RFC - 2069
An Extension to HTTP : Digest Access Authentication
| Original: |
ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/rfc2069.txt |
| Authors: |
J. Franks [Northwestern University], P. Hallam-Baker [CERN], J. Hostetler [Spyglass, Inc.], P. Leach [Microsoft Corporation], A. Luotonen [Netscape Communications Corporation], E. Sink [Spyglass, Inc.], L. Stewart [Open Market, Inc.]
|
| Date: |
January 1997 |
| Category: |
Informational |
| |
| This specification has been !!! obsoleted !!! |
| Obsoleted by: |
| RFC-2617draft |
HTTP Authentication: Basic and Digest Access Authentication |
| Referred by: |
18 RFC |
| Refers to: |
4 RFC |
Status
This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state
and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.
Abstract
The protocol referred to as "HTTP/1.0" includes the specification for
a Basic Access Authentication scheme. This scheme is not considered
to be a secure method of user authentication, as the user name and
password are passed over the network as clear text. A specification
for a different authentication scheme is needed to address this
severe limitation. This document provides specification for such a
scheme, referred to as "Digest Access Authentication". Like Basic,
Digest access authentication verifies that both parties to a
communication know a shared secret (a password); unlike Basic, this
verification can be done without sending the password in the clear,
which is Basic's biggest weakness. As with most other authentication
protocols, the greatest sources of risks are usually found not in the
core protocol itself but in policies and procedures surrounding its
use.
