP Server Selection page with ProFTPD, Pure-FTPd, and Disabled options and the Save button\" class=\"wp-image-900662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-ftp-server-selection-setting.png 2333w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-ftp-server-selection-setting-300x141.png 300w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-ftp-server-selection-setting-1024x480.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-ftp-server-selection-setting-768x360.png 768w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-ftp-server-selection-setting-1536x720.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/whm-ftp-server-selection-setting-2048x960.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1360px) 876px, (min-width: 960px) calc(61.58vw + 51px), calc(100vw - 80px)\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Connect with SFTP from now on. See <a href=\"\/support\/website\/ftp\/connecting-scp-sftp\/\">Connecting with SCP and SFTP<\/a> for client settings. If only a few accounts need to lose FTP, the next section is a lighter option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Block FTP for Specific cPanel Users<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the <code>\/etc\/ftpusers<\/code> file exists, cPanel &amp; WHM denies FTP access to every cPanel username listed in it. Blocking a cPanel account also blocks the FTP accounts it owns. The file must exist before cPanel can use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list article_list\">\n<li>Connect to your server as root with SSH. See <a href=\"\/support\/amp\/obtain-root-access\/\">How to Obtain Root Access to Your Server with InMotion Hosting<\/a> if you need help.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Create the file if it does not exist yet. If it already exists, this command leaves its contents unchanged:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL.ttf\" style=\"font-size:clamp(16px, 1rem, 24px);font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:clamp(26px, 1.625rem, 39px);--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">touch<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">\/etc\/ftpusers<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list article_list\">\n<li>Open the file in an editor:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL.ttf\" style=\"font-size:clamp(16px, 1rem, 24px);font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:clamp(26px, 1.625rem, 39px);--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">nano<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">\/etc\/ftpusers<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"4\" class=\"wp-block-list article_list\">\n<li>Add each cPanel username on its own line, with no domain name, then save the file.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those accounts, and the FTP accounts they own, can no longer log in with FTP. The cPanel users can still connect with SFTP if they have SSH access. If you do not have root access, the next section covers what you can do from cPanel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"cpanel-only\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">If You Only Have cPanel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">cPanel has no setting that forces FTP encryption, because that choice is server-wide and lives in WHM. You can still protect your own logins in three ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list article_list\">\n<li><strong>Use SFTP.<\/strong> It encrypts everything and connects over SSH with your cPanel username, so SSH must be enabled on your account first. FTP accounts cannot use SFTP. On Shared and Reseller hosting, SFTP uses port 2222. Follow the <a href=\"\/support\/website\/ftp\/sftp-shared-hosting-filezilla-setup\/\">SFTP Setup Guide for Shared Hosting Using FileZilla<\/a> or <a href=\"\/support\/website\/ftp\/connecting-scp-sftp\/\">Connecting with SCP and SFTP<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Or use explicit FTP over TLS (FTPS).<\/strong> In your FTP client, set the encryption option to require explicit FTP over TLS before you connect (in FileZilla, <strong>Require explicit FTP over TLS<\/strong>). If the connection fails, use SFTP instead.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Delete FTP accounts you no longer use.<\/strong> In cPanel, search for <strong>FTP Accounts<\/strong>, then delete the unused ones. See <a href=\"\/support\/edu\/cpanel\/create-delete-account\/\">How to Create\/Delete an FTP Account in cPanel<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"alert alert-info wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> On Shared Hosting, you cannot change the server-wide FTP settings yourself. If a PCI scan still flags plain text FTP on your Shared account, contact Technical Support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can now stop plain text FTP logins on your plan: require TLS or turn off FTP in WHM, block FTP for specific users, or move your own connections to SFTP or FTPS. After you change the setting, re-run your scan. If it still fails, see <a href=\"\/support\/security\/how-to-pass-pci-scans\/\">How to Pass PCI Compliance Scans<\/a> for the other common findings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Your Payment Card Industry (PCI) scan flagged &#8220;FTP clear text authentication,&#8221; or you want to stop your passwords from crossing the internet unencrypted. This guide shows you how to disable plain text FTP authentication on a VPS or Dedicated server, and what to do instead if you only have cPanel. FTP (File Transfer Protocol) sends<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/ftp\/disable-ftp-clear-plain-text-authentication\/\"> Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57014,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ayudawp_aiss_exclude":false,"_ayudawp_aiss_exclude_summary":false,"_ayudawp_aiss_summary":"FTP accounts created in cPanel lose file access completely, because FTP accounts cannot connect with SFTP. In your FTP client, set the encryption option to require explicit FTP over TLS before you connect (in FileZilla, Require explicit FTP over TLS). You can now stop plain text FTP logins on your plan: require TLS or turn off FTP in WHM, block FTP for specific users, or move your own connections to SFTP or FTPS.","_ayudawp_aiss_summary_provider":"extractive","_ayudawp_aiss_summary_hash":"75baecd6656a27c34645277001a59e4c4ff5c3ef","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4314],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ftp"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Disable Plain Text FTP Authentication<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to disable plain text FTP authentication in WHM by requiring TLS or turning off FTP, plus how to protect FTP logins if you only have cPanel.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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