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Kerberos kpasswd Server
**Kerberos Password Change (kpasswd) Server** — Port 752 is primarily used by the Kerberos authentication protocol to handle password changes securely. The service facilitates secure communication between clients wishing to update their passwords and the Kerberos authentication infrastructure, maintaining strong user identity management within enterprise environments..
Overview
Port 752 is designated for the Kerberos Password change service, commonly referred to as kpasswd. It supports client requests to change Kerberos principal passwords by securely transmitting the password-change request to the Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC). Because Kerberos is a network authentication protocol designed to provide strong authentication for client/server applications, managing credentials like user passwords is crucial to its overall security model.
Functionality
When a client initiates a password change, it communicates over UDP port 752 to send an encrypted kpasswd request to the KDC, often to a dedicated password-changing daemon such as kpasswdd. This ensures that the old password is verified before securely updating the principal’s secret stored within the Kerberos database. The operation uses secure encryption methods supported by Kerberos to protect the sensitive data during transmission.
Protocol Considerations
Typically, port 752 operates over UDP due to its lower overhead and suitability for small, discrete requests like password changes. It is important to note that while this port is unofficial and lacks a formal IANA designation, it is widely adopted in Kerberos deployments for password management, complementing the standard Kerberos (port 88) and administration protocols (port 749).