ABSTRACT
Kerberos is a distributed security system that provides a wide range of security services for distributed
environments. Those services include authentication and message protection, as well as providing the
ability to securely carry authorization information needed by applications, operating systems, and
networks. Kerberos also provides the facilities necessary for delegation, where limited-trust intermedi-
aries perform operations on behalf of a client. Entering its second decade of use, Kerberos is arguably the
best tested and most scrutinized distributed security system in widespread use today.
