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CompTIA Security+ 1.2 CompTIA Security+ 4.1
TechKnowSurge Catalog Interactives Point-to-Point or AAA?
InteractiveSecurityFree

Point-to-Point or AAA?

Two ends checking each other, or a device asking a central server? Sort each login as point-to-point or AAA. Land five in a row.

⚑ Complete this interactive to capture a CTF flag worth 5 points.

About this interactive

Every authentication runs over a protocol: something asks for access, something asks for credentials, and the two go back and forth until access is granted or refused. The lesson sorts these protocols into two families by who does the checking. Point-to-point authentication happens between the two ends themselves. Two routers about to bring up a PPP link, a layer 2 alternative to Ethernet, authenticate each other first with PAP, CHAP or EAP before they exchange routing information. Two machines on a shared network can verify each other directly in the same way. AAA protocols serve a different purpose. Picture a thousand routers, each with its own accounts, and someone leaves the company. Instead, each device passes the login to a central server, which allows or denies it, and one change on that server reaches every device. RADIUS and TACACS+ are examples. To sort a card, ask who decides: the other end of the link, or a server behind the device.

What you'll learn

Aligned to

CompTIA Security+
1.2 Summarize fundamental security concepts.
4.1 Given a scenario, apply common security techniques to computing resources.

Key terms

Point-to-Point Protocol
PPP
A data link protocol used to establish a direct connection between two nodes.
Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting
AAA
Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting is a security framework that controls network access by verifying user identity, determining permitted actions, and logging activity for auditing and billing purposes.
Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol
CHAP
Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol is a three-way authentication method in which the authenticator sends a challenge, the peer responds with a hash of the challenge and shared secret, and the authenticator verifies the response without transmitting the password in cleartext.
Password Authentication Protocol
PAP
A simple authentication protocol used with PPP that transmits usernames and passwords in plaintext over the connection. PAP is considered insecure because credentials can be intercepted by anyone monitoring the link and has been replaced by CHAP and EAP in modern implementations.
Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service
RADIUS
RADIUS is a client-server networking protocol that provides centralized authentication, authorization, and accounting management for users connecting to network access points or VPN services.

Topics

Interactive Streak Sort

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