FTP Anonymous User

Normally, when you connect to an anonymous FTP server, you tend to specify 'anonymous' as username, follow by 'username@domain.com' format style password. This is per RFC spec, take for example IIS FTP is based on RFC959. Actually, you can specify anything in the 'password' field; say '1' or 'blabla', is not a must to enter email format password.

Now, here's the interest part, beside specifying 'anonymous' as username for anonymous access, do you know what you can actually use 'ftp' as username ? and the FTP program will take 'ftp' username as anonymous. In short, to login as anonymous account, you can either specify username as 'ftp' or 'anonymous'. why? because, in the RFC (the one, which I can't locate) 'ftp' is the anonymous user login.

Have you try creating a user name 'ftp' in Windows server? If you did, which user you feel the FTP server will recognize? The real ‘ftp’ windows account or it will take it as ‘anonymous’ user? The answer is later case, you can’t never login you can never login as the real ‘ftp’ windows account to IIS FTP, because FTP server treat the ‘ftp’ user as FTP anonymous user not Windows server user.