Mechanics of User Identification and Authentication

Effective and fool-proof user identification and authentication are essential to modern security. Providing a hacker perspective, this text introduces the philosophy behind user authentication and access control and presents key concepts for practical applications. It outlines the process of controlled access to resources through authentication, authorization, and accounting and provides specific information on the user authentication process for both UNIX and Windows. Addressing more advanced applications and services, the author presents common security models such as GSSAPI and discusses authentication architecture. Each method is presented with a specific authentication scenario.