An animated learning tool for Kerberos authentication architecture

Using animated visualization tools has been an important teaching approach in computer science education. Kerberos authentication architecture, an important component in information security and computer science curriculum, is an elaborated protocol that students often find difficult to understand. This paper describes an animated learning tool for Kerberos authentication architecture. It demonstrates the design of Kerberos through a series of four scenes. Each scene demonstrates a stage of the protocol development. Each successive scene adds additional complexity to counter security vulnerabilities revealed in the preceding scene. For some of the scenes, hacking scenarios are provided to illustrate the vulnerabilities of that scene. This tool is accessible through the web, has a novice-friendly and easily learned GUI and has evaluation features built into the software. It allows user interaction to facilitate learning and can be mapped to existing teaching and learning resources. This animated learning tool has been used in two classes in the Fall 2006 semester, and has demonstrated effectiveness in assisting student learning of the complex Kerberos authentication architecture.