Secure FTP on LWS Panel: “*.lwspanel.com” certificate, TLS session resumption, and SFTP

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When you connect via encrypted FTP (FTPS) with FileZilla to your LWS Panel hosting, FileZilla may display a “*.lwspanel.com” certificate whose name “does not match” the host entered, followed by a warning about “TLS session resumption.” This certificate is indeed the one used by LWS servers. To stop the certificate warning, enter your server name as the host, in the form webdbNNNN.lwspanel.com. For the session resumption warning, the recommended solution is SFTP, included from the Starter plan onward.

The basic FileZilla configuration is explained in Explicit TLS FTP connection and in How do I publish a site via FTP with FileZilla, Cyberduck or WinSCP?. Is your hosting managed under cPanel? Then see instead What FTP settings are needed for an FTP client?.

Why FileZilla displays the “*.lwspanel.com” certificate

The FTP servers for LWS Panel hosting present a certificate issued for the names “*.lwspanel.com” and “lwspanel.com,” issued by Sectigo. It is not issued for your domain name or for an IP address.

If you enter ftp.yourdomain.com or the server IP address as the host, FileZilla opens the “Unknown certificate” window with the message “Hostname does not match the certificate.” This does not mean the server is fake: the name entered is simply not the one in the certificate.

Connecting via FTPS without a certificate warning

The certificate is valid for your hosting server name, in the form webdbNNNN.lwspanel.com. Use this name as the host instead of ftp.yourdomain.com. Your FTP username and password do not change.

1. Find your server name in the Terminal

   In LWS Panel, open your hosting management and then, in the Software section, click Terminal (see How do I connect to the web Terminal with LWS Panel?). The command prompt shows your username, then the server name after the @ symbol. In the example below, the server is webdb2234: the name to use is therefore webdb2234.lwspanel.com.

   

   The server name also appears in the address bar of the File Manager, which opens in a new tab at an address of the form https://username.webdbNNNN.lwspanel.com/--apps/tfm3/. Keep only the webdbNNNN.lwspanel.com part: the full name, with the username in front, is not covered by the certificate.

2. Open FileZilla’s Site Manager

   In FileZilla, click File > Site Manager…, then New site. If you have already saved your hosting account, simply select it from the list.

3. Enter the server name and TLS encryption

   In the General tab, fill in the fields as follows:

   • Protocol: FTP — File Transfer Protocol;
   • Host: your server name, for example webdb2234.lwspanel.com;
   • Port: 21;
   • Encryption: Use explicit FTP over TLS;
   • Logon Type: Normal;
   • Username and Password: those of your FTP account, shown in the Files > FTP account(s) section of LWS Panel.

4. Start the connection

   Click Connect. If FileZilla still shows the “Unknown certificate” window on this first connection, the Host line no longer shows the message “Hostname does not match the certificate”: check “Always trust this certificate in future sessions.” then click OK.

Without Terminal or File Manager: check the certificate

If your plan does not include either the Terminal or the File Manager (this is the case with the domain plan), you cannot read the server name there. Connect then using the host ftp.yourdomain.com and check the certificate in the “Unknown certificate” window before accepting it:

• in the Subject box, the Common Name is *.lwspanel.com;
• in the Issuer box, the Organization is Sectigo Limited.

If that is the case, check “Always trust this certificate in future sessions.” then click OK. If the common name or issuer is different, click Cancel and contact LWS support from your customer area.

TLS session resumption warning

Once connected via FTPS, FileZilla may open the “Insecure FTP connection data” window with the message “This server does not support TLS session resumption on data connections.” FileZilla explains there that this feature protects against theft of data connections and that, if you continue, “transferred files may be intercepted or their contents replaced by an attacker.” Your username and password, however, are sent through the main connection, encrypted with TLS.

• Recommended solution: transfer your files via SFTP, as explained below. This warning does not apply to SFTP.
• If SFTP is not included in your plan (Perso plan or domain plan): you can click OK to continue over FTPS, aware of the risk described by FileZilla.

Use SFTP instead of FTPS

SFTP transfers your files over a single encrypted SSH connection, on port 22. It does not use a TLS certificate: neither the “*.lwspanel.com” warning nor the session resumption warning applies to it. It uses SSH access, included from the Starter plan onward.

1. Enable SSH access in LWS Panel

   In the Software section, click SSH access and check that Enable is selected. If not, click Modify configuration, check Enable, choose the Activation duration, then click Validate. Without an SSH key, access is limited to 7 days maximum: for permanent key-based access, follow How to connect to your LWS web hosting via SSH.

2. Note the connection details

   On the same page, the Connection information box shows the Host, Port (22), and User. Each value has a button to copy it.

   

3. Create the SFTP site in FileZilla

   In FileZilla, click File > Site Manager… > New site, then fill in:

   • Protocol: SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol;
   • Host: the “Host” value from the SSH Access page, or the “IP Address” value if your domain does not yet point to your LWS hosting;
   • Port: 22;
   • Logon Type: Normal;
   • Username: the “User” value, which is also the username of your “Main” FTP account;
   • Password: that of this main FTP account.

   Then click Connect.

4. Accept the server key on the first connection

   On the first connection, FileZilla displays the “Unknown host key” window, because it does not know this server yet. Check “Always trust this host, add this key to the cache” then click OK.

Frequently asked questions

Related articles

• Explicit TLS FTP connection
• How do I publish a site via FTP with FileZilla, Cyberduck or WinSCP?
• The main errors encountered in an FTP connection via FileZilla
• How to connect to your LWS web hosting via SSH
• How do I connect to the web Terminal with LWS Panel?