The Network Security. Org

Kerberos is the protocol of choice for mixed network environments. This article explains how to use Kerberos authentication in these mixed environments. The Kerberos authentication method originated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1980s, as part of a project called Athena that involved integrating the computers on the MIT campus, which ran on different operating systems, in a network that offered single sign-on (SSO). At that time, most UNIX systems allowed users to access their resources as long as they had an account name and password. Microsoft’s first real networking operating system was NT (Windows for Workgroups supported file and printer sharing but not network logon). It used Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) and later a stronger version, MS-CHAP.

Due to weaknesses in the CHAP method and for better interoperability in mixed environments (those that ran both UNIX and Windows systems), Microsoft switched to Kerberos as the default authentication protocol beginning with Windows 2000. Mac OS X, which is based on UNIX, also uses Kerberos, so it is the protocol of choice for mixed network environments.

Note:
Prior to changes in federal laws in 2000, Kerberos – along with many other cryptography methods – was classified as a munition by the U.S. government and could not be exported outside the country. How to use Kerberos Authentication in a Mixed (Windows and UNIX) Environment

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