KERBEROS

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WHY KERBEROS
The internet is an insecure place. Many of the protocols used in the Internet do not provide any security. Tools to “sniff” passwords off of the network are in common use by systems crackers. Thus applications that send an unencrypted password over the network are extremely vulnerable. Worse yet, other client/server applications rely on the client program to be “honest” about the identity of the user who is using it. Other applications rely on the client program to be “honest” about the identity of the user who is using it. Other applications relay on the client to restrict its activities to those which it is allowed to do, with no other enforcement by the server.

Some sites attempt to use firewalls to solve their network security problems. Unfortunately, firewalls assume that “the bad guys” are on the outside, which is often a very bad assumption. Insiders carry out most of the really damaging incidents of computer crime. Firewalls also have a significant disadvantage in that they restrict how your users can use the Internet.Kerberos is necessary because there are people who know how to tap the lines between computers and listen for your password. They do this with programs called "sniffers", and the only way to stop them would be to physically guard every inch of the Internet ... computers, cables and all. This, of course, is impossible. As long as there are physically insecure networks in the world and at Stanford, we'll need something like Kerberos to maintain the integrity and security of our electronic communications. Kerberos was created by MIT as a solution to these network security problems .

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