A Kerberos Ticket Granting Ticket (TGT) is a critical component of the Kerberos authentication protocol. Its primary purpose is to enable users to request access to network services (via service tickets) without having to re-enter their credentials repeatedly.
Here's how it works:
> When a user initially logs in, they authenticate to the Authentication Server (AS) by providing their credentials (usually a username and password).
> The AS validates the credentials and issues a TGT. This ticket is encrypted with the Ticket Granting Server's (TGS) secret key.
> The TGT is stored on the user's system and is used to request service tickets from the TGS whenever access to a specific network resource is needed.
> This process happens transparently to the user after the initial login, ensuring single sign-on (SSO) functionality.
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A) It directly grants access to network services:
This is incorrect because the TGT itself doesn't grant direct access to network services. It is used to obtain service tickets, which are the actual tokens granting access to specific services.
B) It encrypts all network traffic between client and server:
While Kerberos provides secure authentication and encryption, the TGT itself doesn't encrypt all network traffic. Encryption occurs at other layers or via session keys negotiated during the authentication process.
D) It stores user passwords in a secure encrypted format:
The TGT doesn't store user passwords. It contains encrypted session data that proves the user's identity to the TGS (Ticket Granting Server).