Windows Server® 2008 Security Resource Kit

Chapter 2. Authenticators and Authentication Protocols

Jesper M. Johansson

In this chapter:

Something You Know, Something You Have 17

Understanding Authenticator Storage 19

Authentication Protocols 29

Smart Card Authentication 37

Attacks on Passwords 38

Managing Passwords 46

Summary 54

Additional Resources 54

Recall from Chapter 1 that the actors in a computer are called subjects or principals. Once you have a principal, that principal needs some way to prove that it really is who it claims to be. Consider the very real-world case in which you wish to purchase something with a credit card in a store where they actually understand security. You have your identity: you. However, the store's personnel do not know who you are so they require some proof—an authentication ...