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Encyclopedia of Cryptography and Security pp 829–831Cite as

Needham–Schroeder Protocols

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Related Concepts

Kerberos Authentication Protocol

Definition

There are two Needham–Schroeder Protocols. The first (the Symmetric Protocol) allows a user to transport a symmetric key to another in a trusted manner, with the help of a Key Distribution Center. The second (the Public Key Protocol) allows two users to exchange respective public keys in a trusted manner, with the help of a Trusted Third Party.

Background

Since their introduction in 1978, the original forms of both protocols have succumbed to attack and should no longer be relied upon. The symmetric protocol was later adapted in the design of the Kerberos Authentication Protocol.

Theory

In the Symmetric Protocol, users Alice (A) and Bob (B) have respective, pre-established shared keys K AS and K BS with a Key Distribution Center (S). S is also a Trusted Third Partythat is required to have vetted the identities of A and B, and maintains the confidentiality of their shared keys. The protocol proceeds as follows, with A...

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Recommended Reading

  1. Denning DE, Sacco GM (1981) Timestamps in key distribution protocols. Commun ACM 24(8):533–536

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  2. Lowe G (1995) An attack on the Needham-Schroeder public-key authentication protocol. Inform Process Lett 56(3):131–133

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  3. Menezes A, van Oorschot PC, Vanstone SA (1996) Handbook of applied cryptography. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida

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  4. Needham RM, Schroeder MD (1978) Using encryption for authentication in large networks of computers. Commun ACM 21(12):993–999

    MATH  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

    Mike Just

Authors
  1. Mike Just
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mathematics and Computing Science, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5600 MB, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Henk C. A. van Tilborg

  2. Center for Secure Information Systems, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030-4422, USA

    Sushil Jajodia

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© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Just, M. (2011). Needham–Schroeder Protocols. In: van Tilborg, H.C.A., Jajodia, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cryptography and Security. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5906-5_87

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