Re: Linux basic authentication?

[Gregory Boyce <gboyce () akamai com>]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

redcowboy () nate com wrote:
> Hi, All.
> I'm studying linux security.
> I have two question.
> First of all, I heard Kerberos is window basic 
> authentication protocol.

Kerberos is the basis for Windows authentication against an Active
Directory server.  If you have a single Windows desktop/laptop that is
not authenticating against a central authority, it uses a different
authentication method.  (I'm more of a Unix guy, so I'm not sure what
the authentication method is for local auth on Windows)

> then, what's linux(or Unix) basic authentication 
> protocol?
> if is it there, could you explain how does it work or 
> something..

Unlike Windows with its single vendor, there are a lot of different
linux distributions, some of which authenticate in different ways.

The majority of Linux systems these days use PAM (Pluggable
Authentication Modules).  The login method that you're using (SSH,
console, X, etc) talks to the PAM subsystem to figure out how to
authenticate.  PAM itself can be configured to use many different
authentication sources including NIS, Kerberos, LDAP, or local shadowed
passwords using DES or MD5 encryption.

Some linux systems may still use direct shadow password authentication
where the login program runs as root so it can read /etc/shadow to
retrieve the password hash.

> Seconds, How could I understand Linux security 
> concepts?

Unfortunately this question is a bit vague, so its hard to awnser.  You
can try reading some of the documentation provided by the various Linux
distributions.  Redhat's documentation is generally pretty good.

Here's the link for Redhat's security guide for Redhat enterprise:
https://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/enterprise/RHEL-4-Manual/security-guide/

Redhat Enterprise is a bit expensive, but a lot of the information
applies to other distributions as well, including Fedora (also put out
by Redhat), and Centos/Whitebox which are both based on Redhat Enterprise.

- --
 Gregory Boyce | gboyce () akamai com
 Security Operations  -  Team Lead
 Akamai Technologies | 617-444-3041
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.1 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://enigmail.mozdev.org

iD8DBQFD8j5uRy7J/ecQa/MRAqGZAJ9WDmXbNV+GAgq6SVm4cmf7hPpi8ACfcAUQ
EJ+LpQRZBaKOrRszJmPNjEY=
=4Jq/
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
EARN A MASTER OF SCIENCE IN INFORMATION ASSURANCE - ONLINE
The Norwich University program offers unparalleled Infosec management 
education and the case study affords you unmatched consulting experience. 
Tailor your education to your own professional goals with degree 
customizations including Emergency Management, Business Continuity Planning, 
Computer Emergency Response Teams, and Digital Investigations. 

http://www.msia.norwich.edu/secfocus
---------------------------------------------------------------------------