Application Signature Detail

MISC: TACAS Protocol

TACACS - Terminal access controller access control system (TACACS) is a remote authentication protocol that is used to communicate with an authentication server. TACACS allows a remote access server to communicate with an authentication server in order to determine if the user has access to the network. A later version of TACACS introduced in 1990 was called XTACACS (extended TACACS). These two versions have generally been replaced by TACACS+ and RADIUS in newer or updated networks. TACACS+ is a completely new protocol and is therefore not compatible with TACACS or XTACACS. TACACS+ provides separate authentication, authorization and accounting services, and utilizes TCP port 49. It offers multiprotocol support such as IP, and AppleTalk. Normal operation fully encrypts the body of the packet for more secure communications. It is a Cisco proprietary enhancement to original TACACS protocol.

References

• URL: ftp://ftpeng.cisco.com/pub/tacacs/tac-rfc.1.78.txt
• URL: http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/614/7.html
• URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TACACS