Kerberos is a network authentication protocol created by MIT which uses
secret-key cryptography — obviating the need to send passwords over
the network. By authenticating using Kerberos, unauthorized users trying
to intercept passwords on the network are effectively thwarted.
Advantages of Kerberos
Most conventional network systems use password-based authentication
schemes. When a user authenticates to a network server, he must supply
a user name and password for each service requiring authentication.
This information is sent over the network, and the server verifies their
identity using this information.
However, the transmission of authentication information for many
services is in plain text. An attacker with access to the network and a
packet analyzer, also known as a packet sniffer, can intercept any
passwords sent in this manner.
The primary design goal of Kerberos is to eliminate the transmission
across the network of authentication information. The proper use of
Kerberos effectively eliminates the threat packet sniffers would
otherwise pose on a network.
