Definition
A trusted authority that distributes and manages cryptographic keys for communicating parties so they can communicate securely
Visual IT Encyclopedia › Information Security › Cryptography
Visual IT Encyclopedia › Information Security › Cryptography
Definition
A trusted authority that distributes and manages cryptographic keys for communicating parties so they can communicate securely
Setup: Alice and Bob have never talked before, so they share no key. Instead, each has already shared one master key with the KDC. Only Alice and the KDC know master key A; only Bob and the KDC know master key B.
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Key Distribution Center (KDC)
To talk with encryption, two people need the same secret key. But if they have never talked before, they have no safe way to share that key. The KDC is a server everyone trusts, and it has already shared one master key with each user. When two people want to talk, the KDC creates a session key for this conversation only, encrypts it with each person's master key, and hands it out.
Example: with 100 users, giving every pair its own key takes 4,950 keys. With a KDC, the 100 keys each user shares with the KDC are enough.