BSD Authentication

BSD Authentication, otherwise known as BSD Auth, is an authentication framework and software API employed by OpenBSD and accompanying software such as OpenSSH. It originated with BSD/OS, and although the specification and implementation were donated to the FreeBSD project by BSDi, OpenBSD chose to adopt the framework in release 2.9. Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM) serves a similar purpose on other operating systems such as Linux, FreeBSD and NetBSD.

BSD Auth performs authentication by executing scripts or programs as separate processes from the one requiring the authentication. This prevents the child authentication process from interfering with the parent except through a narrowly defined inter-process communication API, a technique inspired by the principle of least privilege and known as privilege separation. This behaviour has significant security benefits, notably improved fail-safeness of software, and robustness against malicious and accidental software bugs.[1]

## See also

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* Name Service Switch

## References

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1. ^ Niels Provos; Markus Friedl; Peter Honeyman (2003). "Preventing Privilege Escalation". Proceedings of the 12th USENIX Security Symposium. pp. 231–242.

## External links

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* `authenticate(3)`: simplified interface to the BSD Authentication system – OpenBSD Library Functions Manual
* `auth_subr(3)`: interface to the BSD Authentication system – OpenBSD Library Functions Manual

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Authentication

Authentication
APIs|

* BSD Authentication (BSD Auth)
* eAuthentication (eAuth)
* Generic Security Services API (GSSAPI)
* Java Authentication and Authorization Service (JAAS)
* Pluggable Authentication Modules (PAM)
* Simple Authentication and Security Layer (SASL)
* Security Support Provider Interface (SSPI)
* XCert Universal Database API (XUDA)

Authentication
protocols|

* ACF2
* Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA)
* CAVE-based authentication
* Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP)
* MS-CHAP
* Central Authentication Service (CAS)
* CRAM-MD5
* Diameter
* Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP)
* Host Identity Protocol (HIP)
* IndieAuth
* Kerberos
* LAN Manager
* NT LAN Manager (NTLM)
* OAuth
* OpenID
* OpenID Connect (OIDC)
* Password-authenticated key agreement protocols
* Password Authentication Protocol (PAP)
* Protected Extensible Authentication Protocol (PEAP)
* Remote Access Dial In User Service (RADIUS)
* Resource Access Control Facility (RACF)
* Secure Remote Password protocol (SRP)
* TACACS
* Woo–Lam

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