Kerberos

Kerberos is a ticket-based network authentication protocol.
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Overview

Kerberos authenticates users through tickets issued by a trusted Key Distribution Center. The main components are the client, service server, Authentication Server, Ticket Granting Server, and encrypted tickets. This model supports single sign-on but depends heavily on time synchronization and the availability of the KDC.

Key Points

  • Keep credentials and tokens protected.
  • Prefer current standards and well-maintained libraries.
  • Validate trust boundaries and expiration rules.

Examples

$ yum install -y krb5-workstation krb5-libs

[logging]
 default = FILE:/var/log/krb5libs.log
 kdc = FILE:/var/log/krb5kdc.log
 admin_server = FILE:/var/log/kadmind.log

[libdefaults]
 default_realm = EXAMPLE.COM
 dns_lookup_realm = false
 dns_lookup_kdc = false
 ticket_lifetime = 24h
 renew_lifetime = 7d
 forwardable = true
 allow_weak_crypto = true

[realms]
  EXAMPLE.COM = {
  kdc = kdc.example.com.:88
  admin_server = kdc.example.com
  default_domain = example.com
 }

[domain_realm]
 .example.com = EXAMPLE.COM
 example.com = EXAMPLE.COM

$ kinit

$ klist