DoS Resilience of Authentication Systems

Valer Bocan

Cryptographic authentication systems are currently the de facto standard for securing clients access to network services. Although they offer enhanced security for the parties involved in the communication process, they still have a vulnerable point represented by their susceptibility to denial of service (DoS) attacks. The present chapter addresses two important aspects related to the security of authentication systems and their resistance against strong DoS attacks, represented by attack detection and attack prevention. In this respect we present a detailed analysis of the methods used to evaluate the attack state of an authentication system as well as of the countermeasures that can be deployed to prevent or repel a DoS attack.