Kerberos Distribution Centers (KDC)

• the trusted centralized server that handles authentication credentials and issues tickets and network session keys to users and services for secure network access
• key components of KDCs:
  • Authentication Server (AS)
    • when users login they first contact the AS and provides it with their principal name (see security principals for more) and a timestamp encrypted using a key derived from their password. the AS verifies the users identity and provides them with a Ticket Granting Ticket (TGT) and a session key. the TGT is encrypted using the KRBTGT account’s password hash which also stores a copy of the session key inside of it which the KDC can use
      
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  • Ticket Granting Server
  • Kerberos Database