non-secure network utilities - pointers?

What cypherpunk-approved (tm) -- that is, cryptographically strong, freely available, and well-implemented (reliable) -- network utilities are available? I'm willing to agree to US-only license agreement iff I have to... I'm looking for secure telnet, ftp, talk, etc. that I can run over a potentially insecure network (and their respective daemons). Is SSL the way to go? (If so, what's the best implementation?) What about other protocols? Is there some comprehensive {web,ftp}site where I can find more information on this subject? Please reply off-list to poodge@econ.berkeley.edu thanks, -sq