Kerberos is the name of an authentication service and is also called a network authentication protocol. It is intended for open and inherently insecure computer networks, such as the Internet. It is intended to uniformly authenticate the unsecured networks on secure host computers. This authentication is performed by a trusted third party. Kerberus uses symmetric cryptography to provide strong authentication for client/server applications. The protocol was developed by Steve Miller and Clifford Neuman in the 1970s as part of a project at the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the USA. The name is derived from the three-headed hellhound Kerberos from Greek mythology, which guards the entrance to the underworld.
