I Use The Gene6 Pro FTP Server, I Am Also A Beta Tester For Them.
It Works Well, And Allows For Many Ways To Encode Your Log-On Information, And Also Supports SSL.
What Ever You Do I Would Stay Away From Bullet Proof FTP, There Has Been No Real Development Since It Was Sold Off About 4 Years Ago.
I use Bullet Proof FTP Server and although there's been no real development, thats fine. It does exactly what I want it to do.
If your the paranoid type then just set it up with read only access, then worst case scenario, some hacker decides to try crack your system out of the millions out there, he spends ages, gets your password and logs in and can see your files and read them - big deal? Do you really care that much IF someone decides to hack you, IF they get your password, they can then view your files? oh wow - end of the world
lol.
I have my whole computer shared via my ftp server.
BP ftp server is great because its a stand alone server I just load up whenever I want and so has absolutely ZERO system impact when its not being used or loaded.
I even have write access set to most of my files and I only use normal ftp.
Is it dangerous - sure, but then again so is stepping out to cross the road - everything in life has risks, the real secret is learning how big these are and balancing them with getting on with your life.
In your case you have everything backed up anyway - someone decides to pick on you, they then manage to actually get in, they delete some files - you then restore them - not a big issue.
Also, most ftp servers have options to ban IP addresses after X invalid attempts or at any sign of an attack. They then just ignore everything that comes from that IP so your pretty safe.