Key Distribution Center

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What Does Key Distribution Center Mean?

A key distribution center (KDC) in cryptography is a system that is responsible for providing keys to the users in a network that shares sensitive or private data. Each time a connection is established between two computers in a network, they both request the KDC to generate a unique password which can be used by the end system users for verification. This type of system and cryptographic technology is used among the most prevalent cryptocurrencies for the purpose of transparency and security.

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Techopedia Explains Key Distribution Center

A key distribution center is a form of symmetric encryption that allows the access of two or more systems in a network by generating a unique ticket type key for establishing a secure connection over which data is shared and transferred. KDC is the main server which is consulted before communication takes place. Due to its central infrastructure, KDC is usually employed in smaller networks where the connection requests do not overwhelm the system. KDC is used instead of standard key encryption because the key is generated every time a connection is requested, which minimizes the chances of attack.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.