Kerberos
Technology› Operating System› Microsoft Windows› Microsoft Windows Server
Microsoft Active Directory
A security system that authenticates users. Kerberos doesn’t provide authorization to services or databases; it establishes identity at logon, which is used throughout the session. The Kerberos protocol is the primary authentication mechanism in the Windows 2000 and Windows 2003 operating systems.
Security
A widely used authentication protocol developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In classic Kerberos, users share a secret password with a Key Distribution Center (KDC). The user, Alice, who wishes to communicate with another user, Bob, authenticates to the KDC and is furnished a ticket by the KDC to use to authenticate with Bob. When Kerberos authentication is based on passwords, the protocol is known to be vulnerable to off-line dictionary attacks by eavesdroppers who capture the initial user-to-KDC exchange.