Radius increases security and deployment giving support for centralized user identification, authentication, dynamic key management and accounting. It gives a mechanism for controlling user access to a computer network. Radius server keeps a check on the user passwords and grants and denies access. It also helps in keeping a check on the network usage allowing the management to find out how and when the network is being used.
Radius server uses port 1812. Here the port numbers are a part of the TCP/IP mechanism that connects clients and servers on the internet.
Why should you use Radius?
Radius protocol uses authentication, authorization, and accounting. These are some useful services that a radius server can perform.
Authentication:
This is the process whereby the system determines the identity of the user. It is usually done with the user name and password. Generally, this method of authentication is followed at restaurants. Apart from this, other forms of authentication include digital certificates, digital signatures, and more.
Authorization:
This process determines the services a user has and to what extent. The system requires that the identity of the user should be previously determined via authentication the authenticated user can perform certain privileged functions like looking up for a file, database, directory service or database like Active Directory.
Accounting:
This process includes keeping a track record of network usage. It assists in recording the date and start time of every user’s session including its duration and the number of bytes used.
When implemented properly, this system gives enhanced security. It also gives better reporting and tracking whereby one can use client usernames. It is tied to lightweight Directory Access Control at the back end.
It gives the ability to direct user groups into a user profile or radius attributes. This helps one to place restrictions on specific classes of users.
When the users have RADIUS for Service set identifier, the session becomes encrypted uniquely between the user and the access point. Another user will have different encryption keys for their connection. Thus, the user with the same SSID cannot sniff the traffic and access other user’s information.
You can de-authorize a single user or a device easily without changing the key for everyone or having a security risk where the same user gets an access key to the network.
You can find out more about the Radius server and know about role-based access control reaching out to FoxPass.com.
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