What happens if my KDC is compromised?

Bram Cymet bcymet at cbnco.com
Fri Sep 17 07:28:11 EDT 2010


  Hi,

What would be the implications if my KDC was compromised and an attacker 
got a hold of the KDB or in my case the LDAP directory storing principal 
information?

As far as I have been able to tell this attacker can now authenticate as 
any of my users. I know the passwords are hashed in the directory but it 
is this hash that is the shared private key between the kdc and the 
client correct?

So an attacker can use this hash to do any pre-auth that is required and 
authenticate to my KDC.

Am I missing something or is it the case that if my KDC was compromised  
I am in big trouble?

If I am using pkinit with certs I believe this problem can be eliminated 
but using certs is not always an option.

Thanks,

-- 
Bram Cymet
Software Developer
Canadian Bank Note Co. Ltd.
Cell: 613-608-9752





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