CIFS vs. SMB
In 1996, Microsoft tried to rename SMB to CIFS (Common Internet File System). It was an updated version of the same protocol and had additional functions, but the name didn’t stick. As a result, many still think it’s the same thing. CIFS is now only one of many dialects (variants) of SMB.
Different variants of the SMB protocol
Here’re all the variants of the SMB protocol:
- SMBv1 was released in 1984 by IBM for file sharing in DOS. Microsoft modified and updated it in 1990.
- CIFS was released in 1996 with more features and support for larger file sizes. It came together with the new Windows 95.
- SMBv2 debuted in Windows Vista in 2006. It featured a notable boost in performance because of increased efficiency — fewer commands and subcommands meant better speeds.
- SMBv2.1 came with Windows 7, bringing improved performance.
- SMBv3 was introduced with Windows 8 with many updates. Most notable of which is enhanced security — the protocol started supporting end-to-end encryption.
- SMBv3.02 came together with Windows 8.1. It offered the ability to increase security and performance by completely disabling SMBv1.
- SMBv3.1.1 was released in 2015 with Windows 10. It added more security elements to the protocol, like AES-128 encryption, protection from man-in-the-middle attacks, and session verification.
It’s important to know which version of the SMB protocol your device uses, especially if you own a business and have a lot of Windows machines connected to each other. It would be hard to find a PC running Windows 95 or XP (and using SMBv1) in a modern-day office, but they might still be running on old servers. Why is that important?
