MIT next week is throwing a 20th birthday party for the Kerberos authentication system and the big present is a new consortium devoted to keeping the security system going well into the future.
Kerberos, which MIT says is part of every major operating system, will be feted by a cast of characters including MIT’s VP for information services and technology, the senior technical architect for Kerberos and reps from other organizations such as Stanford University. The will formalize the launch of the MIT Kerberos Consortium.
Kerberos, originally created for MIT’s Project Athena, is used mainly by enterprises and MIT’s goal is to see the IETF security standard develop into a universal system for single sign-on.
In an FAQ, MIT describes the forum’s mission like this:
"Kerberos has…. become successful beyond MIT’s internal capacity to respond to the world’s demands for development, testing and support. So we need a new organizational structure that can accommodate the demand."
The first executive board meeting for the consortium is slated for April next year and an interoperability event is set for next summer. Longtime MIT employee Steve Buckley will serve as executive director.
More on the Consortium.