SCP is short for secure copy protocol and is used to copy files and directories between multiple Linux machines over a network. The data transferred using SCP is encrypted to protect your data against nefarious agents.
The SCP command uses SSH for data transfer and thus uses all the same usernames and passwords you would use for SSH. As a result, it is an extremely useful command for transferring files securely without too much added complexity.
Source: How to use the scp Command in Linux – Pi My Life Up
