Basic HTTP Authentication

Hello - we have been reviewing aspects of our network security and application update procedure and wanted to be able to better secure access to the download files.  I reviewed a number of articles in the forum but wasn't able to find what I was looking for.  I know that HTTP is recommended over FTP for the updates, but I can't find any information about basic http authentication being supported for access.  Is this possible?  If it makes any difference, we are using a custom build of wyUpdate.

If it's not possible over http, is it possible to do ftp credentials?  If so, is there any support for secure FTP (either sftp or ftps) - the older forum posts seem to indicate that it's not supported, but those posts are older so wasn't sure if there have been udpates?

Thanks - been a long-time user and it has been a great, reliable solution!