Authentication
Authentication |
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The Kerberos authentication protocol provides a mechanism for mutual authentication between a client and a server before a network connection is opened between them. The protocol assumes that initial transactions between clients and servers take place on an open network — an environment where most clients and many servers are not physically secure and packets traveling along the network can be monitored and modified at will. In other words, the protocol is designed for an environment that is much like today's Internet, where an attacker can easily pose as either a client or a server and can readily eavesdrop on or tamper with communications between legitimate clients and servers.